Master of Science Degree with an Emphasis in Community Counseling

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Mission Statement

The mission of the M.S. in Community Counseling emphasis program in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at Pittsburg State University is to prepare qualified graduate students to be effective counselors who will provide a variety of quality professional counseling services to those with whom they work and to prepare them for appropriate licensure, professional development and/or advanced graduate study.  The primary focus of training is directed toward those who will begin their professional counseling careers in the four-state area of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, although graduates should also be well trained to seek licensure, work, and further graduate study in most states.

Program Description

    The program includes a core of courses based upon the content areas recommended by the National Board for Certified Counselors and required in the accreditation standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.  Students must demonstrate competency in three major areas in order to complete the degree and become eligible for endorsement or recommendation as a counselor:  effective personal functioning, professional commitment, and skilled practice.  The community counseling program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  Students wishing to pursue registration or licensure as professional counselors should understand that additional years of supervised experience (beyond the degree) are required by the state in which licensure is sought.  For professional counselor licensure in Kansas, a total of 60 graduate hours is required.  For further information, please refer to the M.S. in Community Counseling Program Guide and Student Orientation Manual available at http://www.pittstate.edu/psych/programs.htm.

Inclusive Recruitment Policy

    It is the policy of the M.S. in Community Counseling program at Pittsburg State University to seek and welcome applications from qualified persons representing a diverse society and world.  The faculty strongly believes that the training environment is enhanced by interaction among a multi culturally diverse student body and faculty, and that counseling practitioners must be prepared to work in a society and world with clients across a wide range of diversity.  Although oral English skills are necessary to complete the training program, a number of students from countries other than the United States, as well as representative of minority cultures in the U.S., have graduated from the program.  The broad-spectrum admission policy used to review applications assures the flexibility to give special consideration to unique features of an applicant’s personal and cultural background that would add to the diversity of the student body.  In addition, the emphasis upon multicultural diversity in the M.S. Community Counseling program is consistent with the affirmative action and proactive diversity policies of Pittsburg State University and the College of Education.

Specific Requirements

Graduate students may meet requirements for the M.S. degree with a major in counseling by completing a program planned in close collaboration with their academic advisor. The M.S. program in community counseling requires a minimum of 30 core hours required of all counseling majors, including a research proficiency component, 10 hours of required coursework specific to the community counseling program emphasis, four hours of psychology and counseling directed electives, and 15 hours of supervised fieldwork experience in practicum and internship settings.  The research requirement may be satisfied as described in the section Graduate Research Requirements.

Master of Science Degree (M.S.) with an Emphasis in Community Counseling