Information for Prospective Students of the School Counselor Program at USU
Admission Requirements
Students wishing to enroll in the program must be admitted to the Utah State University School of Graduate Studies in School Counseling. The admission process requires completion of the online application for admission by May 1st of the desired year of admission. The application requires three letters of recommendation, a statement of professional intent/interest, a minimum GRE score of 1,000 (minimun of 500 each, verbal and quantitative scores), or MAT score at the 40th percentile, and official transcripts. To be accepted to the program, applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or above.
Required undergraduate prerequisites are Abnormal Psychology, Analysis of Behavior, introductory - level or higher (Theories of Personality may be substituted for the Analysis of Behavior requirement through Fall 2009, although a course in Behavior Analysis is strongly recommended.), and a statistics course at 2000-level or above. Students must earn a "B" or above in these courses. Contact Camille Odell with questions about requirements.
Please click on the following links for further information about admission to the U.S.U. School of Graduate Studies, and for information about testing.
School Counselor Education Contact Person:
Camille Odell, M.S., Associate Director
School Counselor Education Program
Utah State University
2810 Old Main Hill
Logan UT 84322-2810
Phone: (435) 797-5576
E-mail: codell@cc.usu.edu
Core Requirements of the School Counselor Program
The School Counselor Education program requires the equivalent of 48 semester credits distributed as follows:
A. Thirty-five semester credits of coursework.
B. Three semester credits of practicum. The practicum requires 50 hours of coursework and 150 hours working in a school counseling setting, with individual and group supervision. Students admitted to the EDNET program will need to work closely with the program advisors and faculty/staff to identify appropriate practicum sites for spring semester of the second year of the program. These sites must provide objective supervision and be free of conflicts of interest (e.g., students cannot complete their practicum in the same school in which they are employed as teachers and cannot be paid for practicum work).
C. Ten semester credits of internship. The internship requires 600 hours (400 hours for students who have been full-time teachers in a public school for 3 years or longer) of supervised school guidance and counseling experience in a school setting. The internship experience should include a full range of the activities that school guidance counselors are normally engaged in. The internship may be voluntary or it may be a paid position. Students should be aware that the internship is required for completing the MS degree in School Counseling and to qualify for licensure. Students may complete the internship in either a full- or a part-time setting. However, the internship must be competed within one calendar year.
Course Calendar
Schedule is subject to change.
YEAR 1
Fall Semester
Psy 6530: Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
Psy 6330: Psychometrics (3 credits)
Spring Semester
Psy 6460: Professional Issues in School Guidance (3 credits)
Psy 6240: Introduction to School Guidance (3 credits)
Summer Semester
Psy 6350: Introduction to Theory and Practice in Counseling (3 credits)
Psy 6260: Career Development (3 credits)
YEAR 2
Fall Semester
Psy 6290: Diversity Issues in Treatment and Assessment (3 credits)
Psy 6150: Empirically Supported Treatments for Psychological Disorders of Children
(3 credits)
Spring Semester
Psy 6220: Group Counseling (3 credits)
Psy 6370: Practicum in School Counseling (Weekly evening class plus 150 clock hours in a school setting) (3 credits)
Summer Semester
Psy 6010: Introduction to Program Evaluation: Evaluation Models and Practical Guidelines (3 credits)
Psy 6340: Psychological and Educational Consultation (3 credits)
Seminar: Grant Writing (2 credits)
YEAR 3
Fall Semester
Psy 6250: Internship (10 credits - 600 clock hours) Students may choose to complete the internship in one or two semesters
Licensure Requirements
The Utah State Office of Education provides three levels of licensure for guidance counselors:
Temporary License - Counseling Intern: based on written recommendation from a USOE accredited counselor education program that a candidate: 1) is currently enrolled in the program, 2) has completed 36 semester hours of course work, including successful completion of a practicum, and 3) has skills to work in a school as an intern with supervision from the school setting and from the counselor education program. Upon recommendation of the accredited university program a temporary license will be issued for one year only.
Professional Educator License Level 1: School Counselor : a license issued upon completion of an approved counselor education, or USOE approved alternative program, or to persons applying for licensure under interstate agreements. This license is issued to counselors who are beginning their professional careers who have completed an approved 600 hour field experience (400 hours if the applicant has completed two or more years of successful teaching experience as approved by USOE licensing). It is valid for three years.
Professional Educator License Level 2: School Counselor: a license issued after satisfaction of all requirements for a Level 1 license and 3 years of successful experience as a school counselor. It is valid for three years.