Degree Requirements

The program described below is designed to provide for the acquisition of skills and competencies needed by counselors working in educational settings.

The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) now offers an expanded certification option for CACREP- accredited programs. Requirements under this option include "completion of a school counseling program that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a passing score on the Praxis II test #0421, Professional School Counseling, and attainment of passing scores on the National Counseling Examination for Licensure and Certification. Note that certification in a teaching field or another area of instructional support is not required for admission to a CACREP-accredited program in school counseling".

A grade of "B" or better is required in all coursework toward the degree. Students must also pass a  Comprehensive Examination: The Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination (CECE).  Students who are not enrolled for three consecutive semesters must complete all admissions requirements again and be reviewed by the program admissions committee.

Counselor educators are ethically required to ensure that students meet academic requirements and demonstrate clinical competencies. Satisfactory progress will be predicated on a combination of factors such as academic success, clinical competence, adherence to ethical standards, and appropriate interpersonal functioning. Students who do not demonstrate satisfactory competence within any of these critical areas of professional performance may be terminated from the program. Core faculty will evaluate students on a continuing basis to determine students' satisfactory progression through the program. Below, the student review and retention policies and procedures are outlined, followed by the required coursework. Other policies, procedures, and guidelines are addressed in the Counselor Education Graduate Student Handbook.

Candidate Review and Retention Policy

The Counselor Education faculty in the Department of Counseling & Instructional Sciences at the University of South Alabama is responsible for preparing candidates to become competent and ethical counseling professionals. In addition to assessing academic performance, candidates’ personal characteristics, level of interpersonal skills, and professional behavior will be evaluated on an ongoing basis throughout the program by the counseling faculty. At least once a year, faculty members review all candidates in the program at a special faculty meeting, and students who do not meet program expectations will be notified and provided written feedback on their academic and professional performance. Professional behavior expectations, the retention policy, and remediation procedures are reviewed by faculty at the new student orientation. In addition, candidates sign an informed consent form (see Appendix A in the Counselor Education Graduate Student Handbook) documenting that they have read, reviewed, and understand these policies and procedures upon entering their first semester of the program.

Initial Remediation Procedures
Candidates identified as demonstrating academic or personal problems that interfere with their professional performance undergo further review by the faculty. Candidates with minor concerns (e.g., seeming distracted throughout the semester, exhibiting low levels of participation in class, demonstrating difficulty receiving constructive feedback, failure to demonstrate adequate counselor dispositions) will be asked to meet with their faculty advisor to go discuss concerns and review their dispositions based on the specific reported behaviors(s). The faculty advisor and/or program coordinator will review the completed Counseling Program Student Disposition Rating Scale. In many cases, the candidate and faculty advisor come to an agreement on what needs to occur to improve reported behaviors and
dispositions. Students are informed that further action will be taken (remediation plan) if concerning behaviors continue and dispositions do not improve.

In some cases, candidates may be asked by their advisor, the core counseling faculty, and/or the program coordinator to complete a remediation plan. Remediation plans are indicated for significant dispositional issues, student handbook violations, failure to secure or retain practicum/internship placement, plagiarism, or other significant issues. If a remediation plan is indicated, the following steps are taken:

• The advisor or program coordinator will discuss the remediation plan with the candidate during their meeting. This meeting may include the advisor and the program
  coordinator. If the program coordinator is the student’s advisor, then an additional core counseling faculty member may attend the meeting.
• A remediation plan is developed (either during or after the meeting) and this plan is shared with the candidate after which both candidate, advisor, and program coordinator will sign the plan to demonstrate their mutual understanding of the candidate’s current progress, professional development, and the actions necessary on the part of the candidate to continue in the counseling program. Often, the advisor and/or the program coordinator meet with the student to go over the written remediation plan prior to the student signing the plan. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the remediation plan and answer questions the candidate may have about the plan.

• The candidate is provided three options for signing the remediation plan.

  • I understand the above remediation plan and consent to enacting this plan with the Counselor Education program faculty.

  • I understand the above remediation plan and consent to enacting this plan with the Counselor Education program faculty, but I would like to provide a written rebuttal to place in my student file.

  • I do not consent to the remediation plan and request an appeal to the next level of university administration, e.g. Associate Dean or Dean of the College.

If the candidate does not consent to the remediation plan and requests an appeal to the next level of administration, the candidate will be directed to the handbook and the appeal procedures policies as outlined the student handbook “The Lowdown” at http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown 

If a candidate does not successfully complete the initial remediation plan or, if at any time during the course of the program, the faculty becomes aware of substandard or unprofessional behavior or performance, unethical behavior, and/or illegal acts, the candidate will be subjected to the following formal remediation process:

Conference with a Faculty Committee: In cases of alleged misconduct, the committee will make every effort to maintain confidentiality of all parties in the process. Information about the case is generally not communicated to non-involved parties, and communications regarding the matter are on a need-to-know basis. If, however, informational material relative to the case is subpoenaed through a court process or is required to be divulged in some other type of investigation, then it would not be deemed a breach of confidentiality and the requested material would be void of its confidentiality. Neither the student nor the faculty involved shall have representation, including legal representation, during the presentation of the case or during the appeals process.

The candidate will be asked to meet with two faculty members, typically the candidate’s advisor and the faculty member who raised the concern, to discuss the candidate’s performance. If the candidate’s advisor is the one with the concern, then another faculty member, preferably one familiar with the candidate, will be asked to be on the committee. The conference shall be conducted to examine the details of the case. Prior to the conference, the department chair will ensure that the candidate and all committee members have copies of the Counselor Education Candidate Dispositions and Candidate Review and Retention policy as outlined in this handbook.

If a mutually satisfactory remediation plan is achieved during the conference, the process will end, and no further action will be taken. A record of the outcome of the conference will be filed in the department chair and dean’s office. If the outcome of the conference results in dismissal of the case, the faculty members are responsible for taking necessary steps for removing blocks on registration.

If a successful resolution is not achieved at the conference, the committee will determine a recommended penalty. After the review of the candidate, the committee will confirm their decision by vote. For cases in which the Committee recommends a penalty, the penalty may range up to and including dismissal from the university.

Appeals Process
After a decision is rendered by the Faculty Committee, an appeal may be requested. Grounds for an appeal are the alleged lack of due process in the case or alleged discrimination against the student. For an appeal to be considered, it must be based upon:

1. Arbitrary or capricious actions by a member of the faculty, the Faculty Committee, and/or the advisor.
2. Substantial failure on the part of the Faculty Committee to follow the procedures outlined above.

The appeals process follows the Academic Standards Policy as set forth by the Graduate School. Please refer to these policies as outlined the student handbook “The Lowdown” at http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown

Academic Standards and Appeals Policy

The counseling program in the Counseling & Instructional Sciences Department complies with the Academic Standards Policy as set forth by the Graduate School and the policies on general and grade grievance, student academic conduct, and sexual offense of the University of South Alabama. Please refer to these policies as outlined the student handbook “The Lowdown” at http://www.southalabama.edu/lowdown

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Major Instructional Support Area
CED 560	Diagnosis/Treatment Planning	3
CED 565	Found of Prof School Couns	3
CED 566	Multicultural Counseling	3
CED 569	Child Counseling	3
CED 572	Princ and Theories of Couns	3
CED 574	Group Couns Theory and Process	3
CED 576	Supv Practicum in Couns	3
CED 582	Data-Driven School Counseling	3
CED 584	Sem Ethical and Legal Issues	3
CED 586	Counseling Skills and Process	3
CED 588	Career Devel, Assess, & Interv	3
CED 591	Advocacy, Collab. & Consult.	3
CED 595	Internship - School Counseling (6 semester hours required; 600 contact hours)	6
School Counselors are required to successfully complete the PRAXIS II Subject Test prior to enrolling in internship
Related Studies in Educational Foundations 1
EPY 521	Human Dev and Behavior	3
EPY 555	Tests-Measurement and Eval	3
Research in Education Area
IDE 510	Educ Research and Evaluation	3
Electives (A preapproved three course sequenced elective cognate is required)		9
School Counselors are required under the CACREP Certification Option to successfully complete the National Counselor Exam prior to applying for certification
Total Hours		60

¹

Under the SDE option, SPE 500 Must be taken for 3 additional hours by students who have not previously satisfied the special education requirement.