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College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Master of Science in Education
Students must satisfy the university general
requirements and the following requirements specific to the
degree.
With a Major in Counseling
The Master of Science in Education with a major in Counseling
has two concentrations: 1) School Counseling and 2) Mental Health/Community
Counseling. The school counselor concentration will prepare
counselors to support teachers and other school personnel as well
as parents in addressing the needs of students related to
academic, career preparation, and personal growth and development.
Students will be prepared to serve schools with grades pre-Kindergarten
through 12. The major in Counseling is an approved preparation
program for School Counseling Licensure through the Division of
Teacher Education and Accreditation Tennessee State Department of
Education.
The Mental Health/Community Counseling concentration will prepare counselors for addressing the mental-health needs of the community. See below for the Tennessee Professional Licensure (TPL) requirements.
Disclaimer
The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences is required
to follow the directives of the State Department of Education
which has the authority to make changes in certification
standards. The university does not claim to prepare counselors
for distinct specialities with its general-degree programs in
counseling. Students should consult their advisor or the
coordinator to ascertain if their career goals require
specialization in a certain area of counseling. Students who
graduate from the counseling program and plan to enter private
practice or need licensure for employment are responsible for
meeting the licensure requirements in Tennessee for the Licensed
Professional Counselor. Students are instructed to write the
Tennessee Department of Health Related Boards, 283 Plus Park Blvd.,
Nashville, TN 37247-1010 for the board’s licensure standards
which may exceed the university’s counseling degree program
requirements.
OR
OR
MINIMUM HOURS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE: 48*
*Note: In order to be recommended for licensure as a School Counselor, the State Department of Education stipulates that candidates without teaching experience will have a semester-long orientation experience in a (PreK-12) school as an early part of the preparation program. Students will meet this requirement by successful completion of Educational Studies 440 Selected Problems in Education : [Professional Orientation to Schools].
Tennessee Professional Licensure (TPL) for Mental Health/Community
Counseling
To qualify for the Tennessee Professional License (TPL), students
are required to complete sixty (60) credit graduate hours in
counseling. Thus, students who desire to complete the
requirements for the TPL must complete the course work for the
Master of Science in Education with a major in Counseling Program
(48 credit hours) and select four courses (12 credit hours) from
the following selection:
Laboratory Requirement
Each student in the counseling program must complete a
semester-long supervised lab experience (Educational Psychology
and Guidance 785). The lab requirement is available to students
only upon the approval of the instructor and must be taken prior
to the Internship. Application for completing the laboratory
requirement must be submitted one semester in advance of the
semester the experience is desired. Application may be obtained
from the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Education.
Internship
The internship is a field experience in which students are
required to apply the knowledge and skill acquired in previous
course work to actual school/community settings. An application
for completing an internship is required. The internship
requirements will be fulfilled at an approved site. All
prerequisites, core courses, and laboratory requirement, must be
completed before the internship is begun.
Critical Paper
Each internship student must summarize and evaluate the
internship experience in a critical synthesis paper.
Comprehensive Examination
A comprehensive written examination must be taken by all
students pursuing the Master of Science degree in Counseling. The
examination will test a student’s competencies and knowledge
in the chosen area of specialization. The comprehensive
examination should be taken after a student has met the following
criteria:
Master of Science in Education
Students must satisfy the university general
requirements and the following requirements specific to the
degree.
With a Major in Teaching
The Master of Science in Education with a major in Teaching
is available for those students who have obtained a bachelor's
degree from an accredited college or university and who are
professionally licensed to teach, or who are seeking to obtain
initial licensure at the master’s level to teach. The
program is designed for those who are qualified and interested in
working on an advanced professional degree for preparation to
teach in the 21st Century. The program is designed to provide the
knowledge and skills required for teachers beyond the Year 2000.
The design of the conceptual framework for the Master of Science with a major in Teaching Program promotes the theme of: Educators as Collaborative Leaders and Mentors and the following four indicators:
Educational Inquiry
The educator must have a clear understanding of a variety of research paradigms, as well as, a working knowledge of formal research processes. The educator should be able to design and execute a plan for research, read and interpret the published research of others, and apply the findings appropriately to an educational setting.
Instructional Processes
The educator is a facilitator of learning rather than a primary dispenser of knowledge. Facilitating learning requires the educator to be sensitive to diverse populations and have a working knowledge of resources, which may include curricular materials, technology, community members, professional colleagues, and institutional resources. The educator should be able to engage students and colleagues in higher-order thinking by asking probing questions, promoting inquiry, guiding discussion, and creating situations and scenarios that beg for exploration and explanation.
Curricular Design
The role of the educator in today's society requires an assessment-sensitive knowledge related to the formation of the various curricula. Included in this knowledge base are the philosophical, legal, social, psychological, pedagogical, and content-specific roots from which a curriculum springs. The educator's expertise must include the ability to weave the national standards, state standards, and local expectations into a curricular framework from which educationally sound practices emerge.
Ethical Behavior
The educator has the responsibility to serve as a role model to students, educational colleagues, and professional liaison to members of the community. Included in those responsibilities is the need to collaborate in an atmosphere of honesty and directness; to share one's feelings, while respecting the feelings of others; to employ respect for cultural diversity as the duties of the profession are carried out; and to analyze and present the content of the curricula in ways synonymous with the expectations of academic integrity.
The Major in Teaching is approved by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Students select either an elementary or secondary concentration. If licensed, students complete a Master Research Project; initial licensure students complete 10 hours of student teaching. Students without a teaching license and not pursuing one take the subject area option.
OR
* At least 3 hours should be taken in a content area and 3 hours should be taken outside of the discipline area and/or outside of the Departments of Educational Studies and Health and Human Performance. No more than 3 hours may be at the 500 level.
OR
OR
** International students not seeking a state
teaching license must substitute 3 hours of
electives.
***International students not seeking a state
teaching license must enroll in the appropriate
Master's Project and sign a non-licensure
disclaimer.
OR
MINIMUM HOURS REQUIRED FOR DEGREE: 37