Master of Science degree with a Major in Early Childhood Services

Contact Information:	Arkansas State University Department of Teacher Education P.O.Box 2350 State University, AR 72467 Phone: (870) 972-3059 Fax: (870) 910-8045 http://clt.astate.edu/teachereducation/Grad/MECHS.htm#Gerenral%20Course%20Requirements Pam Mangrum Secretary to Department Chair email:pmangrum@astate.edu
Program Description:	The Master of Rehabilitation Counseling (M.R.C.) at ASU is a graduate degree offered through the Department of Psychology and Counseling within the College of Education. The Program is a minimum of 48 semester-hour curriculum that is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). The M.R.C. Program is designed to meet the growing demand for professionally trained rehabilitation counselors. Students complete coursework in the ares of (a) foundations of the rehabilitation process that includes an understanding of the philosophy, theory, sociological, environmental, and legal/ethical aspects of persons with disabilities, (b) medical, vocational, and psychosocial aspects of disabling conditions, (c) theories and techniques in individual and group counseling, and (d) care/disability management and career and lifestyle choices of persons with disabilities. In addition to the required coursework, students must also complete a 100-clock-hour practicum and 600-clock-hours of internship experience in a private or public rehabilitation/health care facility or mental health setting by completing both COUN 6303 and COUN 6323. Candidates for the M.R.C. degree must also pass a written comprehensive examination which is typically taken during the last semester of the student's program. Overall, students who complete the M.R.C. degree will be skilled and competent professionals who will be trained to provide rehabilitation counseling services to a diversity of persons with congenital and/or acquired mental/emotional, psychiatric, cognitive/neurological, physical, and psychosocial disabilities. Upon completion of the M.R.C. degree, students are eligible to sit for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) certification exam. With additional course work, students will be eligible to sit for the NBCC/Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) examination and/or the Commission on the Certification of Work Adjustment and Vocational Evaluation Specialists (CCWAVES) examination which leads to the Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE) credential. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain one or more of these professional certifications. Many student who will enter practice professionally in the field of rehabilitation counseling will be required either before or during their employment to obtain professional certification.
Admission Requirement:	Students seeking admission into the Master of Science degree program in Early Childhood Services must meet admission requirements of the Graduate School. In addition, full admission status requires satisfaction of the following criteria: (1) the candidate must hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or an allied field of study (i.e., social work, home economics, nursing, psychology, or child development); (2) the candidate must have completed course equivalents for at least 12 hours of the undergraduate Early Childhood Education core, to be assessed by the Early Childhood Education Graduate Committee; and (3) the candidate must document a minimum of one year of work experience in a program serving young children. Candidates who do not meet the program admission requirements will be required to complete undergraduate coursework to meet identified deficiencies. Prior coursework will be evaluated on an individual basis to determine if any deficiencies exist in foundation courses. Applicants who do not meet the work experience requirement prior to or during the course of the M.S.E.C.S. degree program must complete an additional six hours of early childhood education practicum as a graduation requirement. (These six hours will be required in addition to the 30-hour program requirement.)

This page is maintained by: The Graduate School
Last revised on: 26 June 2007
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