Education: Counseling and Personnel Services (EDCP)

Abstract

The Department of Counseling and Personnel Services offers graduate programs that are designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed for practice and scholarship in counseling and related human service professions. These fields are concerned with assisting people individually, in groups and in organizations to attain their optimal level of personal, social, educational and career functioning. Graduates are employed in a variety of settings including schools, colleges and universities, mental health agencies, rehabilitation agencies, correctional facilities, business and industry, government agencies, other community service facilities and private practices. These professionals may serve any of several roles either at the practitioner's level or at an advanced level as researchers, educators, supervisors, psychologists, counselors, or program administrators.

Master's level professional entry-level programs are offered in four areas of specialization: 1) The School Counseling program prepares students to become school counselors in elementary, middle and high school settings. School counselors provide individual and group counseling to school-aged children, coordinate pupil services in schools and function as consultants to classroom teachers, school administrators and parents. 2) The Specialist-level School Psychology program is a combined Masters/Advanced Graduate Specialist program that leads to State (MSDE) and National (NCSP) certification as a school psychologist. The Program stresses the application of psychological knowledge from a variety of theoretical orientations to address school-related issues and problems. (The Specialist-level School Psychology Program is NOT accepting applications for Fall 2010.) 3) The College Student Personnel program prepares specialists for service in higher education settings as counselors and as administrators of student affairs services. 4) The Rehabilitation Counseling program prepares counselors to work with persons who have mental, emotional, or physical disabilities.

The Ph.D. degree in Counseling and Personnel Services is offered in four areas of specialization: 1) Counseling Psychology (in collaboration with the Psychology Department), 2) School Psychology, 3) College Student Personnel Administration, and 4) Counselor Education. Doctoral studies prepare students to achieve exceptional competence in the theory and practice of their field; to develop a high level of skills as researchers, educators and administrators; and to assume positions of leadership in various relevant settings. Students in the specialization of Counseling Psychology are prepared to work as educators, psychologists, and supervisors in such settings as academic departments, college and university counseling centers, and community mental health agencies. Doctoral-level school psychologists serve as advanced level practitioners, supervisors, administrators, researchers and school psychology faculty. Students in College Student Personnel Administration are prepared to assume leadership positions as administrators of college or university student personnel services or as faculty and researchers of college student personnel work. Doctoral students in Counselor Education are prepared to assume roles as educators, supervisors, or researchers in school counselor or rehabilitation counselor education programs. Program accreditation within CAPS include: The School Psychology and Counseling Psychology doctoral programs, which are accredited by the American Psychological Association. The Rehabilitation Counseling Masters (M.A. or M.Ed.) Program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. The Masters (M.A. or M. Ed.) Program in School Counseling and the Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Both the Specialist Program in School Psychology and the Master's (M.A. or M.Ed.) Program in School Counseling are approved for certification by the Maryland State Department of Education and are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The Specialist School Psychology Program is approved also by NASP.

Admissions Information

Applicants for regular admission to master's degree programs must have an undergraduate GPA of at least B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) and must submit their scores on either the Miller Analogies Test or Graduate Record Examination (required for School Psychology M.A./A.G.S. program). Applicants should check with their area of concentration to determine which test is required. Applicants' undergraduate programs must include at least 15 semester hours of coursework in behavioral science fields (anthropology, education, psychology, sociology and/or statistics).

Applicants for admission to A.G.S. and Ph.D. programs in Counselor Education and College Student Personnel must have a master's degree in school counseling or rehabilitation counseling or in college student personnel, respectively. A grade point average of 3.5 in prior graduate work is required with an acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination. Selective screening of qualified applicants is necessary in order to limit enrollment.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications for School Counseling must be received by December 15 .
Applications for College Student Personnel, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology must be received by December 15 .
For all other programs the Fall semester deadline is June 1 (March 1 preferred) .

Rehabilitation Counseling accepts applications for Spring by; October 1 .
Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, College Student Personnel, and School Counseling do not accept applications for the spring semester. .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE required for College Student Personnel, School Psychology, Counseling Psychology, School Counseling, and Counselor Education. For Rehabilitation Counseling ONLY, you may use GRE General OR Miller Analogies Test.
3 Letters of Recommendation
Statement of Goals

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications for School Counseling must be received by December 15 . Applications for College Student Personnel, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology must be received by December 15 . For all other programs the Fall semester deadline is June 1 (March 1 preferred) .	Rehabilitation Counseling accepts applications for Spring by; October 1 . Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, College Student Personnel, and School Counseling do not accept applications for the spring semester. .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Advanced Graduate Specialist Certificate (A.G.S. Certificate)
The A.G.S. certificate is offered in some of the Department's areas of specialization. For individuals who hold a master's degree in counseling or a closely related field, this certificate program may serve: 1) to provide the additional education required for professional certification or licensure in those specialty areas that require a program of two year's length, and/or 2) to provide the academic background for an advanced level of professional practice within a specialty area.

Master of Arts or Master of Education (M.A. or M.Ed.)

Professional entry-level programs of two types are offered, depending on the area of specialization: 1) a master's degree program (M.A., thesis required; M.A. non-thesis with Master's paper required; or M.Ed., thesis not required), or 2) an integrated Master's/Advanced Graduate Specialist (M.A./A.G.S.) program. The applicant should contact the Department for further information concerning the entry-level requirements and curriculum of each area of specialization.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Ph.D. students are expected to attain advanced skills as both practitioners and researchers in their area of specialization. All doctoral students are required to take advanced courses in statistics and research design. Because of the highly specialized nature of each of the doctoral programs, applicants should contact the Department or consult the program web page for program of interest. The brochure describes specific course and fieldwork requirements, the nature of the examination required for completion of the program, and the dissertation requirements. This same information can also be found at each program's website (see below).

Facilities and Special Resources

All master's, A.G.S., and doctoral students are required to include supervised fieldwork experiences in their degree programs. The Department has excellent cooperative relationships with the Division of Student Affairs (including such offices as the Career Development, Counseling Center, Campus Activities, the Student Union, Resident Life and Commuter Affairs), with units in Academic Affairs (such as Advising, Admissions, and Orientation) and with units in University College. Fieldwork may also be done at a wide variety of school systems, colleges and universities, counseling services and mental health agencies in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan area, or nationally.

In addition to campus and Department resources, students also 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.

Financial Assistance

The Department, and its faculty, offers graduate research, teaching and administrative assistantships on a selective basis to both masters and doctoral students. The Department also assists its students in finding assistantship placements with a variety of on-campus and off-campus units. In addition, a small number of new Ph.D. students are offered highly selective fellowships funded jointly by the Department and the University.

Contact Information

For more information please contact the program.

Counseling and Personnel Services Dept.
3214 Benjamin Building Counseling & Personnel Services
College Park
MD 20742
Telephone: (301) 405-2858
Fax: (301) 405-9995
caps@umd.edu

http://www.education.umd.edu/EDCP/

Courses: EDCP

Related Programs and Campus Units

Psychology
Psychology
Student Affairs
Counseling Center
Laboratory for Instructional Consultation
Education: Human Development
Human Development (Institute for Child Study)