Program Features

School Partnerships

Faculty members in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Counseling have worked to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with multiple schools and school districts in Charlotte and surrounding counties. For example, the School Counseling Program offers a workshop in supervision for school counseling site supervisors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Dr. Sejal Foxx also works with the Cato Early Engineering High School (CMS) and the Performance Learning Center in Cabarrus Co.

Part-Time and Full-Time Coursework

A full catalog of daytime and evening classes offer students scheduling flexibility. The program is also offered on a full and part-time basis.

Counselor and Educator Emphases

Faculty members in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Counseling believe that the 21st century professional school counselor is both a counselor and an educator in schools. As a result, master’s school counseling students complete coursework in eight core courses to build a strong counseling identity, as well as school counseling-specific courses to educate students about their role develop skills as an educator as a school counselor.

Data Project

Students who graduate from UNC Charlotte’s School Counseling Program are especially strong in analyzing data to determine and address student needs. This strength is built in students’ second school counseling course, Advocacy and Leadership in Professional School Counseling, in which they analyze data at their clinical placement sites, then design and implement projects to address school needs based on data analysis.

Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy

UNC Charlotte is the only university in North Carolina with a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy. This concentration allows students to participate in workshops hosted by the Multicultural Play Therapy Center. By completing four courses in play therapy, students can earn a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy and gain expertise in an emerging therapeutic field.

60-Credit Program of Study

In July 2015, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) released 2016 counseling standards in which school counseling master’s programs must require 60 credit hours. UNC Charlotte’s School Counseling Program already requires 60 credit hours for graduation and has for many years.

Diverse Faculty

UNC Charlotte’s Department of Counseling benefits from a diverse faculty in terms of background, race, counseling experience, gender, sexual orientation, and expertise. School counseling faculty members are no exception to this diversity, which enriches the experiences of students in the School Counseling Program.

Opportunities for Research

Although school counseling students at UNC Charlotte are not required to complete academic research while in the School Counseling Program, opportunities exist for students to collaborate with peers and faculty members on research. Research opportunities may lead to conference presentations or publications for interested students.