WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Officials with Missouri State University’s Outreach Program and the Department of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education in Springfield will offer a new cohort for the Master of Science in Counseling degree beginning with the 2014 spring semester at Missouri State University-West Plains.

Students admitted to the program will be able to earn the master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in the areas of elementary and secondary education, officials said.  Students will be able to complete a majority of the degree program’s classes on the West Plains campus in the newly opened Gohn Hall utilizing evening, online and interactive television (ITV) classes, officials added.

This new cohort will mark the fourth time the counseling program has been offered in West Plains, said Deanna Smith, coordinator of Missouri State’s Outreach Program on the West Plains campus.  “The past success of the Master of Science in Counseling program offered at the Missouri State-West Plains campus definitely proves the need for future cohorts to be offered locally,” she said.  “Since the program began in spring 2007, local residents have had the ability to pursue this degree close to home and obtain jobs that meet the growing demand for area counselors, both in schools and in private agencies.”

Area residents interested in participating in the new cohort will need to meet all admission requirements by Oct. 1, 2013.  Contact Smith at 417-255-7931 or DeannaSmith@MissouriState.edu for detailed information concerning these requirements.

For more information about other advanced degree opportunities available locally through Missouri State outreach, contact Smith at 417-255-7931 or DeannaSmith@MissouriState.edu or visit http://outreach.missouristate.edu/westplains.asp.