Programs

People who work in schools or educational institutions in such positions as teachers, administrators, advisors, or tutors or in fields requiring frequent human interaction such as human services, or training and development may benefit from the GCCE program. The program provides basic counseling and communication skills, multicultural skills, and training in advocacy and support which can be applied in schools, community and other settings. It is particularly designed for individuals who desire to help students and other clients individually or in groups on their academic, emotional, behavioral, career, and family problems. Credit hours earned in the GCCE program may be applied to a master's programs in counselor education at NC State or at another institution.

For more information about the counseling profession see:

• American School Counselors Association (ASCA): www.schoolcounselor.org
• American Counseling Association (ACA): www.counseling.org

The GCCE requires 13 credit hours of course work. The courses (which are restricted to GCCE students only) include the following:

• ECD 510 Introduction to Counseling (3 credits)
  
• ECD 525 Cross-cultural Counseling (3 credits)
  
• ECD 524 Career Counseling and Development (3 credits)
  
• ECD 530 Theories and Techniques of Counseling (4 credits)

Admission to the GCCE requires one of the following:

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited 4-year college with a GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale in the major or in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study, or
• A master's degree

Applicants who do not meet the GPA requirement may be admitted provisionally based on past work experiences as a professional in the field of K-12 education, higher education, human resource development, or training and development. If they earn at least a B (3.0) in the first three credit hours of course work, they will be admitted to the certificate program.

Admission for the program is on a rolling basis; students may begin in Fall, Spring, Summer I or Summer II.

Award of the GCCE requires a minimum overall GPA of B (3.0) in certificate program courses. None of the courses may be taken for credit only. No transfer credits from other institutions are allowed for the certificate. All students must be registered through NC State University. All GCCE requirements must be completed within four calendar years. All certificate students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment every semester (excluding summer sessions) until all course work is completed. Under unusual circumstances, a one-semester leave of absence will be granted if the student is unable to enroll in a course; written approval from the program director must be obtained before the beginning of the semester.

Click "How to Apply" to register to take courses without being admitted to a degree program. Students pursuing certificate programs are considered non-degree studies (NDS) students for the purpose of university registration.