Counseling

School of Education
907-474-7341
www.uaf.edu/educ/graduate/counseling/

M.Ed. Degree

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Minimum Requirements for Degree: 48 or 54 credits

The University of Alaska Graduate Counseling Program prepares students to become culturally responsive effective practitioners through coursework and supervised internship experiences that emphasize an ecological perspective. Students who complete the School Counseling track, a 48 credit-hour program, are eligible to be licensed as professional school counselors in the state of Alaska. Students who complete the Community Counseling track, a 54 credit-hour program, are eligible for licensure as mental health counselors, with additional post-degree requirements. Students who complete this track are eligible to work in community/mental health agencies or as private clinicians once licensed.

Students who are completing either program track through distance education are required to complete COUN F634 (Individual Practicum) and COUN F674 (Group Counseling) on the Fairbanks campus. These courses are offered in alternating summers.

Graduate Program -- M.Ed. Degree

1. Complete the following admission requirements:
   1. Applications will be reviewed on March 1 for admission to the fall semester.
   2. Admission requires a bachelor's degree in a human service area such as education, social work, psychology, human services, etc. Suitability of other degrees will be considered on an individual basis by counseling faculty.
   3. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher in their undergraduate degree or take the Graduate Record Exam.
2. Complete the general university requirements.
3. Complete the master's degree requirements.
4. Complete internship placements appropriate to the student's declared area of interest.
5. Complete the following course requirements:
   COUN F615--Foundations of Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F623--Counseling Theories and Applications I--3 credits
   COUN F628--Child and Adolescent Development--3 credits
   COUN F629--Counseling Interventions--3 credits
   COUN F632--Career Development--3 credits
   COUN F630--Appraisal for Counselors--3 credits
   COUN F634--Practicum in Individual Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F636--Internship I*--3 - 9 credits
   COUN F647--Professional Ethics--3 credits
   COUN F660--Cross-Cultural Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F674--Group Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F690--Internship II*--3 - 9 credits
   COUN F698--Research Project (3 - 6)
        or COUN F699--Thesis (6)--3 - 6 credits
   ED F601--Introduction to Applied Social Science Research--3 credits
6. Complete the following classes for school counseling track:
   COUN F646--School Counseling--3 credits
   Elective credits--3 credits
7. Complete the following classes for community counseling track:
   COUN F638--Advanced Lifespan Development--3 credits
   COUN F650--Cross Cultural Psychopathology--3 credits
   COUN F666--Family and Network Therapy--3 credits
8. Minimum credits required--48 or 51 credits

* Additional fee required. Charges are added to fee statements each semester. For School Counseling, students must complete 3 credits of Internship I and 3 credits of Internship II for each school counseling certification level. K-12 certification requires 6 credits of Internship I and 6 credits of Internship II: 6 elementary, 6 secondary. For community counseling, students must complete 3 credits of Internship I-Community and 6 credits of Internship II-Community.

Note: Courses assigned by the student's graduate committee to remove deficiencies will not be allowed as part of the graduate program.

School Counselor Certification Program

1. Complete the following admission requirements:
   1. Application to the licensure only program follows the same admission requirements and procedures as for the M.Ed. in counseling.
   2. People who currently hold master's degrees in education or one of several helping professions such as social work, psychology, or human services (as approved by counseling faculty) may apply.
2. Complete the following certification requirements:
   COUN F615--Foundations of Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F623--Counseling Theories and Applications I--3 credits
   COUN F628--Child and Adolescent Development--3 credits
   COUN F629--Counseling Interventions*--3 credits
   COUN F632--Career Development--3 credits
   COUN F630--Appraisal for Counselors--3 credits
   COUN F634--Practicum in Individual Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F636--Internship I*--3 - 6 credits
   COUN F646--School Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F647--Professional Ethics--3 credits
   COUN F660--Cross-Cultural Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F674--Group Counseling--3 credits
   COUN F690--Internship II*--3 - 6 credits
3. Minimum credits required--39 credits

* Additional fee required. Charges are added to fee statements each semester. For School Counseling, students must complete 3 credits of Internship I and 3 credits of Internship II for each school counseling certification level. K-12 certification requires 6 credits of Internship I and 6 credits of Internship II: 6 elementary, 6 secondary.