Career Counseling Graduate Certificate
The Career Counseling Graduate Certificate is for individuals and students who want to add an additional focus of career counseling to their academic credentials. The goals of the Graduate Certificate in Career Counseling are: (a) to provide an academic program to help counselors, career development professionals, and students increase their competency in supporting the career development of all their clients across various settings; (b) to provide a curriculum focused on helping counselors, career development professionals, and students apply knowledge and skill to practice in the areas of career assessment, career decision making, career counseling with PK-16 students and adults; (c) increase career development professionals’ awareness of social justice issues and their impact on career development.
The Career Counseling Certificate may be pursued as a stand-alone credential or in conjunction with another mental health or related program (such as Master’s in Education, Master’s in Adult & Higher Education, Master’s in Social Work, Ed.D. or the Ph.D. in Education, or Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology). With advance planning, all 12 credits may be applied to the Master’s of Education in School or Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree at UMSL. Completion of the Career Counseling Certificate, however, does not guarantee acceptance into any other degree program (separate application required for admission).
The counseling degree coordinator will act as the program director for this graduate certificate.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet the general graduate admission requirements of the Graduate School, described in the UMSL catalog. Students are considered for admission to the graduate certificate in Career Counseling only after they have formally applied for admission through the Graduate School. Applications may be completed on-line.
In addition, to Graduate School admission requirements, the following requirements apply to the Career Counseling Graduate Certificate program:
Current “good standing” (non-probation) in an UMSL graduate mental health practitioner training program (counseling, social work, or psychology)
Or
All of the following criteria must be met:
- Undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better;
- Enrollment in a graduate mental health practitioner or related training program or earned Master’s degree in mental health field (or related);
- Two letters of recommendation with at least one from a current or former college-level instructor (or someone with a graduate degree who can attest to the applicant’s capacity to complete graduate-level work);
- Two-page personal statement explaining the applicant's personal and professional goals.
Certificate Requirements
| Course Number | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| CNS ED 6400 | Career Counseling and Development | 3 |
| CNS ED 6410 | Advanced Career and Leadership Development | 3 |
| CNS ED 6630 | Career Development in K-12 Schools | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Counseling Individuals with Disabilities | ||
| Counseling Women Across the Lifespan | ||
| Counseling Black Clients | ||
| Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Counseling | ||
| Social Class and Poverty in Counseling | ||
| Counseling and Cultural Competence in a Global Society | ||
| Advanced Theories and Practice of Counseling | ||
Other CNS ED 6800-level courses as offered | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:
- Demonstrate strategies to help clients develop skills to make life-work role transitions, acquire employability and job search skills, and evaluate career information resources.
- Analyze factors that influence clients’ attitudes toward work and career decision-making processes particularly race, gender roles, family responsibilities, education and other cultural factors.
- Develop a collection of culturally-relevant resources to assist clients from various backgrounds in their career development and planning