General Program Information
Graduate School Contact:
Fiona Goodyear; goodyear@etsu.edu; 423-439-6148
Rebekah Byrd, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Program Coordinator
324 Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70701
(423) 439-7521
e-mail: byrdrj@etsu.edu
Faculty:
James Bitter; Rebekah Byrd; Graham Disque; Clifton Mitchell; Brent Morrow; Janna Scarborough.
The Counseling Master’s degree program is currently being revised and will be in place by Summer 2013 upon approval of the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The counseling program is designed for the advanced preparation of personnel to serve children, adults, and families in various school and community agency settings. The counseling program offers four (4) concentrations: community agency counseling, higher education, marriage and family therapy, and school counseling. Emphasis is placed upon assisting students to develop a broad range of counseling skills that are applicable in a variety of professional settings. Students are admitted into the counseling program once a year in the fall or summer semesters. To be considered for summer or fall enrollment, the early admission application deadline is February 15. Applications that are not complete by the early deadline risk denial of admission due to no remaining available spaces. A minimum of 48 credit-hours are required to complete the Master of Arts degree in Counseling. The School Counseling, Community Agency Counseling, and Higher Education options are accredited by The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Program Admission Requirements
Each applicant for admission to the Master of Arts degree in counseling program must meet the following criteria:
Applicants to East Tennessee State University’s graduate program in counseling must be a graduate of a regionally accredited college or university. In addition to submitting an application and an official transcript of all academic work previously completed, applicants must submit three letters of reference and their general aptitude scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)*. After a review of the application materials, applicants whose documents indicate a potential for success will be invited for an interview with the counseling program faculty.
Because of the importance of interpersonal characteristics in the field of counseling, the interview is a significant component of the admission process of the counseling program. After interviews, candidates will receive a letter regarding admission. Students are admitted into the counseling program once a year for either the summer or fall semesters. Note that individuals applying to the school counseling concentration must complete a successful background check in order to be fully admitted. Students are admitted into the counseling program once a year. To be considered for summer or fall enrollment, the application deadline is February 15.
The counseling program does not condone or engage in discrimination based on age, color, culture, disability, ethnic group, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic status.Under the preceding procedures, factors given consideration in the admission decision include the following:
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Faculty’s assessment of interpersonal skills and aptitude for counseling;
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Level of GRE performance;
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Undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA);
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Undergraduate institution;
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Undergraduate field of study;
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Performance in previous graduate level study;
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Related counseling work experience
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Past and current positions
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Years of experience
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Scope and variety of experiences
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Other evidence of success in academic and professional endeavors
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Motivation for graduate study
College Counseling/Student Affairs
Elizabeth Likis-Werle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, College Counseling/Student Affairs
510 Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70701
(423) 439-7684
e-mail: likiswerle@etsu.edu
The College Counseling/Student Affairs concentration is designed to prepare counselors and administrative professionals for service to students in two-year and four-year colleges and universities. Graduates in this concentration may seek positions in the student affairs, college and university counseling centers, career placement centers, admissions and academic advisement, residential life, financial aid, disability services, and campus diversity and multicultural programs.
Additional Information
Recommended Electives-It is recommended that students, with written approval of their advisor or advisory committee, choose electives with a focus clearly related to their specific professional objectives. Coursework can be chosen from the disciplines of counseling, special education, criminal justice, social work, sociology, psychology, early childhood education, health education, personnel management., and other approved disciplines. Courses should be approved for elective credit before the courses are taken.
Retention and Dismissal-As required by ACA and AAMFT, students failing to demonstrate personal, professional, and/or ethical behaviors, as these behaviors relate to the ability to function as a counselor, upon review and substantiation (with due process), can be denied continuance in counseling programs. All counseling graduate students are evaluated twice a year. If intervention is indicated and completed, the student may petition the department for readmission.
Students are responsible for being familiar with and following all graduate school admission and retention requirements as stated in the front section of this catalog and in the counseling graduate student handbook.
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