Counseling Psychology (PSE)
Masters in Education (M.Ed.)

Program Description:

The Counseling Psychology Program offers graduate coursework leading to the Master of Education degree in Counseling Psychology, with specialization in either of two tracks:

• Agency Counseling Track – this track prepares students to work with individuals, couples, families, and groups in various settings, including community mental health centers, hospitals, and consulting agencies. Completion of the master’s degree in the agency track qualifies the student to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• School Counseling Track – this track prepares students to work with students, teachers, administrators, and parents in either an elementary or secondary school setting. Completion of the master’s degree program in the school counseling track qualifies the student for certification as an elementary or secondary school counselor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The completion of the master's degree is the first step in a professional career that often spans a lifetime and opens avenues for continued personal and professional growth. A complete program description (pdf) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available online [Adobe Reader or other PDF viewer is required].

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Program Requirements:

The program of study covers 60 credits:

• Currently 36 credits of theoretical and applied knowledge and
• 24 credits of training in the interpersonal and counseling skills necessary for effective professional work.

Supervised field experience in school or community agencies provides an apprentice training situation in which the role of the counselor in modern society can be realistically explored and actively assimilated. The master's degree is awarded upon successful completion of the program. This requires:

• Maintaining a satisfactory grade point average. A student must meet the standards of academic proficiency required by the Temple University Graduate School. Academic dismissal will result if a student obtains three letter grades below a B- or two grades of F.
• Student disclosure of personal information. The program strongly believes that in order to be an effective counselor it is necessary to know yourself. That is, it is important that you understand your own strengths and areas for growth. While in the program, students are strongly encouraged to seek out their own personal counseling to work through their own issues and to experience the therapeutic relationship from the client’s perspective. Many courses in the program, particularly the clinical ones (i.e., Counseling Psychology Lab I & II, Practicum I & II, and Internship) often explore students’ values, personal beliefs and “blind spots.” These areas can include, but are not limited to the following: 1) Relationships with parents, peers, and spouses/partners; 2) History of abuse; 3) Issues around sexuality; and 4) Past psychological treatment.
  
• Continuing to develop satisfactorily both in personal and professional competencies. Because counseling is an interpersonal process with considerable influence and power, each student is evaluated continuously for development toward mature, ethical professional behavior.
  
• Demonstrating appropriate professional behavior through attitudes toward and beliefs about people that indicate respect, tolerance, and acceptance of a variety of human characteristics such as race, culture, gender, sexual orientation,and presenting concerns. Also, students must demonstrate appropriate emotional responses to clients and overcome any personal issues that prevent them from mastering the necessary counseling skills. Failure to behave in an appropriately professional manner may result in dismissal from this program.
  
• Passing a comprehensive examination. During the semester in which the student is finishing all required coursework (i.e., non-electives), the student must complete and pass a special examination designed to demonstrate an integration of their learning experiences. This examination must be completed using a word processing program on either a Mac or PC computer. Basic computer mastery (i.e., word processing, Windows operating system), therefore, is required by the time the student takes his/her comprehensive examination.

In addition, students who do not display appropriate professional behavior may be required to meet with the director of the master’s program in counseling psychology to develop a plan of remediation. Continuation in the program will depend on successful completion of the remediation plan.

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Full-Time Program

The full-time students begin taking courses in the fall:

• Students take 12 credits per semester (4 courses) and
  
• Takes 6 credits (2 courses) per each of two summer sessions
  
• Students begin Master's in CnPsy Internship in the fall semester of their second year.

The full-time program usually takes two years to complete.

Students enrolled in the full-time program are often employed part-time to fund their education. Students entering the full-time program are responsible for completing the required coursework and Master's Internship (full-time) experiences that are particularly challenging during the second year of their program (i.e., required coursework, plus two days per week of fieldwork activities during the Fall semester; required coursework, plus three days per week of fieldwork activities during the Spring semester). Students should solicit the support of their employer to allow them flexibility to complete the required academic/training hours.

See the Schedule of Required Courses for the Full-time Program [pdf].

Part-Time Program

The part-time students begin taking courses in the fall:

• Students take 6 credits (2 courses) per semester and per summer session.
• At least two courses per semester or summer semester will be offered to accommodate those students.
• The part-time program is designed solely for those individuals who must work full-time.
• Part-time students enroll in Part-Time Master's in CnPsy Internship, which allows them to spread their supervised field experience over four semesters.

The part-time program usually takes three years to complete.

See the Schedule of Required Courses for the Part-time Program [pdf].

 

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Required Core Courses:

Course Number	Title
CN PSY 5492	Theories of Counseling Psychology
CN PSY 5519	Group Counseling
EDUC 5325	Introduction to Statistics and Research
CN PSY 5526	Multicultural Counseling
ED PSY 5541	Concepts in Human Development
CN PSY 5565 or CN PSY 5566	Professional Issues in Diverse School Settings (School Track) or Professional Issues in Agencies (Agency Track)
CN PSY 5579	Introduction to Couples and Family Therapy
CN PSY 5591	Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling Psychology
CN PSY 5593	Career Counseling and Development
CN PSY 5511 or CN PSY 5691	Counseling in the Schools (School Track) or Diagnosis in Counseling Psychology (Agency Track
CN PSY 5694	Introduction to Assessment
CN PSY 5698	Counseling Psychology Laboratory I
CN PSY 5699	Counseling Psychology Laboratory II
CN PSY 9387	Practicum in Counseling Psychology I
CN PSY 9387	Practicum in Counseling Psychology II
CN PSY 9185 and CN PSY 9085	Master's in Cn Psy Internship (FT Students) [6 credits total; 2 semesters]* AND CN PSY 670 Advanced Counseling Techniques (FT students only) (6 credits total; 2 semesters*
CN PSY 9285	Master's in Cn Psy Internship (PT Students) [12 credits total; 4 semesters]*
	One 3-credit elective to earn the degree.

For a complete description of each course, click on the following link: Counseling Psychology Course Descriptions

* Practicum/Internship: A Practicum (or pre-internship) and an Internship are required:

• Students complete a 100 hour practicum in the summer of their first year.
  
• Students then complete a 750+ hour internship (with 280 of these hours being direct client contact) at a training site approved by the program..
  
• Students seeking school certification complete their training in a school setting, whereas agency counseling students complete their training in a community mental health setting.
  
• Students receive both individual, on-site supervision and faculty/peer supervision as a part of their training experience.

Comprehensive Examination:

The comprehensive examination is designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply both their didactic and practice-oriented academic experiences.

• Exam Timetable - Students are eligible to complete the comprehensive examination after all of the required coursework has been completed. The comprehensive examination is given during the spring semester each year. The examination occurs on a Saturday morning in one of the computer laboratories located on Main Campus. Faculty members (who are not responsible for writing the question or scoring the responses) proctor the examination.
  
• Exam Subject - Students are given one broad question to respond to in a 4-hour period of time. Questions are designed to assess a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as legal and ethical issues. Faculty members rotate on an annual basis with regard to writing the comprehensive examination question and scoring the responses.
  
• Exam Grading - Faculty members independently score each examination response using a 5-point Likert scale. All responses are graded anonymously. Any student(s) who writes an exemplary response receives a "pass with distinction." The scores from both faculty members are aggregated, and students receive a mean score. In the event that there is great variation between the scores (i.e., one faculty member passes the student and one faculty member fails the student), a third faculty member scores the response and determines whether or not the response should receive a passing mark. Students who fail the written aspect of the examination must successfully complete an oral examination in order to pass the comprehensive examination component of the program. Students are allowed two attempts to pass the comprehensive examination.

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Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the master’s program, applicants must possess either of the following:

1. An undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 or better, or
2. Three courses in the Counseling Psychology Master’s program as a nonmatriculated student with a 3.50 GPA or better.

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How to Apply

Please note that there are TWO applications required for this program: one for the Graduate School of Temple University, and one for the Counseling Psychology Program Application.

1.  Graduate School Application

• Temple University Application for Graduate Study

  Complete your application online and submit.

Your application will not be considered complete until ALL materials have been submitted to the appropriate office.  Click on the links to get more information about submitting these materials.

• Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework.
• Application Fee (currently $50).
• Three letters of recommendation.
• MAT or GRE scores.
• TOEFL scores (for international students only).
• Résumé.
• Statement of Goals (Item 22 of Application for Graduate Study).

Mail to:

Graduate Programs Office, College of Education,
150 Ritter Annex (003-09/10), 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091

2.  Counseling Psychology Program Application

• Completed Program Application (available online)
• Essay One (see the Program Application for description)
• Essay Two (see the Program Application for description)

Email to: tucnpsy@temple.edu
OR
Mail to: Director of Master's Admissions, Counseling Psychology Program, Temple University, 220 Ritter Annex (003-09/10) 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue,  Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091

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How Applications Are Reviewed

The Counseling Psychology Program must receive all required admission materials BEFORE your application will be considered. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that his or her file is completed PRIOR to the February 1st application deadline date.

The Master’s Admission Committee of the Counseling Psychology Program will subject the application materials submitted to an initial screening. In reviewing each application, certain review criteria apply:

1. Evidence of work experience and/or volunteer public service relevant to professional development in counseling psychology.
   
2. Evidence of intra- and inter-personal skills (or potential for the development of such skills) as indicated in the personal and career statements submitted in support of the application.
   
3. Evidence of analytical skill and aptitude for graduate level academic work as measured by the Miller Analogies Test or GRE.
   
4. Evidence of aptitude for graduate level academic work as determined by graduate and undergraduate grades, especially work in the major and in prerequisite psychology courses.

Applicant Interviews

Applicants whose records pass the initial screening will be invited for an individual interview with members of the faculty between February 15th and April 1st. The interviews will gather additional data related to the aforementioned criteria (i.e., clarify points raised by the candidate's application) and will make an assessment of communication skills which are associated with success in counselor training. Final decisions on acceptances are based on both the application materials and the interview process. All applicants are not guaranteed interviews due to the large number of applications.

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Contact Information:

For more information about this program, contact:

Gregory Tucker, Ph.D.
phone: (215) 204-1590
email: gmtucker@temple.edu

Dept. of Psychological Studies in Education
College of Education, Temple University
1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091

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