Dr. Audrey Church, Chair
Department of Education and Counseling
434.395.2682, churchap@longwood.edu
Dr. Marsha Rutledge, Program Director
434.395.4915, rutledgeml@longwood.edu
The Counselor Education program offers Mental Health and School Counseling concentrations for college graduates preparing for counseling roles in diverse settings, including K-12 schools, colleges/universities, and mental health centers. Students will develop a strong foundation in counseling theories and learn to apply them in ways that empower individuals, families, and groups to achieve mental health, wellness, educational, and career goals, fostering positive change in their lives. Both tracks culminate in a supervised internship.
Admission
Prior to starting their graduate program, students must hold a conferred bachelor’s degree or international equivalent from a college or university accredited by the appropriate institutional (formerly regional) accreditation agency.
In addition, applicants must have:
- a 2.75 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
- provide a minimum of two recommendations
- a 500-word personal essay,
- a résumé
- a criminal background check will be required after admission is offered to accept a space in the program
- official transcripts of the bachelor’s degree and any course work completed after that degree
- an interview.
Applications are processed for admission to summer and fall semesters. Application deadlines: December 1st for Early Bird applications, January 15th for early application and February 15th for standard application. These are suggested application submission dates. We will continue to accept applications until June 1st or when the program is full. Upon successful completion of this 60 hour program, a Master of Science in Counselor Education will be earned.
Counselor Education Accelerated Masters Track
Students admitted to the Accelerated Masters Track are eligible to take 12 credits of graduate counseling classes during their senior year at Longwood University. The 12 graduate credits may count toward both their bachelor’s degree as general electives and toward the completion of their graduate degree. Courses taken by students in the Accelerated Track include COUN 503 - Introduction to the Counseling Profession , COUN 505 - Theories of Counseling , COUN 507 - Lifespan Development , and any additional 500-level COUN course. Graduate courses should be selected in collaboration with the Accelerated Track Advisor and must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Failure to work with your Accelerated Track Advisor may increase time to graduate degree completion.
To be eligible to apply, students must:
- Be an active Longwood undergraduate student in the spring of their sophomore year or later
- Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0
- Submit an Accelerated Masters Track Application with a recommendation by a professor and acknowledgment from the academic advisor
- Submit an essay of 250 to 500 words addressing their reasons for seeking graduate education in counseling, why this program would be a good fit for them, and why they would make a great counselor
- Complete a required interview - will be scheduled by program after complete application received
Admission to the Accelerated Masters Track does not guarantee admission to the graduate program. Accelerated track students will complete a modified graduate application to the Counseling master’s program by the standard graduate application deadline.
Practicum / Internship
The completion of a practicum and an internship is mandatory in the Counselor Education program. The practicum is a 3 credit hour course requiring 100 field clock hours taken mid-way in the program. The internship is 6 credit hours requiring 100 field clock hours per credit hour taken at the end of the program. The credit and clock hours in the internship may be spread over multiple semesters, but students must enroll in a minimum of one (1) credit hour per semester until completion. Grading is Pass (P) / Not Pass (NP). Only the grade of ‘P’ will meet degree requirements; 3 hours of ‘P’ in practicum and 6 hours of ‘P’ in internship. Students are only permitted one course retake over the entire field placement (i.e., practicum and internship) experience, which differs from the university’s repeated course policy. Please see individual course descriptions for details.
Comprehensive Exam
The Counselor Education program requires a comprehensive examination as the culmination of their program. Students take the comprehensive examination normally in the last semester of study. Students must have completed COUN 503 , COUN 505 , COUN 507 , COUN 510 , COUN 545 , COUN 555 , COUN 601 , COUN 605 , COUN 610 , and COUN 651 , must be enrolled to allow for completion of 40 semester hours of course work, must have a B average (3.0 GPA) in all courses completed, and must have already filed the Application for Graduate Degree to be eligible to enroll in the comprehensive examination.
Students must register for the comprehensive examination (COUN 699 ) no later than the last day to add a course in the semester in which they wish to take the examination. Registration must be done by submission of the Graduate Course Enrollment Request form to the Registrar’s Office when all of the above criteria have been met. The course does not carry any credit hours. The grading system for the evaluation of the examination will be pass (P)/not pass (NP).
Program Outcomes
Through a collaborative and supportive environment, the Longwood University graduate Counselor Education Program fosters competent, ethical, and culturally sensitive counselors prepared to deliver direct, educational, and consultative services in a variety of mental health-related settings to people across the lifespan.
The Master’s program in Counselor Education will
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Prepare students to be effective practitioners in a variety of settings
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Provide required coursework and field experience for professional licensure and/or certification (clinical, school, college/university)
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Provide knowledge about and experience in culturally responsive counseling in various counseling settings
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Produce graduates with identities as professional counselors
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Prepare students with the knowledge and experience to be ethical counseling practitioners
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