Program Goals

The faculty of the Department of Counseling established the following goals in support of our mission and vision:

  • To develop and maintain a curriculum based on current knowledge concerning the counseling and human development needs of a global community,
  • To challenge and support student and faculty growth in human understanding, dignity, and positive interactions on all levels,
  • To promote social justice, especially for groups that have been historically disenfranchised ,
  • To develop collaborative partnerships that foster our mission,
  • To provide excellent instruction, research, and community service, and
  • To achieve excellence by maintaining CACREP accreditation at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels.

Commitment to Diversity

The Department of Counseling’s faculty is committed to integrating teaching, scholarship, research, clinical practice, and service, while promoting a climate of social justice, systemic change and advocacy. This commitment extends to training students to be practitioners and educators who actively engage in critical self-reflection, scholarship, and practice in an effort to effectively transform communities, institutions, and systems.

program objectives

In alignment with the 2024 CACREP Standards, key program objectives with measurable language guide UNC Charlotte’s Masters in Counseling and Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision programs.

The Masters in Counseling objectives are:

  1. Professional Orientation and Ethical Practice: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to apply knowledge and understanding of professional counseling credentials, ethical standards, and the ability to solve ethical problems which arise in the practice of counseling.
  2. Social and Cultural Identities and Experiences: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to demonstrate an understanding and respect for individuals of varying ethnic, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds; developed appropriate counseling skills for work with clients from diverse populations.
  3. Lifespan Development: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to apply an understanding of the major theories of human growth and development; counseling theories and their use in school and community mental health settings including the cognitive, affective, and behavioral approaches and the counseling interventions explained by the theories.
  4. Career Development: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to facilitate client carer development that encompasses career planning and management;
  5. Counseling Practice and Relationships: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to examine personal feelings, values, beliefs, and behaviors in relation to their professional development, demonstrate new learning and experiences, and demonstrate an individual style of counseling using various counseling models and techniques to work with clients demonstrated in closely supervised practice and internship settings appropriate to the student’s areas of interest;
  6. Group Counseling & Group Work: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to design and conduct effective structured and unstructured groups in schools/community agency settings;
  7. Assessment and Testing: Upon completing the program each student shall be able to apply basic concepts and principles of measurement and evaluation and select, administer, and interpret interest, aptitude, personality, and intelligence tests;
  8. Research and Program Evaluation: Upon completing the program each student shall have the ability to explain and critique a research model including problem identification, objectives, hypotheses, method and design, implications, and conclusions;

The Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision objectives are:

  1. Research and Scholarship: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to interpret, analyze, and evaluate research data; and conduct counseling focused research and scholarship related activities that may lead to scholarly publications addressing diverse and multicultural issues in a global society.
  2. Counseling: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to apply professional counseling theories needed to provide effective individual and group counseling using skills and techniques to all clients from diverse and multiculturally backgrounds in a global society.
  3. Teaching: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to teach graduate level counseling courses, assess students, and use appropriate evaluation methods with individuals from diverse and multicultural backgrounds in a global society.
  4. Supervision: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to conduct theoretically sound clinical supervision in counseling related and clinical mental health settings to individuals and groups from diverse and multicultural backgrounds in a global society.
  5. Leadership and Advocacy: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to demonstrate leadership and advocacy skills in professional counseling organizations by delivering conference presentations, becoming involved division/organizational activities, and engage in   professional activities addressing diverse and multicultural issues in a global society.
  6. Multicultural and Social Justice Practice: Upon completing the doctoral program, each student shall be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and understanding of leadership development and multicultural counseling and social justice skills needed to support individuals from diverse and multicultural backgrounds in a global society.

Additional Expected Metrics

In addition to the aforementioned goals, Department of Counseling faculty expect the following metrics to be achieved annually. Faculty regularly review data to ensure these metrics are met.

  1. A minimum of 80% of counseling students will pass their required credentialing exam (e.g., NCE, Praxis in School Counseling) annually.
  2. A minimum of 70% of admitted counseling students will earn their degree within the time frame required by the UNC Charlotte Graduate School (currently 7 years) each year.
  3. A minimum of 75% of students will gain employment within one year post-graduation.
  4. A minimum of 60 Masters in Counseling students will be admitted annually, and 5-8 PhD students will be admitted annually.