Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology

Education Building, Room 4032
T: 512.245.3083 
http://www.txst.edu/clas

The Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology (CLAS) offers multiple graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. Our department engages a multidisciplinary team of professors and highly qualified staff committed to the educational and professional success of our students. Our students and graduates provide leadership and professional service to schools, agencies, communities, colleges and universities, and professions across Texas as well as nationally and internationally. Pursuing the dreams and possibilities of a graduate education, our students come from many distinct fields, diverse backgrounds, and bring a wide range of professional and personal experiences that enrich our work together. Our faculty are deeply involved in innovative and clinically relevant research projects generating knowledge oriented toward the flourishing of communities, individuals, and the social institutions that support them. Eager to share the work of research, scholarship, and learning with their students, the faculty also supports and advances Texas State as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Learn more about our five graduate degree programs below. 

CLAS Graduate Programs

Professional Counseling (COUN)

The Professional Counseling program offers a Master of Arts degree that prepares students to become professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and school counselors. This program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program offers three degree tracks: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC), Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling (MCFC), and School Counseling (SC). Students on the CMHC degree track can pursue post-graduate licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Students on the MCFC degree track can pursue post-graduate licensure as both a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and an LPC. Students on the School Counseling degree track can pursue certification as a Certified School Counselor (CSC) as well as licensure as an LPC.

The Professional Counseling program is also an Approved Center for Play Therapy. This program offers three play therapy courses that allow students to complete training hours to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) through the Association for Play Therapy. Another certification opportunity through the Professional Counseling program is the Texas State University Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC) Academy. The AAC Academy is a professional training program that promotes the human-animal bond through the study and practice of animal-assisted counseling and play therapy. The mission of the AAC Academy is to provide quality training and certification in animal-assisted counseling that improves the wellbeing of children, teens, adults, and families through positive human-animal interactions.

Educational and Community Leadership (EDCL)

The EDCL program offers M.A, M.Ed., and Ph.D. programs to prepare educational leaders for PK-12 public and private schools. This program emphasizes the development of skills in instructional leadership, cultural competency, reflective practice, and organizational leadership in order to advance strong school communities and meaningful learning for all. Signature focus areas for our programs are 1) leadership skills for systematic and continuous school improvement, 2) designing & analyzing collaborative campus and district level reform efforts that are effective for diverse student populations, 3) situating school and district-based leaders within larger community and societal contexts, and 4) engaging school and community assets as the foundation for improvement efforts.

The Educational Leadership program offers two distinct certifications as Texas public school administrators: a principal certification and a superintendent certification, which requires 15 additional hours above the principal certification. These programs fulfill academic requirements for leadership positions in elementary, middle, or high school principal, assistant principal, superintendent, and school district level positions.

Adult, Professional, and Community Education (APCE)

The APCE program offers a Master of Arts degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree in the fields of adult education and human resource development. The core curriculum prepares students to meet the contemporary needs of the adult learner and includes courses in the adult learning and development, program development, research methodology, adult learning, and multicultural perspectives in postsecondary and adult education.

School Psychology (SPSY)

The SPSY program offers a Specialist in School Psychology (SSP) that provides comprehensive training and preparation of school psychologists. Course work in the areas of school-based psychoeducational assessment, counseling and consultation build competencies for professional practice as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). The program offers related training in the areas of brain behavior relationships, the educational needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and the assessment of social, behavioral, and emotional functioning. Graduates are eligible to apply for licensure from the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists and certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist from the National School Psychology Certification Board.

Student Affairs and High Education (SAHE)

The SAHE program offers a Master of Education degree that prepares graduates to work in post-secondary and higher education student affairs and student support services. This comprehensive, cohort-based, application-oriented program is grounded in developmental and learning theory, and a focus on social justice is integrated throughout the curriculum. It celebrates diversity in faculty and student background, experience, and culture. The program offers practical exposure to the array of careers in student affairs. The innovative curriculum encourages active student participation, is shaped by practitioners, and is responsive to research, trends and new approaches in the field of student affairs.

Financial Assistance

There are several options for receiving financial assistance in the CLAS Department. For information on scholarships, loans, tuition, veteran’s benefits and more please visit Financial Aid and Scholarships and also visit The Graduate College’s Funding site.

Graduate and Doctoral Assistants are employed to work in research, instruction, or program administration. They are supervised by a faculty member and work for either 10 or 20 hours per week. Appointments may be made for one semester, an academic year, or a summer. Assistants are required to be available for the assigned work schedule and locations. General requirements and campus wide postings are available at the link above.

Student Fitness and Performance

Program Standards

Students enrolled in all academic programs in The Graduate College must maintain high scholastic standards and develop a mastery of the knowledge and methods of their respective discipline. Students are expected to demonstrate emotional and mental fitness in their interactions with others, use skills and methods that are generally accepted by others in the profession, and conform to the code of ethics of their respective discipline, and the university’s honor code. A student’s acceptance in any program does not guarantee the student’s fitness to remain in that program. The faculty is responsible for verifying that only those students who continue to meet program standards are allowed to continue in any program.

Evaluation of Student Fitness and Performance

Members of the faculty, using their professional judgments, evaluate student fitness and performance continuously. The criteria used by the faculty to make such judgments include instructors’ observations of student performance in class or in activities related to courses; evaluations of student performance on theses, dissertations, and practica; site supervisors’ evaluations of student performance in practica and internships, and the codes of ethics for the student's field of study. Students who are not making satisfactory progress or who are not meeting program standards will need to participate in a student review process described below.

Student Review Process

If a faculty member believes that a student is not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards, the faculty member should discuss the situation with the student. If the faculty member believes that the student’s performance is not on track to improve to acceptable standards, the faculty member should refer the student to the Program Standards Committee (PSC) of the appropriate academic program. The PSC consists of three faculty members appointed by the department chair in consultation with the department’s senior faculty.

The PSC will notify the student of the reasons that they are not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards and will give the student an opportunity to meet with the PSC to respond and present information. The PSC will also meet with the faculty member who referred the student and review any pertinent student records or evaluations. After considering the matter, and within ten working days of meeting with the student, the PSC will report its decision to the student and the department chair. The decision may include a statement of whether the student should either remain in or leave the program. The PSC may make other decisions, such as placing restrictions or conditions on the student’s continuing in the program, and/or specific recommendations for improvement in meeting program standards. Within ten working days of receiving the PSC’s decision, the student will notify the PSC of their acceptance or rejection of the PSC’s decision. If the student rejects the PSC’s decision, they may appeal to the department chair.

Appeal Process

Within ten working days of receiving the student’s appeal, the chair will review the student’s appeal and all documentation provided by the PSC. The chair will make a decision as to the student’s continued enrollment in the program. The chair may or may not choose to meet with the student, based on the documentation provided by both the student and the PSC. The chair will notify the student of the decision.

If the student is dissatisfied with the chair’s decision, they may appeal to the dean of the college. However, in order for the dean to consider an appeal, the student must submit a written notice of appeal to the chair and the dean within ten working days of receiving the chair’s decision. The dean will consider the matter based on information and documentation compiled by the chair and notify the student of the decision within ten working days of the dean’s receipt of the appeal from the chair. The dean may meet with the student and give the student an opportunity to address the issues. The dean’s decision is final.

Certification and Licensure Programs

The CLAS Department has several programs that lead to licensure or certification. Academic preparation for certification and licensure is available in addition to majors and emphases associated with several CLAS Department degree programs. To be considered for admission to a certification or licensure program, students must meet the same admission and deadline requirements as the degree-seeking students, which are detailed on The Graduate College's website. Other conditions and professional tests are required by the state of Texas to be certified or licensed. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of and meet these conditions. 

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Specialist in School Psychology (S.S.P.)

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Minors

Certificate

Fisher, Diane C, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ed.D., Baylor University

Guevara, Yolanda Reyes, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

Hendrix, April Natalie, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

Klose, Laurie, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Univ of California, Berkeley

Villers, Lance C, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas A&M University