School Counseling (COSC)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Education

Abstract

The master's level professional entry-level training program in School Counseling prepares students to become school counselors in elementary, middle, and high school settings. School counselors are leaders, advocates, and systemic change agents who provide individual and group counseling to school-aged children, develop and implement comprehensive developmental school counseling programs, and collaborate with all key stakeholders, including classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, and community members, to ensure the academic, personal-social, and college-career development of students. The program is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation and is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education. Therefore, graduates of our School Counseling Program are eligible for certification as school counselors in Maryland and other states. The School Counseling Program at the University of Maryland resides in the number one ranked counseling department (U.S. News and World Report). Our program specializes in preparing professional school counselors who will be leaders, advocates, and systemic change agents in K-12 urban educational settings.

Financial Assistance

Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are not available for masters level students in the Department. However, there are a number of GAs offered throughout the university, which provides tuition support and a living allowance. Once admitted into the program, students will receive guidance and information on how to secure GAs on campus.

Contact

Diksha Bali
Graduate Assistant
Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
3214 Benjamin Building
3942 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.2858
Email:  dbali@umd.edu  

Carol Scott
Coordinator of Graduate Studies
Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
3214 Benjamin Building
3942 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.8384
Fax: 301.405.9995
Email: cscott18@umd.edu

Richard Shin
Admission Director
Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
3214 Benjamin Building
3942 Campus Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.2858
Fax: 301.405.9995
Email: rqshin@umd.edu

Website:  http://www.education.umd.edu/CHSE/academics/specialization/SchoolCounseling.html

Courses:  EDCP

General Requirements

• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript(s)
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

Program-Specific Requirements

• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• CV/Resume
• Supplementary Application

See School Counseling program website for additional information http://www.education.umd.edu/CHSE/admissions/admission_criteria/SCAdmit.html.

For more admissions information or to apply to the program, please visit our Graduate School website.

Application Deadlines

Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.education.umd.edu/CHSE/academics/specialization/SchoolCounseling.html

All master's, A.G.S., and doctoral students are required to include supervised fieldwork experiences in their degree programs. The CoPE programs have excellent cooperative relationships with on-campus facilities, such as the Counseling Center and Health Center. Fieldwork may also be done at a wide variety of school systems, colleges and universities, and counseling services and mental health agencies in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area, or nationally.

In addition to campus and program resources, students utilize the many major research and professional institutions that are easily accessible to the campus. These include the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Education Sciences, professional associations such as the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of School Psychologists.