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Amy Milsom, Chair
milsomas@appstate.edu
 

Graduate Program Director for Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MA
Dominque Hammonds
asucmhc@appstate.edu

Mark Schwarze, Graduate Program Director for Addiction Counseling Graduate Certificate
schwarzem@appstate.edu

Amy Milsom, Graduate Program Director for Expressive Arts Therapy Graduate Certificate
milsomas@appstate.edu

mft.appstate.edu
Kristen Benson, Graduate Degree Program Director for Marriage and Family Therapy, MA
bensonke@appstate.edu

Jill Van Horne, Graduate Program Director for Professional School Counseling, MA
vanhornejw@appstate.edu

Amy Milsom, Graduate Program Director for Student Affairs Administration, MA
asusaa@appstate.edu

Stacey Garrett, Graduate Program Director for Higher Education, MA
garrettsd@appstate.edu

Krista Terry Wojdak, Graduate Program Director for College and University Teaching Graduate Certificate
wojdakkp@appstate.edu

The Department of Counseling, Family Therapy, and Higher Education is responsible for organizing and providing instructional programs that prepare students for human services positions in K-12 schools, colleges/universities, and mental health agencies.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare counselors and other helping professionals to work in a wide variety of human service agencies (including mental health centers, social service agencies, employment and rehabilitation centers, business and industry employee assistance programs, etc.).

The Marriage and Family Therapy program is designed to meet the need for advanced preparation of marriage and family therapists who work with families in a wide variety of work settings.

The Professional School Counseling program (K-12) is designed to meet state licensure requirements and to prepare counselors for positions in elementary, middle, and secondary schools.

The Student Affairs Administration program is designed to prepare reflective scholar practitioners to work in various areas of student affairs to serve students and institutions of higher education (e.g., two-year, four-year, public, and private) through collaborative, equitable, and inclusive practice. The program utilizes a theory-to-practice framework and is known for its applied learning emphasis.

The Higher Education M.A. prepares students who wish to work in postsecondary institutional settings. Students must select one of the following concentrations: Adult and Developmental Education, Community College and University Leadership, or Teaching. The teaching concentration is designed to prepare students to teach in two-year community colleges and four-year institutions. The degree in Higher Education does not lead to North Carolina public school administration and supervision licensure.

Higher Education Ed.S. program provides an advanced graduate degree beyond the M.A. for professionals in the area of postsecondary education. This degree is for individuals with a master’s degree who are interested in advancing their careers, preparing for a doctoral program, or enhancing their practice in the areas of higher education leadership, teaching or developmental education in two- and four-year colleges or in adult education programming in an institution and organization. Students must select one of the following concentrations: Adult and Developmental Education, Community College and University Leadership, or Teaching. The Ed.S. in Higher Education meets the prerequisite of an Ed.S. from Appalachian to enter an off-campus cohort for the doctoral program at Appalachian. The Ed.S. in Higher Education is a non-licensure program and does not lead to North Carolina teaching, administration, or supervision licensure.

Community College Teaching (Non-Licensure) Professional Education Requirements in Programs Outside of Higher Education: In addition to the Teaching concentration in Higher Education, there are other programs that focus on college teaching. Majors available to students are: English, French, Mathematics, and Spanish. For required courses in the academic field, see the appropriate section. It is highly recommended that 6-12 s.h. of graduate professional higher education (H_E) courses should be chosen with the advice and approval of the graduate advisor.

Accreditation

The programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.A.) and Professional School Counseling (M.A.), are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body. Graduates are eligible to take the examination of the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. with successful completion qualifying the individual to become a National Certified Counselor (NCC). The Professional School Counseling program is also accredited/ approved by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)  and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The Marriage and Family Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The Student Affairs Administration program complies with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Guidelines for Master’s Level Higher Education and Student Affairs Professional Preparation Programs (2019) and the ACPA/NASPA (2015, 2016) Competencies for Student Affairs Educators.

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