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Counseling Assessments

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Timeline

Once accepted into the counseling master's program, candidates:

Attend the Orientation session
Meet with a faculty advisor to plan a Program of Study (The program of study form must be completed by the end of EDGC 6440, Advanced Counseling Techniques.) At this meeting, compile the following information to be included in the report:
- List of courses already completed
- List of courses in which currently enrolled
- List of courses left to take, as indicated on program of study
- See Counseling Program Student Handbook regarding transfer courses

To successfully complete the program, the following courses require a grade of "B" or better:

EDGC 6400 Theories of Counseling
EDGC 6430 Counseling Techniques
EDGC 6440 Advanced Counseling Techniques
EDGC 6450 Group Work
EDGC 6535 Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Counseling
EDGC 6850 Ethical and Professional Issues in Counselor Education
EDGC 6896 Practicum in Counseling (100 hours required)
EDGC 6897 Internship in Counseling (600 hours required) (6 credits)

During the term you are enrolled in EDGC 6440: Advanced Counseling Techniques
The course instructor and/or full-time faculty members will complete a copy of the Interpersonal Characteristics Survey (ICS) form for each student enrolled in the course

During the term you are enrolled in EDGC 6896: Master's Practicum in Counseling

Meet with faculty advisor to complete the Application for Candidacy form
Faculty advisor completes and submits the Application for Candidacy form
After the student successfully completes EDGC 6896 Practicum and EDGC 6897 Internship I, the general qualifying exam form is completed by the faculty advisor and submitted to the Graduate School.

Master's Comprehensive Examination

M.Ed. degree students must successfully pass a comprehensive exam before being awarded the degree. Students are encouraged to take the exam the term (fall, spring, or summer) before their last term. Students also may take the exam their last term in the program. In the event a core course covering one of the areas listed below will not be taken until the student's last term, the exam should not be taken until that time.

Students may take the exam only twice. In the event that students fail the exam twice, they will be dismissed from the program and will not receive a degree.

The test consists of 160 multiple choice questions, 140 of which are the actual test questions, and 20 are questions which are being tested for future exam use. The questions are taken from the following areas:

Human Growth and Development
Social and Cultural Foundations
Helping Relationships
Group Work
Career and Lifestyle Development
Appraisal (Analysis of the Individual)
Research and Program Evaluation
Professional Orientation and Ethics

The passing score for the Master's Comprehensive Examination is a score of 60% or better.
Before taking the Master's Comprehensive Exam, master's students must be sure that they have met with their major professor and completed/filed an Application for Candidacy. The candidacy form must be filed the term after they complete Practicum in Counseling. Payment for the Counseling Graduate program Master's Comprehensive Exam is required on the day the exam is administered and is to be given to the test administrator.

The examination date (as well as the deadline for exam registration) will be posted on the program listserv and program bulletin board well in advance of each administration. To register to take the Comprehensive Examination, master's degree students should register in the Bicentennial Education Building, Room 348-O by the deadline date. NOTE: Students who are not listed on the program exam roster will not be able to take the exam, as an exam booklet will not have been ordered for them.Read the Counseling Graduate Program Handbook for information, requirements and procedure for scheduling to take the examination.

Once candidate has successfully passed the Comprehensive Exam:

It is recommended that you compare a copy of your most recent transcript with a copy of the Candidacy form. If there are any discrepancies between what is listed and what was actually taken, contact the Coordinator's Office to change your Candidacy form.
Apply for Graduation by filling out the necessary paperwork in the Registrar's Office.
Pay your graduation fee at the Bursar's Office and inquire about any outstanding debts that would prevent you from graduating.

Doctoral Student Program Event Sequence

Meetings with Faculty Advisor:

Once accepted into doctoral program:
to plan Program of Study; student is provided with a copy of the form
While enrolled in Advanced Supervision in Counseling:
to discuss the doctoral level internship requirements
to develop a plan for the student to complete the doctoral level internship requirements
minimum of 300 of doctoral level internship must be completed within the program supervising master's level students in skills courses, practicum, or internship
all 600 hours may be completed through supervising master's level students
300 hours may be completed delivering direct counseling services at a site.

To initiate the General Exam* process:

faculty advisor and student discuss general exam requirements and schedule time frame for completion of general exam prior to meeting with faculty advisor, student should read the section in the Counseling Graduate Program Student Handbook pertaining to the doctoral General Exam
Program Coordinator completes and submits Request for General Examination, Doctoral Program form; student is provided with a copy of the form
Program Coordinator prepares and distributes the General Examination packets for each doctoral committee member, and sends out grading sheets

Once General Exam has been passed:

review and update the Program of Study
Program Coordinator completes and submits the Report on General Examination/Request for Candidacy form: Ph.D.; student is provided with a copy of completed form
Upon successful completion of writing Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of dissertation and approval from committee chair and committee members:
schedule the Dissertation Proposal Defense
faculty advisor and student schedule the date of proposal meeting that is mutually agreeable to faculty advisor, dissertation committee members, and student
faculty advisor completes and submits the Proposal/Dissertation Defense Announcement form; student is provided with a copy of the form
prepare formal protocol to Human Subjects Committee
After passing the Dissertation Proposal Defense
faculty advisor completes and submits Proposal/Dissertation Defense Report; student is provided with a copy
this form indicates that the proposal has been accepted
submit formal protocol to Human Subjects Committee [UNO; Department of Psychology] for approval; this approval is required prior to gathering data for dissertation study

Upon successful completion of dissertation study and completion of writing Chapters 4 and 5, and approval from committee chair and committee members:

schedule the Dissertation Defense
faculty advisor and student schedule a date of the dissertation defense that is mutually agreeable to faculty advisor, dissertation committee members, and student
Faculty advisor completes and submits the Dissertation Defense Announcement; student is provided with a copy.

After passing the Dissertation Defense:

faculty advisor completes the Request for Final Examination, Doctoral Program form;
faculty advisor obtains signatures of committee chair and members and thereafter submits form; student is provided with a copy
Faculty Advisor completes and submits Examination and Thesis Report

*Doctoral General Examination

The General Exam consists of three essay questions that must be answered over a 3 week period. At least one of the questions must address research methodology. Students are given their questions on the first day of the exam and must submit their written responses to the Coordinator of the Counseling Graduate Program by the last day of the third week.

Each of the three essay questions must be answered in no more than 8 double-spaced pages, typed with one-inch margins with a 12-point font. Reference list pages do not count in the 8 page maximum. Papers that do not conform to the guidelines will be returned to the student for revisions.

Papers are evaluated according to the following criteria:

Coherence and organization of arguments,
Effective use of supporting evidence from relevant literature,
Insight and analytic acumen,
The extent to which the answer addresses the question of issue,
The extent to which APA style is appropriately followed.

Students may take the General Exam when they have met the following requirements:

Have completed prior to the term in which they take the General Exam all of the "Entry Level Core" and most of the "Doctoral Level Core" courses listed on their program of study, excluding internship and dissertation hours;
Have no more than nine (9) semester credits left of coursework to complete after the term in which they take the General Exam, excluding internship and dissertation hours.
Completion of all research courses is recommended prior to taking the General Exam.

General Exam Procedures:

Doctoral students initiate an appointment with their committee chair to plan the content of the General Exam. The three areas must reflect areas of expertise of the student's committee members and must provide an opportunity for the student to integrate the knowledge and experience that has been gained in the student's individual doctoral program of study. In the event an individual will serve on the student's dissertation committee who is not a UNO full-time or adjunct faculty member, a UNO full-time or adjunct faculty member will substitute for that person until after the General Exam has been passed.
The committee chair notifies the other committee members that the student is preparing to take the General Exam. The committee chair, in consultation with the student, assigns a content area for each committee member. The student meets with each committee member to discuss each question. Each committee member forwards the question he or she writes to the Coordinator of the Counseling Graduate Program.
The Program Coordinator meets with the doctoral student and completes the Request for General Exam Form. The Program Coordinator will then send each of the committee members a memo asking that the question(s) for a given student be sent to the Program Coordinator by a certain date. The Program Coordinator will then assemble the examination packet, gives the packet to the Department secretary, and informs the student that the packet is ready for their retrieval.
When the student has completed all sections of the General Exam, it is delivered to the Program Coordinator by the last day of the third week. The Program Coordinator then makes copies of the completed General Exam for all committee members and indicates the due date for grades to be submitted. All committee members are asked to grade the three papers. Committee members grade each of the three sections of the exam with one of the following grades: satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Committee members are given two weeks to grade and return the exam. Additional time may be given for grading if appropriate due to the semester breaks and holidays. In the event the exam is not returned to the committee chair by the deadline and a committee member has not made previous arrangements for a reasonable extension of time to grade the exam, a satisfactory grade is assigned for that committee member.
After all committee members have returned the graded exam or the period for grading the exam has passed, the Program Coordinator determines the exam grade and notifies both the student and the student's advisor of the results in writing.
If a student receives satisfactory grades from the majority of committee members (i.e. 2 of 3) for a question, that question is passed. Students must pass all three questions in order to pass the exam. If a majority (i.e. 2 of 3) of committee members give unsatisfactory grades on any of the three questions, that question, and thus the exam, is failed.
In the event the first administration of the General Exam is failed, students have one more opportunity to pass the exam. The second exam may be scheduled as soon as the student and committee chair agree upon a schedule for remedial review and new testing dates.
Upon successfully passing the General Exam, the Program Coordinator will then complete the Report on the General Exam Form and send a letter to the candidate with the program's congratulations. Once the Report on General Exam form has been submitted, the student is admitted to candidacy.