Department of Educational Studies
Strategically located on a 444-acre green oasis in the heart of the vibrant urban environment of the state's capital city at Columbia within just two hours from the other college towns of Charlotte and Charleston, the University of South Carolina is the flagship public institution of the statewide educational system. Recently recognized by the Chronicle of Higher Education as a "Top Producer of U.S. Fulbright Students," USC is currently ranked as the 112th best college, 55th top public school, and 22nd best university for veterans in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. Within the 92nd best graduate education school, the Department of Educational Studies is also nationally acclaimed for having the 15th top online graduate education programs.
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in School Counseling Education
With the mission of preparing professional counselors to work in public or private elementary, middle, and high schools in South Carolina, the Ed.S. in School Counseling Education program produces graduates who are self-reflective scholar practitioners who can conduct research on effective practice to solve real-world problems facing K-12 school settings. Founded in the comprehensive developmental counseling model of the Transforming School Counseling Initiative, the program involves a carefully designed sequence of classroom coursework and clinical experiences in a cohort approach. In order to gain admissions into the 63-credit program, students must have had at least one or more years of direct supervised full-time work experience with school-aged children in any education or human services setting.
Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling
As the only accredited program of its kind in South Carolina, the Ed.S. in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling (MCFC) is designed to prepare professional counselors to address a wide variety of mental health concerns in the context of relationships and family systems. In accordance with the CACREP standards and state licensure requirements, the 66-credit program focuses on promoting awareness, knowledge, ethics, and skills in interacting with socially and/or culturally diverse members of society. Deeply rooted in clinical learning opportunities to foster personal and professional development through a supportive environment, the curriculum includes a minimum of 150 clock hours of supervised practicum and a 600-hour internship experience in direct service mental health settings.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counselor Education and Supervision
Designed to prepare qualified graduate students to be counselor educators and supervisors in leadership positions of higher education institutions, the Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision program follows a cohort model to foster the development of professional knowledge, skills, self-awareness, and ethics that are integral to leadership roles. Beyond the required minimum of 96 semester credits and 1,000 clock hours of supervised field experiences, the four-year program provides doctoral students with the opportunity to obtain a variety of other professional experiences through graduate assistantships, research, conference presentations, and scholarly writings. For completion of the program, students must also successfully complete a comprehensive written examination, doctoral dissertation, and oral dissertation defense.
Accreditations
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCC)