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

Education Building Room 4037
T: 512.245.2575 F: 512.245.8872
http://www.txst.edu/clas

Comprised of graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels, our department consists of 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 high quality, innovative, and critical research projects generating knowledge and understanding 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. The department consists of approximately 36 full-time faculty, 20 part-time faculty with practitioner and leadership expertise, 5 staff, 465 graduate students, and an additional 135 doctoral students. The department employs 25 doctoral and graduate assistants and operates community counseling clinics at both the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses.  

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 should consider withdrawing from the program.

In this context, the term “satisfactory progress” refers to an academic judgment made regarding the student’s fitness and performance. It is a judgment that the student has failed to meet program standards rather than a judgment made on the basis of the student’s violation of valid rules of conduct. Disciplinary matters are referred to Student Justice.

Student Review Process

If a faculty member believes that a student is not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards, he or she 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 of the appropriate academic program. The Program Standards Committee consists of three faculty members appointed by the department chair in consultation with the department’s senior faculty.

The Committee will notify the student of the reasons that he or she is not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards and will give the student an opportunity to meet with the Committee to respond and to present information and witnesses to the Committee. The Committee will also meet with the faculty member who referred the student to the Committee. After considering the matter, and within ten working days of meeting with the student, the Committee will report its decision to the student and the department chair, stating that the student should either remain in or leave the program. The Committee may make other decisions, such as placing restrictions or conditions on the student’s continuing in the program and/or specific requirements for improvement and meeting satisfactory progress. Within ten working days of receiving the Committee’s decision, the student will notify the department chair of the student’s acceptance or rejection of the Committee’s decision. If the student rejects the Committee’s decision, he or she may appeal to the department chair.

Within ten working days of receiving the student’s appeal, the chair will make a decision as to the student’s continued presence in the program. Before making the decision, the chair will meet with the student. However, the chair need not meet with the student before making a decision if the student was given a reasonable opportunity to meet, and the student either failed or refused to meet. The chair will notify the student of the decision.

If the student is dissatisfied with the chair’s decision, he or she 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 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

Academic preparation for certification and licensure requirements is available in addition to majors and emphases associated with degree programs. These include certification in school counseling, principal, or superintendent; and licensure as marriage and family therapist, professional counselor, or Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. Inquiries regarding any of these certification or licensure programs should be directed to the appropriate program certification advisor. 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. Satisfactory performance on the TExES certification examination is required for provisional or professional certificates. 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 to meet these conditions.

Educational Leadership certification includes two distinct certifications as Texas public school administrators: principal/assistant principal and superintendent, which requires 15 additional hours above the principal/assistant principal certification. These programs fulfill academic requirements for leadership positions such as elementary, middle, or secondary principal/assistant principal and school district level positions.

Certification in counseling and guidance includes certification as a school counselor. The Master of Arts degree with a major in Professional Counseling with the school counseling specialization meets state academic requirements for school counseling certification.

Licensure in professional counseling includes Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Texas Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). The professional counseling program meets the academic and practicum requirements of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Licensure as a Specialist in School Psychology includes both a degree program and a re-specialization plan. The school psychology program meets the academic and supervised practice standards of the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists for providing psychological services in the public schools as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). The program also meets the standards of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for the credential of National Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Applicants must have graduated from a master’s, specialist, or doctoral program in psychology in order to be eligible for re-specialization and licensure in school psychology.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Minors

Certificate

Adversario, Jan Alipante, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

Calzada, Lucio, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ed.D., Texas A&M Univ Kingsville

Carpenter, Blaine Earl, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas State University

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

Hall, Dorothy Ledbetter, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin

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

Humphrey, Whitney Lee, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Univ of Texas at San Antonio

Kirkpatrick, Lisa Lynne, 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

Reardon, Robert F, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., University of Georgia

Roaten, Gail K, Associate Professor, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ph.D., Texas A&M Univ-Corpus Christi

Spencer, Jeanne Montgomery, Lecturer, Coun, Ldr, Adult Ed & Sch Psy, Ed.D., Auburn University

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