The Doane University Master of Education in School Counseling is designed for certified teachers and students with a college degree. It includes 48 hours of course work in school counseling and for those without a teaching certificate an additional 12 hours of education course work. As part of this program students will participate in site based practice–150 hours in Practicum and 450 hours in Internship as designated by the Nebraska Department of Education for licensure. The mission of the program is to prepare graduates to become highly competent school counselors through the ability to reflect, work collaboratively, and respond to student needs.
Program Outcomes
Students in the program will
- become skilled in the delivery of services within schools;
- be knowledgeable about current trends in school counseling programs;
- demonstrate the ability to collaborate with other school personnel, families, and community services;
- be able to demonstrate the ability to establish and implement interventions that meet children’s and adolescents’ needs;
- be able to conduct assessments of cognitive, behavioral, and academic needs of children and youth; and
- be able to implement an ASCA model school counseling program.
Admission Requirements
- Official transcripts from the institutions granting the undergraduate degree and any graduate work that is to be considered for transfer credit. Transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to Doane University, Graduate Studies in Education, 303 North 52nd Street, Lincoln, NE 68504.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0
- A graduate GPA of 3.0 after 9 hours of course work
- Three written recommendations
- Personal Essay
- Provisional admittance to the Graduate Program
Effective September 1, 2015, candidates applying for any initial endorsement(s) to be placed on a Nebraska certificate must provide evidence they have passed the required Praxis II test for the endorsement. Students seeking an endorsement as a school counselor must pass the Professional School Counselor test. For students without a teaching certificate you must take and pass the CORE Praxis as required by the Nebraska Department of Education. A background check is also required for students without a teaching certificate as part of the registration process.
Transfer Credit
A student may transfer up to 12 credit hours into the program. This credit must have been earned from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. Any course considered for transfer is individually reviewed for recency and relevance of the material as it relates to best practice and theory at the time of review. Transfer credit should be work completed within seven years prior to application to the program. Final determination on transfer credit is made by the Director of the program. Only graduate courses in which the student’s letter grade is a “B-” or above may be considered for transfer credit and applied to degree requirements. Only six credits of courses with a grade of “Pass” or “Credit” may be transferred. All transfer courses are entered on the transcript with a grade of “P” (Passed).
Each student is responsible for making a formal request to have the official transcript(s) sent to Doane University, Graduate Studies in Education, 303 N. 52nd St., Lincoln, NE 68504. These transcripts must be received prior to consideration for full graduate standing.
