Academic Advisors and Advising

All students are assigned an advisor upon admission to the master's program. In addition to helping advisees plan classes, the advisor has the following responsibilities: (a) monitor student progress, (b) advise students in course registrations, (c) advise students in internship selection, (d) chair the student's advisory committee for the plan of study, and (e) provide career and professional guidance. The C & D faculty have established a timeline for program completion (see Appendix A).
 
Some students may choose to complete an optional thesis as a part of their master’s program. These students, with consultation from their advisor, may approach another faculty member to serve as their thesis advisor. This may be done no earlier than the middle of the first semester of the first year, and must be completed by the time that the student begins writing the thesis. The thesis advisor will serve as the chair of the student’s advisory committee. In order to facilitate placement of an entire cohort, internship and practicum placements remain the responsibility of the advisor the student was assigned to when entering the program.

At midterm of each semester, students register for courses for the following semester at https://mypurdue.purdue.edu/cp/home/loginf.

Education Related to Teacher Preparation

Only about 5-10% of School Counseling students enter the program with classroom teaching experience. Therefore, the School Counseling program has developed a curriculum which helps students without background in teaching to be prepared to enter the complex school and teacher cultures comfortably and competently. Instead of requiring courses in specific areas in Education, the School Counseling program invites faculty from Curriculum & Instruction to conduct workshops in lesson-planning and classroom management, two critical areas for classroom and large and small group work.

Orientation

An orientation meeting usually is scheduled for late in the last week before classes begin in the fall. All incoming students are required to attend, since important information will be shared formally and informally. Morning activities include guidance regarding the transition to graduate school, details about various important procedures and deadlines, and getting acquainted with cohort and faculty. Afternoon activities typically involve a presentation by a representative from the Writing Lab and a tour of the particular library usually used by counseling students.

Successful Movement through the Program

The School Counseling program is essentially a full-time program, with each cohort taking all or most courses together. However, some students begin taking required courses prior to being admitted into the program (EDPS 50100, EDPS 50500, EDPS 50700, EDPS 53300, and EDPS (591G) have open enrollment), thereby lessening the course load while in the program. An important concern is making sure that EDPS 610A00(Practicum) and EDPS 69500 (Internship) are taken “on schedule,” since there are limits on the number of students in the group-supervision classes, which meet weekly during the three semesters of field experiences. Field experiences can be delayed, but only with the approval of School Counseling faculty and only for extenuating circumstances which are beyond the control of the student. In short, students are expected to move through the program in two full years, staying with their cohort for both field experiences, with rare exceptions.