Choosing a school...

Hi all! I am currently applying to master’s programs in school counseling and I am wondering if anyone has experience with any of these schools or which would you choose? Thanks in advance

Indiana Wesleyan University
Liberty University
Capella University
Walden University

They are all CACREP accredited which is what I need, so their programs are all comparable it seems. I’m just having a hard time choosing.

 

There are probably other choices as well. Choose the cheapest.

 

I like Liberty, but I'd create a bigger list, compare more prices, compare more course schedules, examine faculty credentials, compare school reviews. A grad degree is an expensive commitment, so it's worth it do all of those things.

Also, make sure you're clear about licensing with regard to the program and your state's requirements, never rely on the school for that information, never take their word for it. People often make the mistake of thinking "well, it's regionally accredited so it's all good" only to get a shock later on down the road.

 

Yes I actually went to CACREP’s website and made sure which schools were accredited and I checked with my state requirements as well. I had a few more added to this list but there were pretty expensive so I took them off.

 

Lamar University offers an NCATE accredited M.Ed. in School Counseling. The tuition is only $275 per credit x 60. Their mental health counseling program is CACREP accredited.

 

The first thing I would do is toss Capella and Walden into the trash can – both are for-profit schools, and both are totally online universities without a brick-and-mortar presence. It’s like putting the fact that you have an online degree up in neon lights, which will have a negative impact with some employers.

Between Indiana Wesleyan and Liberty you’ve got two excellent choices. Both are brick and mortar but offer online programs, thus you will have graduated from a real university versus an online farce. The questions, then, are (1) whose learning model do you prefer, and (2) how accommodating is each of them with regard to an internship or practicum? Another potential factor is which one you are closefr to geographically in case you have any residency requirements or if you simply want to visit the campus and buy a t-shirt. Finally, you may want to run the schools by your state licensure board to make sure you will be eligible to sit for the board exam.

You mentioned that you are looking for a program in school counseling. Okay, I’m a bit out of date on these things, but in my mind CACREP is geared more to the LMHC and LPC classifications, and is the way to go if you ultimately want to sit for the NBCC boards.

I’m just guessing here, but I would imagine there is more employment potential for an LMHC/LPC than a school counselor – perhaps I simply know too many people who have graduated with a degree in school counseling and were ultimately unable to find employment in that field.

See what I mean about the relevance of CACREP? And I second Chris on recommending Lamar. They’re probably the strongest state university program in this area, giving you three solid choices: a state university (Lamar), a private mainline university (Indiana Wesleyan is historically Methodist), and a pervasively evangelical university (Liberty).

Out of curiosity, what state are you located in? You might have even more options.