Learn More about the Field of Counseling

Since there are many different types of counselors, it is important to find out as much you can about each one, and use that information to decide what kind of clients you would be best suited to serve.  According to the website Careers in Psychology.org, they suggest that, “Every one of us has special traits, empathies, attributes and interests that would make us better counselors in certain areas.”  Counseling can be an extremely rewarding profession but keep in mind that most counselors must have a masters or doctoral degree. 

At GSU’s College of Education (COE), we offer three exceptional Master of Arts in Counseling Programs: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage & Family Counseling and School Counseling.  In the Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree, you will examine clinical mental health and community counseling issues.  Course work includes the study of life style and career development, workplace and vocational counseling, group dynamics and counseling program management. 

Our Marriage & Family Counseling degree provides our graduate students with course work that deals with all facets of marriage and family counseling including individuals, children, adolescents, couples and family counseling. In addition students will explore topics such as group dynamics, intervention, prevention and sexual issues.

The other COE’s M.A. in Counseling - School Counseling degree promotes excellence in professional school counseling as an integral component in the development of all students.  The primary goal of our program is to prepare responsive professional counselors in K-12 school settings who will assist students in maximizing their educational, vocational and personal/social growth and development.

If you are interested in learning more about GSU’s Counseling program, you can get answers from students who are currently in the program.  Our Counseling Peer Mentor Program allows you to ask a myriad of questions about the course work or to get an informed opinion about handling a class load while working. You will find details for the Mentor program on our website.

Source: http://careersinpsychology.org/starting-a-career-in-counseling/

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top colleges in Illinois.  

The College of Education’s Endorsement Programs

At GSU’s College of Education (COE), we offer educators the opportunity to enhance their Illinois Professional Educator License with additional endorsements.  Our three offerings include the Bilingual/ESL Approval, Mathematics Endorsement and a Middle School Endorsement.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s Bilingual/ESL Education endorsement requires 18 credit hours.  To fulfill the sequence requirement for a Master of Art in Education with Specialization in Bilingual/ESL Education, 21 credit hours (including BBED 8100 Practicum in Bilingual and ESL Education) may be applied.  The courses are generally taught 2 times per week each semester, which allows teachers to earn the credential in one calendar year.  See our website for the full course requirements and details.

You can also add to your qualifications with a Mathematics Endorsement that requires just 24 credit hours.  Requirements for undergraduate students include the following classes: Early Adolescent Educational Psychology along with Curriculum and Methods for Middle School.  For graduate students, required classes include Educational Psychology Applied to the Middle School as well as Curriculum and Instruction in the Middle School.  All students are required to take Teaching Math in the Middle and Intermediate Grades.  See the COE’s website for details on this endorsement. 

The third offering from the COE is a Middle School Endorsement, which offers both on and off campus course work for currently certified teachers.  To earn the endorsement, teachers need to take the following two courses: Educational Psychology Applied to Middle School and the Curriculum and Instruction in the Middle School.  See our website for information on how to host a cohort in your school or district.

Along with our endorsement programs, the COE offers a range of excellent undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs for educators, psychologists and counselors.  Check out our website for information on all of our programs. 

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

Academic Advising for COE Students

GSU’s College of Education (COE) prepares individuals who wish to pursue careers in the field of education, psychology or counseling with a selection of outstanding undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs.  Our students receive a solid balance of theory with lots of practical experience so they are able to make a smooth transition from the university to a community agency, classroom or administrator’s office. 

The COE not only offers small class sizes to ensure personalized attention and a world-class faculty, but we also provide professional academic advisors to guide and mentor students.  Within each of the COE’s divisions, we have academic advisors who will act as your first contact when you are enrolled in one of our degree programs.   

Getting guidance from an academic advisor is helpful at different stages throughout your time at GSU, and is especially important when you are considering transferring into one of our degree programs.  And again, once you are admitted into the program, the advisor will help you to develop a plan of study as well as evaluate your transfer credits.  Even for current students, advisors are helpful in addressing questions or comments regarding the program’s policies, procedures and requirements.  

The College of Education’s advising staff includes: Maya Blackwell - Psychology, B.A. and M.A.; Bonnie Gregg - Counseling, M.A. and Ed.D; Terrance Felker - Education, Multi-categorical Special Education; Cynthia Hutson -       Early Childhood, Elementary Education;      Carla Johnson - Educational Administration, Interdisciplinary Leadership Ed.D, and Reading;    and Eileen Lally - Urban Teacher Education. 

Please refer to our website for contact information as well as details and requirements on all of our exceptional programs.  The COE’s mission is to prepare students to be reflective lifelong learners; advocates for diversity and social justice; and engaged, effective, transformative educators and mental health professionals.

Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University you’ll find an abundance of both.  We have a highly diverse student body and our courses are taught by gifted professors. Our rich history, cultural amenities and a beautiful campus all contribute to making us one of best colleges in Chicago.

The Challenging Job of a School Superintendent

What makes a successful school superintendent?  While there is no doubt varying opinions, there is some consensus on the basic characteristics of an effective school superintendent.  A survey of recognized top superintendents from around the country indicates that effective communication from the school’s leadership has a significant impact on the success of moving the district’s vision forward.  

The National School Public Relations Association (NPRA) survey shows the “need for good communications as an integral ingredient in superintendent success was cited by every superintendent in this study. Although leadership, vision, and strategic thinking were listed as the most important skills for superintendent success, every superintendent in the study ranked good communications skills as a “very important” component of each of those skills.”

The superintendents mentioned that communication is especially important during times of institutional changes such as implementing “No Child Left Behind and other accountability requirements; changes in curriculum; redrawing attendance boundaries; grade configuration changes; and closing schools.” 

An article on GreatSchools’ website states that successful superintendents have a clear vision, goals and objectives for the district, and work toward achieving those goals.  They noted that the best superintendents understand they are instructional leaders and strive to ensure their students are learning and achieving at the highest levels possible.  This means a superintendent must be “knowledgeable of the best practices for maximizing student achievement and is supportive of teachers in the district.”

Superintendents are managers, and as such, must effectively evaluate the performance of their district.  They are also responsible for seeing to it that school principals are equally effective leaders in their buildings.  Finally just as good communicator skills are a must, the best superintendents are good listeners.  

GSU’s College of Education offers an Interdisciplinary Leadership, Ed.D degree program with a Superintendent (P-12) as one of the concentrations.  The program’s other concentrations are Higher Education Administration, Public Safety, and Not-for-Profit/Social Entrepreneurship.  The doctoral program provides students a comprehensive set of core courses in leadership, research, planning, communication, globalism and finance.  Please refer to the College of Education’s website for the complete requirements and details of our Interdisciplinary Leadership ED.D. 

Sources:

http://www.nspra.org/files/docs/CharacteristicsOfEffectiveSuperintendents.pdf

http://www.greatschools.org/improvement/quality-teaching/94-what-makes-a-great-superintendent.gs

At GSU you will discover a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds and courses that are taught by gifted professors.  At the College of Education we offer undergraduate, graduate, cohort and non-degree certificate programs to prepare you with the credentials you need to be a successful education or mental health professional. Contact us for more information.

Principal Leadership – Take Your Career to the Next Level

Until recently there was not much real-world evidence regarding the impact of effective school principals on student learning, but a recent study changes that.  Reported in the EducationNext, Winter 2013 edition, the article cites evidence that indeed a school’s leadership does make a difference.  The authors of the study are Gregory F. Branch of the University of Texas at Dallas Education Research Center, Eric A. Hanushek from the Hoover Institution of Stanford University and Steven G. Rivkin, professor of economics at University of Illinois at Chicago. 

The study indicates that, “Highly effective principals raise the achievement of a typical student in their schools by between two and seven months of learning in a single school year; ineffective principals lower achievement by the same amount. These impacts are somewhat smaller than those associated with having a highly effective teacher. But teachers have a direct impact on only those students in their classroom; differences in principal quality affect all students in a given school.”  Their report specifically examines the importance of effective leadership at schools serving disadvantaged students as leadership is vital to attracting and retaining high-quality teachers despite less desirable working conditions.  We encourage you to read more of their fascinating study. 

At GSU we offer educators the opportunity to take their career to the next level by earning their Master of Arts in Educational Administration degree designed to prepare school administrators and leaders.  For those wishing to pursue the job of a school principal, one of the choices of concentration in our program is Principal Leadership (K-12).

As a student in the program, you are given the opportunity to learn how to transition from the classroom to a leadership role with plenty of field and clinical experiences.  Please see our website for the complete requirements and details for our Master of Arts in Educational Administration concentration in Principal Leadership (K- 12). 

Source: http://educationnext.org/school-leaders-matter/

We encourage you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  Each college has stellar programs and world-class professors; all of which are focused on delivering academic excellence in a small-class setting.  We look forward to helping you achieve your educational and career goals.

Reading – The Essential First Step in Learning

As educators, we all understand the great importance of reading in the success of our students.  Reading impacts all aspects of the learning process and by helping our students become proficient readers, we not only make a huge difference in their lives but enhance the entire school’s overall quality.  This is why GSU’s College of Education offers teachers an exceptional Master of Arts in Reading program.  Graduates of the program will be reading specialists who have the expertise to bring staff development to educators serving an increasingly diverse student population. 

To qualify for this outstanding program, you need to have an Illinois (or comparable out-of-state) Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education professional educator license.  In addition you must have completed at least two years of appropriate teaching experience in a recognized public or private school as stated in the application materials prior to candidacy.  Please see our College of Education website for the complete program requirements and details. 

Our M.A. in Reading program includes practicum experiences at both the elementary and secondary levels.  Students are presented challenging course work with classes in diagnosis, remediation, the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic foundations of literacy, developing reading programs, and narrative and expository writing instruction. Degree requirements also include a successful completion of an action research project. 

This excellent program provides students the required course work as identified by the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee and the Advisory Group to the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education Joint Task Force of the International Reading Association.  Graduates of GSU’s Master of Arts in Reading program are given the knowledge and theoretical foundation in the field of reading and literacy to address the needs of K-12 learners as well as those students who need specialized literacy intervention.

Academic excellence and innovation are natural partners. At Governors State University you’ll find an abundance of both.  We have a highly diverse student body and our courses are taught by gifted professors. Our rich history, cultural amenities and a beautiful campus all contribute to making us one of best colleges in Chicago.

GSU’s College of Education - Doctoral Programs

At Governors State University, we offer an exceptional selection of doctoral programs that will take your career to the next level.  All of our programs are designed to accommodate working professionals and offer course work in a variety of formats or times.  Our class-sizes are small and students are mentored by a group of experienced, gifted professors.

One of our doctoral offerings is a Counselor Education and Supervision, Ed.D degree that is designed to produce advanced clinicians, supervisors, competent researchers and educators. The challenging program offers students experiences in clinical work, teaching, supervision, research and advocacy.  As a student, you will develop a strong background in education and counseling theory.  If you have a CACREP-accredited master’s degree, you will be able to complete the program in as little as eight semesters.

Another doctoral program offered from the College of Education is our Interdisciplinary Leadership, Ed.D.  To ensure the program is convenient; all courses are offered online or in a hybrid format.  Students will learn the theories, principles, practices and applications of effective leadership.  The program offers the opportunity for advanced study in the choice of one of the following concentrations:  Higher Education Administration; Not for Profit/Social Entrepreneurship; Public Safety and Superintendent (P-12 Endorsement).

In addition we also offer an Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in School Psychology.  The program equips professionals to directly and indirectly deliver a continuum of educational and mental health services to children and families and to work with teachers and other educators to enhance student learning and well-being.  This is a four-year, cohort-based model that provides future school psychologists with a solid professional and academic foundation that reflects depth and diversity in both psychology and education.

Please refer to GSU’s College of Education website for the programs’ complete requirements and details.  If you have further questions, please contact a department advisor. 

We invite you to explore our many degree, certificate and individual course offerings listed on our website.  GSU has a highly diverse student body made up of individuals of all ages and backgrounds as well as courses taught by gifted professors. Learn more about the rich history, cultural amenities and beautiful campus that contributes to making us one of the top colleges in Illinois.