Minor in Counseling
The Minor in Counseling is appropriate for all students who want to learn more about counseling and the mental health profession. This Minor is valuable for students entering careers that require a lot of contact with people, such as psychology, social work, communication, criminal justice, nursing, teaching, special education, and speech pathology and audiology.
For students who are considering graduate training in the mental health field, the Minor in Counseling provides a solid foundation in the theory and practice of the helping professions and would be appropriate for students preparing for a graduate Educational Specialist (EdS) degree in school counseling or marriage, couples, and family counseling. Both of these programs are available through the College of Education at USC and are nationally accredited. Completion of the school counseling program earns the graduate endorsement as a K-12 School Counselor in South Carolina and qualifies for examination for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license. Completion of the family counseling specialization earns the graduate eligibility for the LPC or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) license.
What is required to earn a Minor in Counseling?
The Minor consists of eighteen (18) credit hours, fifteen of which are Counselor Education courses and one Educational Foundations (EDFN 300: Schools in Communities) course. The five required counseling courses are as follows:
EDCE 502 Guidance for the Classroom Teacher
EDCE 503 Family Counseling
EDCE 510 Introduction to Counseling
EDCE 570 Topics in Counseling
EDCE 600 Communication Skills
What are the benefits of a Minor in Counseling?
- Better understanding for informed career decision making in the helping professions;
- A strong skill set for effectively understanding and helping the people your students will someday serve;
- Foundation of learning in preparation for the Ed.S. program in Counselor Education;
- Dual enrollment - please visit this link for explanation of dual enrollment: http://www.sc.edu/policies/acaf204.pdf
- Two course senior privilege - please use this link for explanation of senior privilege: http://gradschool.sc.edu/DocLibrary/documents/G-SPCA.senior.privilege.coursework.authorization.GS19.pdf
How do I begin?
- Email: counselingminor@sc.edu for additional information;
- Download the Application for Minor form located at www.cas.sc.edu/ugrad/minorapplication.pdf and have it available for your students;
- Review the tentative schedule for courses in the Minor
For more information on the Minor, you can also contact Dr. Joshua M. Gold, Coordinator of the Minor in Counseling, at josgold@mailbox.sc.edu or 777.1936.
Be sure to talk to your advisor about the new undergraduate academic Minor in Counseling!