Counseling, M.A.

Graduate Program Director: Steffanie Schilder, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Practicum & Internship Coordinator: Kirstin Lauritsen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Master of Arts in Counseling program is designed to meet graduate educational needs by:

1. The Counseling program is designed to allow the student to fulfill the current course requirements for the State of Iowa’s Mental Health Counselor License.
2. Providing educational and field experiences for those wishing to change their occupation to an area of Counseling.
3. Providing a master’s level education for those students wishing to pursue doctoral education elsewhere.

Counseling Student Learning Outcomes

1. Understand foundational aspects of professional counseling.
2. Understand and apply ethical principles to all work pertaining to clients at individual, group, and societal levels.
3. Demonstrate competency in addressing multicultural needs of clients.
4. Demonstrate competency in analysis of clients, including diagnosis, case conceptualization, and developmental considerations across the lifespan.
5. Demonstrate the capacity to develop empirically supported strategies for specific types of therapeutic interventions targeted to work with individuals and groups.
6. Apply psychological theories to the practice of mental health counseling.
7. Demonstrate understanding of foundational components and application of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation.
8. Utilize appropriate methods for conducting research and program evaluation.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR ADMISSION AS A DEGREE-SEEKING STUDENT

Applicants must submit the following application materials to the Director of Admission: Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Programs, Loras College, 1450 Alta Vista, Dubuque, Iowa 52001:

1. Online Graduate Program application: www.loras.edu/apply
2. All official transcripts from each institution attended, including undergraduate and graduate
   1. A minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (or 2.9 in the last 60 credits) is required for admission.
   2. Completion of at least 9 credits in the behavioral sciences is required for admission.
3. Personal statement
4. Current resume or vitae
5. Three recommendations

Deadlines are as follows:

Fall enrollment - materials due by July 1
Spring enrollment - materials due by December 1
Summer enrollment - materials due by April 1
Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered on an individual basis

THE OFFER OF ADMISSION

Immediately following receipt of all application materials, the file will be reviewed by the Program Director to determine whether to move forward with an interview. The applicant will then be contacted with information about their next steps. After completion of the interview (or after review of the file), the applicant will be notified of an admission decision in their online Applicant Status Portal. Please note that if admitted, and after payment of the confirmation deposit, enrollment in the program is contingent upon:

• Must pass a background check in accordance with the same standards of DHS hiring procedures.
• All students must sign a Handbook Acknowledgement Form indicating they understand all of the policies and procedures of the program. This will be provided at the required graduate orientation.

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

Each student will be assigned to the Program Director of Counseling for their advisor. The Program Director will develop individualized plans for counseling students.

A minimum of 60 credits for the degree program are required. Up to 12 credits of coursework can be transferred from another institution if approved by Program Director.

Courses in the counseling sequence (L.MHC 647  and L.MHC 649 , L.MHC 694 , L.MHC 696 , L.MHC 698 ) must be taken at Loras College.

CANDIDACY

Students who have been admitted as a degree-seeking student will be reviewed after the completion of at least 15 credits from Loras College and not more than 21 credits. This review will be conducted by faculty members in the psychology program and will assess adequacy of academic performance as well as overall suitability of the student for work in the area of counseling which has been selected. Evidence will be used from coursework and dispositions forms. Graduate program faculty will make a recommendation regarding admission to candidacy.

A student will receive one of the following three recommendations.

1. Acceptance to Candidacy: The student is fully accepted into the program and may proceed with further coursework and internship experiences.
2. Acceptance to Candidacy Deferred: The student may continue their coursework but will need to successfully address areas of concern raised by the faculty during the candidacy review. The student, upon addressing said concerns, must reapply for acceptance to candidacy within 6 months of notification of deferred status. If the student has successfully addressed the specified said concerns, they will be recommended for Acceptance to Candidacy.
3. Acceptance to Candidacy Denied: The student will be denied acceptance to candidacy if they have demonstrated an inability to meet the academic standards of the program. This would be manifested in a GPA of under 3.0 for their graduate coursework. A student may also be denied candidacy if they demonstrate unethical behavior or a pattern of misbehavior or inappropriate behavior in their dealings with classmates, professors, internship supervisors, or clients, often as evidenced by information provided on the disposition rubrics. Denial of candidacy will result in the student’s dismissal from the program.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

A written comprehensive examination is required for completion of the Master of Arts degree in Counseling. After completion of 50 credits candidates in the Counseling program are eligible to take the required comprehensive exam. It is recommended that students take comprehensive exams the semester before they plan to graduate. Comprehensive examinations must be passed in order to walk at commencement.

The comprehensive examination can be taken only during the following months: October and March. Students should refer to their handbook for specific dates and instructions.

COUNSELING ACADEMIC PROBATION POLICY

Probation from the Counseling graduate program is based on the following criteria:

• Failure of comprehensive exam with the first attempt
• Failure to make progress towards candidacy in a reasonable amount of time
• Violation of College’s student code, first offense or specific impairment policy
• Failure to adhere to contractual obligations for the practicum or internship site
• Cumulative GPA below a 3.0
• Student is evaluated with negative performance by a faculty member or clinical instructor
• Other grounds for program probation and dismissal may include: failure to adhere to technical standards, professional misconduct, or failure to successfully pass other programmatic requirements

Students should reference the “Dismissal Policies and Procedures ” portion of this Bulletin in the “Graduate Academic Standards” section for specifics on dismissal policy.

Given that the holders of a Counseling MA degree require a high degree of professional competence and personal integrity, this probation/dismissal policy is not designed to be exclusive.

SPECIAL STUDENT STATUS

See Non-Degree Seeking/Non-Pathway Seeking Students Policy: here