Welcome! The Department of Counseling and Special Education (CSE) prepares professionals to be socially responsible leaders who care about and advocate for those without a strong voice. Working in many different educational and community settings, our graduates help children and adults improve their learning and life experiences.
The CSE department promotes theory-guided and evidence-based practice that starts in our classes. Courses include extensive fieldwork, which means our students begin to apply their knowledge and skills even before graduation. The programs conducted through the Education & Counseling Center (ECC) are a prime example; this learning laboratory provides students with opportunities to serve diverse populations in the Chicago area. Because of the CSE hands-on learning focus, our students can see and understand how many kinds of difference affect education, learning and growth.
Our graduate students work to make their schools, agencies and college campuses better places for those they serve. A Vincentian education is a person-centered, holistic pedagogy that integrates values, diversity and respect. DePaul University's commitment to Vincentian personalism is why our Counseling and Special Education graduates are change agents in their professional positions. This focus makes our programs sought after by students, and this is why our employers recruit our graduates.
Our students receive an education that's not only purposeful but also practical. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008) lists counseling and special education as professions for which demand is growing faster than average - a trend that's predicted to continue through 2016.
In the Counseling program, all students take a common core of courses before choosing a specialty among three concentrations: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, College Student Development or School Counseling. Counseling students are prepared for both state licensure (depending on their concentration) and an MA or MEd degree.
In Special Education, we offer three separate programs: Reading Specialist (endorsement and master's degree), dual licensure in Special and Elementary Education (teaching licensure and master's degree) and Special Education for Teachers (an endorsement or license and master's degree).
Literarcy & Specialized Instruction (MA/MEd)