Patricia Nailor, M.Ed., School Counseling Program Director
Harkins Hall 328F
401.865.2922
Brian McCadden, Ph.D., Higher Education Counseling Program Director
Harkins Hall 217
401.865.2247
The Graduate Studies Program in Counselor Education prepares its students to enter the counseling field through one of two pathways: School Counseling or Higher Education Counseling.
The School Counseling pathway prepares its students to become members of school guidance departments. The program examines the field of counseling from the three-fold aspect of theory, analysis, and application and follows the CACREP Standards. Students completing this pathway will be eligible for Rhode Island certification as a PK-12 School Counselor.*
* Please note that graduates of the School Counseling path must complete an exit portfolio and pass the Praxis Professional School Counselor assessment to become eligible for state certification. For information regarding this assessment please click here.
School Counseling Program Handbook
The Higher Education Counseling pathway prepares its students to move into positions in higher education institutions that require strong counseling skills, such as academic advising, admissions, athletics, residential life, career counseling, etc.
Each of the two pathways follows the same basic structure consisting of 3 components: 1) a common core sequence, 2) a track-specific specialization, and 3) a field component:
Core: Consists of a common set of 7 counseling theory courses. These courses will build the common foundational knowledge that all program graduates should possess, and upon which students can then specialize based on their career aspirations.
Specialization: Consists of 3 courses that focus on the knowledge and skills pertinent to that particular specialization.
Field: Consists of a set of 4 field-related practitioner courses. The difference between the three pathways lies in where the fieldwork is conducted. Students in the School path do their fieldwork in PK-12 schools. Students in the Higher Education path do their fieldwork on college campuses.
Application Deadlines *
| Start Term |
Application Deadline |
| Summer I or II |
March 15th |
| Fall |
July 15th |
| Spring |
November 15th |
*Note that students can take up to 2 courses while their application is under review.
Program Requirements
All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within a period of five calendar years from the point of admission. To receive the degree, a student is required to maintain a “B” average in all work.
*Fulfillment of state certification requirements is the responsibility of the graduate student.
| Pathway |
School |
Higher Education |
| Core Courses: |
EDU 501 |
EDU 501 |
| |
EDU 538 |
EDU 538 |
| |
EDU 541 |
EDU 541 |
| |
EDU 542 |
EDU 542 |
| |
EDU 546 |
EDU 546 |
| |
EDU 558 |
EDU 558 |
| |
EDU 562 |
EDU 562 |
| Specialization: |
EDU 540 |
EDU 539 or 573 |
| |
EDU 645 |
EDU 551 |
| |
EDU 829 |
EDU 611 |
| Field Component: |
EDU 544 |
EDU 544 |
| |
EDU 548 |
EDU 548 |
| |
EDU 561 |
EDU 561 |
| |
EDU 568 |
EDU 568 |
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