Graduate Program of Study in Counseling
Academic Regulations
Student Requirements & Responsibilities | Candidacy | Transfer Credit | Comprehensive Examinations and Graduation
Student Requirements & Responsibilities: General Academic
The Degree and/or Certification Plan
Once students are accepted into the Counseling program, they will be assigned a faculty advisor from the Counseling faculty. It is the student's responsibility to contact this faculty advisor and schedule an appointment to prepare the degree and/or certification plan. The degree/certification plan is valid for as long as the student maintains current enrollment. If a student is not enrolled for more than one calendar year, the plan will become invalid, and upon re-entry, the student will be required to meet all current program requirements.
Prerequisite Course Work
Students who are accepted into the Counseling program may enroll in the core courses (Methods of Educational Research, Statistics in Education and Philosophy and Counseling) and the first two required counseling courses (Counseling Theories and Counseling Practice). These courses are the prerequisites for most of the remaining required and recommended counseling courses. Students must heed prerequisites as outlined in the current Loyola University Graduate Bulletin and the Student Handbook. Students who enroll in course work without having completed the necessary prerequisites will be administratively withdrawn.
Age of Course Work for the Master's Degree and Professional Certification
Students must complete the Master's degree program within 7 years. No course work (except prerequisites) may be more than 7 years old at the time of graduation.
Competency Evaluation Policy and Procedures
Students should be aware that while they are enrolled in the Counseling Program at Loyola University New Orleans, faculty members conduct an ongoing evaluation of the student’s cognitive and psychological capacity to perform the minimal competencies of a professional counselor. It is important to note that even though the student may be evidencing satisfactory performance in academic coursework, student behaviors may be deemed inappropriate for practice in the profession of counseling. Faculty members have adopted the following policy in order to fulfill their professional responsibility to protect the rights of the community, other candidates enrolled in the program, as well as those of the student.
Faculty will conduct an ongoing assessment of:
- Class behaviors
- Interactions with other students
- Ability to listen and hear others
- Acceptance of feedback
- Trust level
- Appropriateness of remarks
- Ability to contribute to class discussions
- Communication of ideas
- The faculty member who has become aware of a problem will meet with the student and offer suggestions for possible changes in the student’s behavior.
- If the problem is not resolved, the faculty member will consult with other professors in the department regarding the student’s case to determine the most suitable course of action.
- If the problem continues, the faculty member will write a letter to the Counseling Program Director concerning the meeting with the student. A copy of this letter is sent to the student.
- After monitoring the student’s progress, should the Director deem the student’s problem to be serious enough in nature, the Director will appoint a committee composed of three current, regular program faculty members to investigate all aspects of the situation. The student will have the opportunity to appear before the committee. The Director will report the findings to the program faculty. Based on the findings of the committee, the program faculty will participate in making recommendations for further action or a final decision. The student will be informed in writing of the department’s recommendations or decision.
Candidacy
Students must submit the Candidacy Application, immediately following the completion of the core courses plus one or two counseling courses - total 12-15 hours. Full-time students will have slightly more than 15 hours at the completion of the three core courses and should apply for Candidacy at that time. Students who are not granted candidacy will be informed of the decision and given one semester to make up any deficiencies. Students who fail to correct the deficiencies will be excluded from the program.
Students who are admitted and who have completed the academic requirements are not automatically admitted into practicum and or internship. Each of these courses requires academic as well as clinical competencies that students must meet before they can enroll. (See the Practicum and Internship Section for additional information.)
Transfer Credit
Students who have taken graduate courses prior to entering Loyola may request transfer credit. Students may obtain no more than six credit hours of transfer credit. Students may not obtain transfer credit for the core courses. Graduate Petitions for transfer credit must identify which courses were taken, where they were taken and where the transfer credit is to be applied within the student’s curriculum. The decision to award transfer credit rests with the faculty of the Department of Counseling.
Comprehensive Examination
The Comprehensive Examination is an essay styled assessment covering all course work completed in the counseling program. Students will select one of two vignettes and answer a series of questions concerning the information contained in the vignette. Questions will pertain to information offered in the core courses, the required courses and elective courses.
All counseling students are required to pass a Comprehensive Examination before they are permitted to graduate. Students must apply for the Comprehensive Examination at the beginning of the last semester of their program. Students who do not have a completed and approved application will not be allowed to take the Comprehensive Examination. A study guide is available from the Education and Counseling Department administrative assistant once the student has been approved to take the Comprehensive Examination.
Students who do not pass the Comprehensive Examination will be required to sit for an oral exam on the same material. Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance on the oral examination will not be permitted to graduate.
Graduation
Students need to complete the Application for Master's Degree one semester before the semester they plan to graduate. Late applications cannot be accepted, and students who do not apply on or before the deadline may not be eligible to graduate that semester.
Endorsement Policy
At various times students require an endorsement (verbal or written recommendation) from their program in order to gain employment or credentials. A graduate will be endorsed by counseling faculty only for a position or credential for which the graduate has been prepared. Internship site supervisors also are urged to follow this policy.
Students should be aware of this policy and seek endorsement only for employment and credentials that are appropriate given the student’s training, coursework and supervised experience.
Before endorsement is given any student, the records are thoroughly checked to make sure that the student graduated, maintained an acceptable grade point average, completed all requirements, and is seeking endorsement only for a position or credential for which the graduate has been prepared.