Guidance Counseling and Student Affairs (66)
66.500 Introduction to the Helping Professions (3) - This introductory class is a
core experience for students enrolled in the M.Ed. Counseling programs. It
exposes students to the generic components of counseling across settings and
enables students to examine in depth their personal fitness for pursuing a career
as a professional helper. It also provides a background for specialized study in
each specialization area.
66.502 Career Development - 3 Credits. This course allows graduate counseling
students to explore in depth selected aspects related to vocational psychology,
occupational sociology, career development, career choices, career decisionmaking, career counseling and guidance, and other career-related issues and
behaviors. The course is designed to acquaint students with the basic theories
and constructs that are essential to the understanding and implementation of
career development through the life span. Systems of career education,
occupational information, decision-making strategies, and life-work planning for
special populations are examined. Pre- or Co- requisite: 66.500.
66.505 Counseling and Consulting Theory (3) - This course studies selected
theories and techniques of individual counseling. It also covers various models of
the consultation process focusing on the rationale of why consultation has
emerged as an important adjunct to personal counseling. Pre- or Co- requisite:
66.500.
66.508 Appraisal Techniques in Counseling (3) - This course presents an
overview of the assessment of individual differences through group tests and
measurements. It develops competencies in selecting, administering, and
interpreting group intelligence, aptitude, achievement, interest, and personality
instruments. It also examines current research involving assessment relative to
educational, social, and industrial settings. Prerequisite: 66.505.
66.510 Group Counseling/ Leadership Skills (3) - This course teaches students
to understand group processes and their application. Various theories of group
counseling will be examined. Class members will experience each group
counseling technique through class group experience. Prerequisite: 66.505.
66.512 Adaptive and Maladaptive Behavior Across the Life Span (3) - This
course assists students in understanding both adaptive and maladaptive
behavior across the life span, with particular attention given to child, adolescent
and young adult behavior. It provides students with foundations to assess,
differentiate and diagnose various mental disorders based on the current
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It will also focus on
etiology, symptomatology, treatment, and prognosis of various disorders, as well
as the associated biological, personal, and social characteristics. It also
examines aspects of resiliency, buffers against stress and mental illness,and
adaptive functioning based on race, culture and gender differences.
Prerequisites: Graduate Student Status.
66.515 Organization and Development (3) - This course prepares students to
function productively in entry level and mid-level supervisory positions within
institutions/organizations that serve the needs of a specified group of persons. It
stresses both theory and application as students experience the cyclical process
of program development and modification. It also teaches selected leadership
and management roles and functions in organizational settings, as well as
proposal writing and working with grants. Prerequisite: 66.500.
66.520 Life Span Psychology (3) - The course reviews human development
throughout the life-span with a special focus on the school age and college
years. Topics covered include physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of
human growth, development, and behavior. Emphasis will be placed on practical
application of the course content to the counseling and student affairs profession.
66.525 Multicultural Counseling (3) - This course enables students to develop
knowledge and understanding regarding characteristics and concerns of multiculturally diverse groups, the attitudes and behavior affected by dominant group
membership, and individual and group approaches/interventions appropriate with
diverse populations.
66.528 Supervised Counseling Practice (3) - This course assists students identify
and develop the skills of effective helpers. Students participate in counseling
experiences using role-playing and "real life" clients. The class makes extensive
use of audio and video tapes of counseling sessions conducted by students and
of critiques thereof. Students receive feedback regarding their levels of skill.
Prerequisite: 66.505.
66.535 Counseling Practicum (3) - The practicum provides an arranged,
supervised experience in a specialized area of counseling. It requires
prerequisite training and sufficient experience to allow the beginning of
autonomous function. Prerequisite: 66.528.
66.549 Internship in Elementary Counseling – 12 Credits. Supervised practice in
an approved elementary school. The student works under the direction of a
professional counselor in the school setting and meets on campus with the
practicum supervisor for intensive seminar activities. The purpose of the
internship is to provide the student with experiential approaches in the specialty
area. Prerequisite: Must have completed all required courses in the area of
specialization unless otherwise approved by the advisor and instructor.
66.550 Introduction to Counseling in Secondary Schools (3) - This course
prepares students to apply basic counseling skills in a secondary school setting.
Students are trained in the ASCA National Model for School Counseling and in
the Pennsylvania Model for School Counseling. It emphasizes the various roles
of the secondary school counselor, tools and strategies appropriate in those
settings, and consultation and collaboration with other secondary school
personnel. In addition, students review the Ethical Standards for School
Counselors. This course requires the application of learned skills to secondary
child populations; it provides 10 -15 hours of direct application of learned skills to
secondary child populations. Prerequisites: 66.500, 66.510, 66.525, or approval
from Program Coordinator.
66.559 Internship in Secondary Counseling – 12 Credits. Supervised practice in
an approved secondary school. The student works under the direction of a
professional counselor in the school setting and meets on campus with the
practicum supervisor for intensive seminar activities. The purpose of the
internship is to provide the student with experiential approaches in the specialty
area. Prerequisite: Must have completed all required courses in the area of
specialization unless otherwise approved by the advisor and instructor.
66.560 Introduction to Student Affairs (3) - This course reviews the history and
philosophy of student personnel services. It addresses the issues, problems,
purposes, and functions student personnel services and ensures that students
understand the various areas of student affairs in higher education. In addition,
students will learn theories of college student development as it relates to
intellectural, moral, ego, psychosocial, family systems, and career functioning.
Students will also review the practical day-to-day student personnel issues in
student affairs and explore ethical considemtions related to the practice of
student affairs. This course requires the application of learned skills to college
student populations; it provides 10-15 hours of direct service/counseling
experience. Prerequisites: 66.500, 66.510, 66.520, 66.525, or approval from
Program Coordinator.
66.564 Higher Education Law (3) - This course serves as a legal foundation for
graduate students in counseling, academic affairs, or related professions in
higher education. Emphasis is given to the legal history in higher education,
institutional relationships with administrators, students, faculty, the community,
procedural process, and basic concepts of civil rights, criminal, tort, and
contractual law.
66.575 Student Affairs Practice and Administration (3) - This course prepares
graduate students for entry level and mid-level student personnel services
positions in higher education. It emphasizes the history and philosophy of higher
education, student affairs purposes and functional areas, as well as professional
management/leadership issues relevant to higher education institutions.
66.579 Internship in Student Affairs – 12 Credits. The purpose of the internship is
to provide the student with one or more experiential approaches in an area of
specialization. Basically, the approach will be through (a) parallel programs ones in which the student is enrolled in academic courses while spending a
limited period of time at the internship site and (b) simulated job experience
where the intern performs appropriate job tasks/duties which an employee would
do. Prerequisite: Must have completed all required courses in the area of
specialization unless otherwise approved by the advisor and instructor.
66.590 Research Design and Analysis (3) - This course enables students to
develop knowledge and understanding regarding characteristics and concerns of
multi-culturally diverse groups, the attitudes and behavior affected by dominant
group membership, and individual and group approaches/interventions
appropriate with diverse populations.