The Master of Arts in Counseling in Higher Education prepares students for counseling or student personnel work in higher education or for pursuing doctoral study in higher education, student personnel administration, counseling psychology or counselor education.
The concentration in College Counseling prepares candidates to be counselors to provide short-term educational, vocational, and personal counseling of adolescents and young adults. Graduates typically find employment in counseling centers, academic advisement units, career service offices, admissions, or in other counseling-related settings. Emphasis is placed on theory and practice in counseling. The program is not designed to meet certification requirements for public school elementary and secondary guidance workers.
Graduates are trained to counsel adolescents and young adults who (1) are having some temporary difficulty in adjusting to the college learning situation, (2) need help in exploring which educational direction or career is most consistent with their abilities, interests, values and aspirations, or (3) need help dealing with personal, emotional, and developmental problems. They are also expected to be competent to administer and interpret psychological tests and inventories used in counseling. Although graduates of this program are not trained to counsel individuals with severe emotional problems, they are trained to recognize problems requiring long-term counseling and to make appropriate referrals.
Graduates typically find employment in counseling centers, academic advisement and/or support units, career service offices, admissions, or in other counseling-related settings.
The concentration in Student Affairs Practice prepares candidates for positions in colleges or universities in such areas as student activities, residence life, admissions, financial aid, or other student affairs functions. Emphasis is placed on counseling and human relations skills as well as upon principles of management, especially as related to the field of higher education. Students participate in learning experiences which focus on gaining an understanding of college students, various student subcultures, and the nature of higher education institutions in the United States.
Graduates are trained to work with individual students and as advisors to groups in the planning and implementation of activities and programs for students. They are expected to be competent to accept responsibilities for administrative and managerial duties in student affairs programs.
Graduates typically find employment in higher education settings such as student activities, residence life, admissions, financial aid, or other student affairs areas.
Admission to the program may be offered to individuals with bachelor’s degrees who possess strong, mature interests in counseling college-age students or in working as student affairs administrators. A personal interview is required as part of the admissions process for prospective MA students pursuing the counseling concentration. A minimum overall grade index of 3.0 (4.0 scale) and an index of 3.25 in the undergraduate major as well as Graduate Record Examination scores totaling 1050 on the verbal and quantitative sections are usually required. A score of 550/213/79 or higher on the paper-based/computer based/IBET TOEFL examination is required if the applicant’s first language is not English. Three strong letters of recommendation are required.
Selection for the program involves not only an evaluation of the applicant's academic background, but also a careful review of relevant work experiences, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview with the advisory committee. The applicant's interpersonal skills and attitudes as well as his/her commitment to the helping professions are important factors in the admissions decisions. Applicants should understand that this graduate program is limited in size, taking a maximum total of 10-12 new students each year.
Each student who enrolls in the program is assigned to a faculty member who serves as an official mentor/advisor. This individual not only performs the necessary advisement activities in order to ensure that a student is meeting the academic requirements for graduation, but also serves as a professional advisor and resource guide. Faculty mentors help to maximize the self-directed development of graduate students, both in and out of the classroom. The goal of this relationship is to offer students the assistance of more experienced, professional role models in their efforts to integrate their graduate programs, professional goals, and personal lives.
Typically, a student can expect a mentor/advisor to provide emotional support, feedback about progress in the program, direct assistance with professional and career development, and role modeling. It is likely that students will seek out and use more than the one professional mentor assigned to them as they progress through graduate school, thereby benefitting from the opportunity to receive many perspectives on the complex issues they may be managing.
It is expected that students and the assigned mentors/advisors would maintain contact with each other on a regular basis throughout the duration of the graduate program.
The concentrations in College Counseling and in Student Affairs Practice both require a minimum of 48 credit hours. The curriculum is also designed to be consistent with the accreditation standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Two academic years are usually required for completion of the program.
Satisfactory progress through the program is achieved by meeting the following requirements:
Total Credit Hours Required: 48
Non-Credit Requirement: Comprehensive Examination
For Further Information Please Contact:
Dr. John Bishop, M.A. Program Coordinator
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
316 Alison West
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
302-831-8544
jbbishop@udel.edu
Dr. Bahira Sherif Trask, Graduate Coordinator
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
111 Alison Hall West
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
302-831-8187
bstrask@udel.edu
Office of Graduate Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
302-831-8697
Department of Human Development & Family Studies •
111 Alison Hall West • Newark, DE 19716 •
USA
