About Degrees and Licensure

Degrees

All students are admitted into the combined M.Ed./Ed.S. program and take a total of 63 graduate credits. The UMass Amherst School Counselor Education graduate program provides students with both a 33-credit master’s (M.Ed.) degree and a 30-credit educational specialist (Ed.S.) degree. 

In addition to their course work, school counseling students complete 100 hours of a practicum, and participate in a 600-hour internship under the joint supervision of a certified school counselor and a program of study faculty member. Students who complete the program of study and pass the Communication and Literacy MTEL (Massachusetts Test for Education Licensure) are recommended for provisional licensure with advanced standing (grade levels PreK-12) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The MTEL must be completed prior to your Practicum Placement.

The program satisfies all of the requirements for Massachusetts school counseling licensure. Our curriculum ensures that graduates demonstrate knowledge and skills in individual, group, career, and academic counseling, implementing evidence-based interventions, leadership, advocacy, and systems change, teaming and collaboration, program coordination, assessment and data use, and technology. Our students also build a strong understanding of national and international perspectives on school counseling and as well as of issues in educational equity.

Degree Status: Students admitted as fully qualified to undertake a program of study toward a graduate degree are termed degree status students. The vast majority of our students are in this category.

Provisional Status: Students admitted on a probationary basis to a program of study are on provisional status. Students may enroll for a maximum of 12 credits or two consecutive enrollment periods (including Summer Session), whichever comes first. This status may not be renewed beyond the credit/time limitation regulation as stated above. At the conclusion of the provisional status period, students are either admitted to degree status or terminated depending upon the recommendation of the graduate program of study and subject to the Graduate Dean’s approval.

Non-Degree Status: Students who have a bachelor’s degree and wish to take graduate courses are admitted on a limited basis for a period (fall and/or spring semester) through the following Summer Session. Enrollment in any course is subject to the instructor’s approval, and on a space-available basis. This status may be renewed upon completion of another application. Applications for this status do not require the supporting documentation specified above for degree and provisional status. Up to six graduate credits may be applied toward a graduate degree if a student is later admitted, subject to approval.

Licensure

This program leads to initial teacher licensure in Massachusetts. Because of reciprocity agreements between states, you may be able to transfer your license to another state. However, the College of Education at UMass Amherst makes no guarantee that this program meets school counseling licensure requirements in any state other than Massachusetts. If you are seeking licensure in another state, check the state's Department of Education Website for their licensure requirements for school counseling. Your advisor will work with you to make sure that your UMass degree meets the requirements of any state you plan to potentially work in. 

Contact

For questions about the program, contact the program advisor: Carey Dimmitt

Accreditation

The University of Massachusetts School Counselor Education Program of study meets the Massachusetts School Counseling Licensure requirements.

Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice: Ethical standards; the history of the profession; the multiple roles of counselors; advocacy processes; strategies for self-care and self-evaluation; the role of supervision; professional organizations; and credentialing (primarily EDUC 570).

Social and Cultural Diversity: Multicultural awareness and knowledge; theories and models of multicultural counseling; self-awareness of one’s own social contexts and identities and how they impact professional practice; the effects of power and privilege for both counselors and clients; help-seeking behaviors; the role of spiritual beliefs in counseling; and strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers, prejudices, and processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and discrimination. (Integrated into all courses and focus of EDUC 688).

Human Growth and Development: Theories of individual and family development; theories of learning, theories of normal and abnormal personality development; theories and etiology of addiction; biological factors that affect human development; context and systemic factors that affect human development; effects of trauma and disasters; understanding of differing abilities and related interventions; and strategies for promoting resilience and wellness. (EDUC 594M and EDUC 685)

Career Development: Theories and models of career development, counseling, and decision making; approaches for conceptualizing the interrelationships among work, mental health, relationships, and life roles; processes for using labor market resources; approaches for assessing work environments; strategies for assessing the multiple aspects of career development; strategies for creating effective career development programs; strategies for advocating for clients’ skill development and career development; appropriate use of career assessment techniques and instruments; and ethical and culturally relevant career development practices. (EDUC 607 and EDUC 807)

Helping Relationships: Theories and models of counseling; systems approaches to conceptualizing counseling work; theories, models, and strategies for consultation; ethical and culturally relevant strategies for establishing and maintaining counseling relationships; the impact of technology on the counseling process; counseling influences on the process; essential counseling skills; developmentally relevant treatment and intervention plans; development of measurable outcomes for clients; evidence-based counseling strategies and techniques for prevention and intervention; strategies to support client knowledge of community-based resources; suicide prevention skills; crisis intervention skills; and processes for aiding students in developing personal models of counseling. (EDUC 631 and EDUC 688A)

Group Work: Theoretical foundations of group counseling; group process; therapeutic factors related to group effectiveness; effective group leadership; approaches to group formation; types of groups; ethical and culturally relevant strategies for designing and facilitating groups; and direct experiences in a small group. (EDUC 886)

Assessment: Nature and meaning of assessment and testing in counseling; conducting assessment meetings; assessing risk of danger to self or others; assessing trauma and abuse and related reporting requirements; use of assessments for diagnostic and intervention planning; basic concepts of testing and assessment; relevant basic statistical concepts; reliability and validity in the use of assessments; counseling assessments; symptom checklists; psychological testing; mental health and behavioral assessments; and ethical and culturally relevant strategies for selecting, administering, and interpreting assessment and test results. (EDUC 685, EDUC 606 and EDUC 688A)

Research/Program Evaluation: The importance of research in the counseling profession; critiquing research; identifying evidence-based practices; needs assessment; outcome measures for counseling programs; evaluation of interventions and programs; research methods; research design; statistical methods used in research and evaluation; analysis and use of counseling data; ethical and culturally relevant strategies for conducting, interpreting, and reporting the results of research and/or program evaluation. (EDUC 605)