It is that time of year again: class registration! This is your time to make your degree unique and tailor it to your experience, professional, and personal goals. As you being to consider your elective course for the coming semester, there are a few options you might want to consider. The Graduate Certificate in Counselor Education, or better known as the GCCE program, is one way to help make the most of your degree.
“The Graduate Certificate in Counselor Education (GCCE) is designed for school teachers, administrators, support staff, advisors, and tutors in different educational institutions (schools and universities), human service workers in government or community agencies, and individuals interested in counseling work. Students can complete the program in a year. The graduates from this program can provide paraprofessional counseling to assist licensed counselors. They can also become advocates and offer support for their students/clients.” Click here to learn more.
There are some great advantages to this program. The program is easy on your schedule. All of the courses are administered online through Distance Education. Most of the classes meet Monday nights at 8-9:30pm online. This means half the time in the class and no commute to a classroom! It is great for commuter students and those working at different institutions. The certificate allows you to build upon another skill set as well as gain a tangible item for your professional résumé.
You can start anytime! Beginning the program during the spring or summer session one semester is the best option if you plan on graduating within two years in the master’s program. There are very few higher education graduate courses offered online during the summer and this is a great way to take a lighter load your second year!
However, there are some caveats. First, each class must be taken online and in the certain order listed below. You may only enroll in these online classes if you have applied and been accepted to the program (they are also offered in person to anyone but must be taken online for the GCCE). Additionally, if your assistantship provides tuition remission, please check with your employer to ensure that they will cover online classes, as some do not! Lastly, online classes can be a bit more expensive, but NC State is working to minimize this cost for graduate students.
Coursework
Summer II: ECD 510 Introduction to Counseling (3 credits)
Fall: ECD 524 Career Counseling and Development (3 credits)
Spring: ECD 530 Theories and Techniques of Counseling (4 credits)
Summer I: ECD 525 Cross-Cultural Counseling (3 credits) or ECD 540 Gender Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
You must take four of these classes. You may take either Cross-Cultural or Gender Issues in Counseling, both satisfy your diversity requirement. You can also take both to fulfill all of your elective credit requirements.
To enroll, please email ncstategcce@ncsu.edu as soon as possible as spots go quickly! I am happy to answer any questions as well! Please feel free to email me at wolfridgeresdir2@ncsu.edu or we could meet up in person to talk about my experience!