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Old Dominion University
Counseling Master's Degree Program

Distance Learning Opportunity
Counseling Master's Degree Program

offered at the following distance learning broadcast sites:

Highlights

The counseling master's degree offered by Old Dominion University, is available to distance learning students. Student admitted to the program are required to attend three courses (9 credits) in person at the New College Institute in Martinsville, Virginia: COUN 633, COUN 634, COUN 644. These three 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  to the Old Dominion University Distance Learning Sites or students may purchase 2-way video desktop computer software and participate in courses using personal computers at home. **Note - the class meeting times are part of the classroom instructional requirements, the rest of the course is on Blackboard and may utilize other technologies such as Adobe Connect for student assignments.

Studying from Home Option

Students who live within commuting distance of classrooms that will receive broadcasts are encouraged to take courses there.. 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 2 way video conference software. To determine your readiness to take courses via computer, please review: http://dl.odu.edu/how-it-works/2-way-install

  • In addition to the technical requirements, we encourage you to become familiar with the information on the Distance Learning information web pages:

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.

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.

Applying to the Program

1) Individuals complete the application materials no later than the required deadline.
2) After the deadline, an admissions committee composed of faculty review the applications and rate applicants on established criteria. Based on the results of this review, some applicants are invited for interviews.
3) Applicants are personally interviewed by a representative from the program admissions committee. The interviews are recorded and rated by the rest of the committee. Based on the ratings/review of the admissions committee, some applicants are admitted to the program (and sent letter of acceptance) and other applicants are denied.
See http://admissions.odu.edu/graduate.php?page=home for information about application deadlines and tuition costs. 

Potential applicants may request an application packet from the program graduate assistant, Heather Dahl hdahl@odu.edu or may apply directly online at https://secure.visualzen.com/vzcollegeapp/odu/

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). Both master's degree specializations are CACREP accredited. The master's degree programs at NCI/Distance Learning are administered separately from the master's and doctoral degree programs in counseling at the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk.  

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).

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.

Contact Persons for Questions

Questions regarding this program can be directed to Dr. Chris Wood, Graduate Program Director, at wood@odu.edu or by calling (757) 683-6395

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