MASTER OF ARTS IN COUNSELING (Thesis Program)

             

Program Description and Objectives

The program aims to train competent professional and research oriented counselor who are able to promote optimal human development and to apply scientific research methods to find improved ways of helping counselees.

 

Admission Requirements

  1. A Bachelor’s degree with 15 units of required subjects in psychology (i.e., 3 units each of general psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, theories of personality, and abnormal psychology);
  2. A college grade-point average equivalent to 2.5 or 85%;
  3. Passing the admissions test administered by the ITEO;
  4. An interview with the department chairperson;
  5. For non- English speaking applicants, enrollment in an English language course at the Center for English Language Learning (CELL) prior the first trimester of the program.

 

An additional of six (6) units of Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 1&2 will be required for applicants with a low score in the essay part of the entrance examination.

 

Retention in the Program

Students must not obtain any grade lower 2.0 in order to remain in the program. They are expected to finish the program in 2 years.

 

Program Requirements

Basic Courses                          6 units Core Courses                           14 units

Major Courses                        10 units Practicum                                 6 units

Comprehensive Examination

Thesis                                       6 units

———-

                                Total                                        42 units

 

An additional of six (6) units of Advanced Technical Reading and Writing 1&2 will be required for applicants with a low score in the essay part of the entrance examination.

 

Program Curriculum

 

Basic Courses

 

CPS 500M Statistics (3 units) [Prerequisite: Basic Statistics]

This course focuses on the fundamental principles and techniques of descriptive and inferential statistics as applied in counseling psychology and education. The definition, data requirements and interpretation of statistical analysis is covered in the course. Each statistical analysis is performed through the process of hypothesis testing. Part of the course is training the students in performing statistical analyses using the software STATISTICA.

Possible research problems in the different fields of counseling psychology and education are posed, data is gathered and analyzed statistically. The statistical analyses in the course are useful as a tool in conducting research.

 

CPS 521M Methods of Research (3 units) [Prerequisite. CPS 500M]

The course will provide an opportunity for students to review concepts and skills covered from their previous research and statistics classes and use these in the development of their thesis proposal. The course will comprise of several workshop session that will further hone the knowledge and skills of the students in the conduct of research.

 

Core Courses

 

CPS 545M Foundations of Guidance and Counseling (3 units)

This course provides an overview of the concepts, principles, and practices of guidance and counseling. It provides a study of the rationale for the elements of the guidance and counseling principles in both school and community setting, and includes discussions on the foundations and principles of multicultural counseling.

 

CPS 550M Theories and Techniques of Counseling with Laboratory Training () 5 units

This course is a discussion of the meaning and dynamics of the counseling process, covering general principles as well as various selected theories.  It is also designed to familiarize the student, through laboratory training, with the use of basic and advance counseling skills and techniques, applied with multicultural and ethical sensitivity.

 

CPS 593M Group Process (3 units) [Prerequisite: CPS 550M]

This course deals with the theoretical and experiential understanding of the group, purpose, development, dynamics and group counselling methods and skills and other group approaches. Students will be exposed to various group activities/exercises to learn how to become effective members and facilitators of groups in different settings.

 

Major Courses

 

CPS 595M Development and Management of Counseling Programs (3 units)

The course deals with how responsive counseling programs and services are developed, organized, managed, and evaluated. Basic concepts are discussed in classroom and find application in actual program development.

 

CPS 543M Consultation with Individuals and Groups (3 units) [Prerequisite: CPS 550M]  This course trains counseling students on basic skills in consultation with individuals and groups in schools, industry and community. This shall be done through exploration of the theoretical concepts in consultation, experiential learning and actual field practice.

 

CPS 560M Assessment Tools with Laboratory Training (4 units)

This course provides students with an overview of different assessment tools, including standardized tests and alternate and authentic techniques, which are used for counseling.  It equips prospective test-users with skills to select, administer, score, interpret and evaluate these measures.

 

CPS 601M Career Development and Counseling (3 units)

This course allows the students to examine the different career development theories and their use in understanding the individual’s personal and career needs across work settings.

 

CPS 925M Practicum (6 units)

A course designed for actual field experience and practice, closely guided and supervised on the following areas:  application of assessment tools, counseling techniques and skills in different settings/practicum sites, and other pertinent counselor functions/services.

 

CPS 851-859M Thesis (6 units)