at

New College Institute
Martinsville, Virginia

Distance Learning Opportunity
Counseling Master's Degree Program
that includes traditional course formats
with professor and students interactions
during classes through 2-way video connections
(not an on-line written format)

offered at

• New College Institute in Martinsville, Virginia, http://www.newcollegeinstitute.org/Home.aspx
• Naval Station Dahlgren, http://dl.odu.edu/locations/dahlgren-naval-surface-warfare-centerMarine
• Marine Corps Base Quantico, http://dl.odu.edu/locations/quantico-marine-corps-base
• J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College,  http://dl.odu.edu/locations/j-sargeant-reynolds-community-college
• Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, http://dl.odu.edu/locations/southwest-virginia-higher-education-center
• Roanoke Higher Education Center, http://dl.odu.edu/locations/roanoke-higher-education-centerLord
• Lord Fairfax Community College Middletown Campus, http://dl.odu.edu/locations/lord-fairfax-community-college-middletown-campus
• Any location if students purchase necessary equipment and have access to high speed Internet service

Highlights

The counseling master's degree offered by Old Dominion University at the New College Institute in Martinsville, Virginia, is available to distance learning students.  Accepted students are required to attend three courses (9 credits) in person at the New College Institute in Martinsville, Virginia.  These courses are conducted in a two weekend format that requires only two trips to Martinsville per course.  All other courses are broadcast by Old Dominion University from the New College Institute to the following Old Dominion University Distance Learning Sites (if any students register at those sites):  Dahlgren; Quantico; ODU-Richmond, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Roanoke Higher Education Center, and Lord Fairfax Community College Middletown Campus.  In addition, accepted students may purchase 2-way video desktop computer software and participate in courses using personal computers at home. 

Studying from Home Option

Students who live within commuting distance of classrooms that will receive broadcasts are encouraged to take courses there.  Courses will be broadcast from the New College Institute in Martinsville.  Classrooms receive broadcasts at the following Old Dominion University Distance Learning Sites: Dahlgren; Quantico; ODU-Richmond, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Roanoke Higher Education Center, and Lord Fairfax Community College Middletown Campus.  Interested individuals who do not live within commuting distance of Martinsville or any of the ODU Distance Learning sites designed to receive the program may participate from their home if they have appropriate high speed bandwidth Internet service and a PC that meets ODU standards, and if they purchase the required POLYCOM PVX 2 way video conference software. To determine your readiness to take courses via computer, please review the following items:

• Equipment and bandwidth requirements:  Computer and bandwidth requirements for the desktop two way video conference are outlined in the ODU PVX Installation Guide which can be found at  http://dl.odu.edu/tools/pvx_installation_instructions.pdf. There is one modification to the computer requirements: you must have a headset with a built-in microphone with mute capability.  Note:  the Polycom PVX does not operate on Apple (MAC) computers.
• If you need to purchase a computer or check the University computer requirements check see Mobile Monarch Student Notebook Program.
• The following Polycom PVX web site has additional resource information, including a link to download a free trial version of the software.
• TESTING YOUR COMPUTER and BANDWIDTH:
  • You must complete POLYCOM PVX testing on the computer and at the location you plan to use for your courses.
  • Download and test the short-term trial version of the software to verify that PVX could function on the computer and with the broadband service you will use for your courses.
  • Once you have the trial version downloaded, you will need to test your computer and connectivity on our test codec by dialing 128.82.200.79 from the PVX interface. At that point, you will see and hear our ODUi on-campus TV channel.  This will verify that your computer and bandwidth are sufficient.  (NOTE:  An ideal time to test is during a high volume time, usually after 7 pm on a weekday evening, to assure that you will have sufficient bandwidth to take your courses.)  Also, you can arrange a test with an ODU technician anytime between 9 am and 9 pm EST/EDT Monday- Friday by calling either 757- 683-5169 or our toll free line, 1-866-638-2616, or by sending an email to mastercontrol@odu.edu.
• In addition to the technical requirements, we encourage you to become familiar with the information on the Distance Learning student web pages:
  • Distance Learning homepage:  http://dl.odu.edu/
  • Student Orientation: http://clt.odu.edu/oso/

Bookstore

The online bookstore at http://dl.odu.edu/how-it-works/books is set up to serve ODU distance students.  (Please note- it is not advisable to order books from the on-campus bookstore, as it is not set up to service distance students.) 

Available Counseling Specializations

A master's degree in counseling is available with two specializations:  school counseling and mental health counseling.  Both the clinical mental health counseling and school counseling specializations require 60 graduate credits.  Graduates of the school counseling specialization will be eligible to be licensed as school counselors (K-12) in Virginia.  Graduates of the clinical mental health counseling specialization will have completed all coursework required to become licensed as a Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and can begin their two years of supervised experience required to become an LPC upon graduation from the program.  Graduates of both programs will have the necessary courses and field experiences to apply to become National Certified Counselors (NCC). 

Part-Time and Full-Time Study Available

The degree programs are designed for part-time students who will take one or two courses (6 credits) each semester or for full-time students who will take three or four courses (9 to 12 credits) each semester.  Full-time students are able to complete the program in two years (6 consecutive terms including summer terms). Part-time students will require additional terms to complete the program.  Both specializations require a 100-hour practicum that will be completed in an approved school or mental health agency setting.  A 600-hour internship is required in schools for school counseling specialization students or in mental health counseling agencies for mental health counseling specialization students.  The internship must be completed 20 hours a week for two semesters or 40 hours per week for one semester.  The practicum and internship must be completed at the end of the degree program.

New students may begin any term.  Those who begin each fall semester will be able to complete the program in six consecutive terms (including summers).  Students who begin the program in spring and summer semesters will take longer to complete the program because of the sequencing of course offerings.

Accreditation, Licensure, and Certification

The two counseling master's degree specializations are designed to meet the standards of the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  CACREP accreditation has been applied for.  The master's degree programs at NCI in Martinsville are administered separately from the master's and doctoral degree programs in counseling at the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk.  The programs in Norfolk are CACREP accredited.  The counseling master's degree programs at New College Institute in Martinsville are not CACREP accredited at this time. However, a self-study, which begins the accreditation process is being submitted. 

Starting as Non-Degree Graduate Students

Graduate students who have not been admitted to the master's degree program may take up to 12 credits as an Old Dominion University non-degree graduate student prior to being admitted.  In the event students are later admitted to the master's degree program, the 12 credits completed will be applied to the degree program.  Taking and completing courses as a non-degree graduate student does not guarantee admission to the program.  Courses available to non-degree students are restricted to COUN 601, COUN 633, COUN 650, and FOUN 611.  Students who wish to take graduate courses as a non-degree graduate student should apply to ODU online and should indicate they are NOT applying for a degree program.  Once admitted, non-degree graduate students may register online for the four courses that are listed above.  If admitted non-degree graduate students later decide they want to apply for admission to the master's degree program, they must contact the ODU Graduate Admissions Office and ask that their application be changed to indicate they are applying for the NCI Martinsville Counseling Master's Degree Program.

Transfer Courses

Students accepted into the master's degree program may transfer up to 12 graduate credits from a CACREP accredited counseling master's degree program.  Courses taken in a master's degree program that is not CACREP accredited will be considered, but transfer is not guaranteed.

Students in the New College Institute counseling graduate program may take no more than 12 credits in the counseling graduate program located at the Norfolk campus of Old Dominion University.

Contact Persons for Questions

Questions regarding this program should be directed to Dr. Vivian McCollum, Graduate Program Director, located in Martinsville, at vmccollu@odu.edu or by calling (404) 536-7586. 

Another contact person is Ms. Barbara Waldron, New College Institute Director of Recruitment and Information, at bwaldron@newcollegeinstitute.org or by calling (276) 403-5635.

For at-home study technical questions, contact the Office of Computing and Communications Services (OCCS) at OCCS@odu.edu or mastercontrol@odu.edu.