Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admission Office where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information.

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3. 0.
2. GRE Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing scores must be provided. Applicants who hold a master’s degree are not required to submit GRE scores provided their grade-point average on their previous graduate work is above a B (3.2).
3. Three letters of reference.
4. Personal essay (professional goals and objectives).
5. Personal interview with the program director.

Note: The preferred application deadline for fall semester is August 15 and for spring semester is January 15. All others will be reviewed based on available space.

Prerequisite Requirements - Semester Hours: 18

Students must complete all prerequisite course work listed below prior to beginning the first sequence course of the counseling curriculum ( COUN 223 - Theories and Principles of Counseling ).  The prerequisite courses may be satisfied at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and online courses are accepted as long as they are from nationally accredited institutions and documented on official transcripts.

• Child psychology - 3 semester hours 
• Adolescent psychology - 3 semester hours
• Personality theory (or abnormal psychology) - 3 semester hours
• Psychology and behavioral sciences (e.g., peer counseling, human development, cross-cultural issues, human sexuality, selected sociology and psychology courses) - 9 semester hours

Program of Study - Total Semester Hours: 42

Additional Certification Option: Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC)

Students in the MSEd in Counseling program have an additional educational opportunity to pursue a specialized track in the area of alcohol and substance abuse practice. Interested students can complete the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services’ (OASAS) educational requirements for the Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor(CASAC) designation. Those graduates who complete this specialization track would be eligible to register for the CASAC designation and thus qualify for the clinical experience component of the certification. This is an exceptional benefit because students who complete this specialization track as part of their graduate degree program of study will be credited with 4000 of the 6000 total hours required for full CASAC certification. Furthermore, if these students complete their 200 hours of MSEd internship in a facility affiliated with OASAS, the 200 hours will count toward the remaining 2000 hours needed for full CASAC certification. This would serve to further lower the balance to 1800 post-graduation hours; as such, the time required for attaining full CASAC certification in NYS is decreased for these graduates.

The Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) prepares students to work with individuals, families, and groups in a range of settings focusing on mental health and substance abuse. Students interested in earning the education portion toward their CASAC credential should speak to their faculty adviser regarding taking the addiction-related electives as well as applying to an OASAS-affiliated internship site.

Required Course Work for Additional Certification

To earn CASAC eligibility MSEd students would need to successfully complete the following required courses:

• COUN 223 - Theories and Principles of Counseling Semester Hours: 6
• COUN 224 - Counseling Practice in Contemporary Society Semester Hours: 6
• COUN 261 - Understanding Psychopathology in Counseling Semester Hours: 3
• COUN 277 - Group Counseling Semester Hours: 3

Elective Course Work for Additional Certification

In addition to the required MSEd curriculum, students pursuing CASAC must take two of their three or four program electives focusing on Addictions:

• COUN 211 - Principles and Practices of Addiction Counseling Semester Hours: 3
• COUN 278 - Drug/Alcohol Abuse Counseling Semester Hours: 3