2020-21 Academic Catalog

Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Foundations

This is an archived copy of the 2020-21 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.msstate.edu.

Department Head: Dan Gadke
Office: 508 Allen Hall

The Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Foundations prepares individuals at the undergraduate and graduate levels to function in a variety of professional settings that include K-12 schools, community counseling centers, human services agencies, business settings, rehabilitation agencies, community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. The department offers the Bachelor’s degree, Master of Science degree, the Educational Specialist degree, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Special areas of interest in the department are psychometry, educational psychology, school psychology, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and rehabilitation counseling.

  1. Undergraduate Degree. The B.S. degree in Educational Psychology is a non-teaching option. This program provides students with a general background of psychological topics and principles as they relate to education. Additionally, students complete an emphasis or a minor. Students who enroll in this program pursue a diversity of careers. Some of the vocational areas for which this program can prepare students are as follows: child care centers, seminary, the armed services (ROTC students), business settings, mental health agencies, and graduate work in counselor education, educational psychology, and school psychology. Students majoring in Educational Psychology have to earn a grade of “C” or better on all EPY major core courses (43 hours of the curriculum). Students must have a GPA of 2.25 for acceptance into the program (except Freshmen) and a GPA of 2.25 to graduate from the program.
  2. Minor (for non-majors). For the 18 hour minor in EPY, students may choose to complete any 18 hours from the following: EPY 2513, EPY 3063, EPY 3143, EPY 3253, EPY 3503, EPY 3543, EPY 4033, EPY 4073, EPY 4313, EPY 4513, EPY 4553, EPY 4683.
  3. Minor in Applied Behavioral Analysis. The minor in ABA leads to certification as a Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA). The sequence consists of 5 courses for a total of 15 credit hours. Undergraduate students enrolled at Mississippi State University may be admitted into the minor program during any semester (fall, spring, or summer). All hours earned in the ABA minor program must be taken at MSU. A minimum GPA of a 2.25 is required in all courses in the minor program. The ABAI Verified Course Sequence Coordinator will oversee all admission decisions. Students must complete the following 15 hours: EPY 4113EPY 4603EPY 4493EPY 4443, and EPY 4223.
  4. Undergraduate Educational Foundations courses required in teacher education programs in the College of Education are offered in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Foundations. Courses include the following: EDF 3333, EDF 3413, EDF 3423, and EDF 4243.
  5. Graduate Degrees. The Department offers M.S., Ed.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Counselor Education with areas of emphasis in five concentrations: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and School Counseling. The department also offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Educational Psychology and a Specialist degree in School Psychology. Preparation in Educational Psychology can be obtained in the concentration areas of School Psychometry and general Educational Psychology at the Master’s (M.S.) level; School Psychology at the specialist (Ed.S.) level; and in the areas of general Educational Psychology (college teaching) and School Psychology at the doctoral (Ph.D.) level.
  6. Student Retention Procedures: Professions engaged in protection of the public health and welfare charge their members with the responsibility of monitoring potential new members. Therefore, the Counselor Education, Educational Psychology, and Foundations faculty believe a component of their responsibility to their students, their professions, and the eventual consumers of services provided by graduates, is the necessity to monitor not only students’ academic progress but also the personal characteristics of students that will affect their performance in therapy. These characteristics should be of a quality so as to NOT interfere with the students’ professionalism or helping capacity. Accordingly, the department has adopted a policy outlining student retention procedures. This policy is printed in the Department of Counselor Education, Educational Psychology, and Foundations Graduate Program Handbook.
  7. Financial Assistance for Graduate Students. Many students hold assistantships in the Department, the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of Housing and Residence Life, Social Science Research Center, College of Education, and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision.