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Multicultural Psychology and Education, Minor

As we enter the new millennium, the U.S. population is becoming more multiracial, multiethnic, and multilingual.  Some estimate that by the year 2020, racial and ethnic minorities will become the numerical majority.  This demographic shift has already occurred in specific contexts, such as K-12 schools in Los Angeles.  Applied psychologists and educators have begun to develop competency standards for professionals to provide culturally relevant and effective services to our ever-changing population.  In fact, multiculturalism has been identified as the fourth focus in counseling psychology.  The purpose of the graduate minor in multicultural psychology and education would be to (a) expose graduate students to the growing theoretical and empirical research completed in the fields of multicultural psychology and education, (b) help graduate students develop multicultural competencies in research and practice, and (c) provide graduate students with training necessary to meet the psychological and educational demands of diverse populations.

The requirements for the minor are listed below.

  • A minimum of 12 credit hours
  • 9 credit hours must be taken as a graduate student at the University of Missouri
  • No more than 6 credit hours should be listed in the masters or doctoral planner. That is, a maximum of 6 hours can overlap between the courses applied to the Minor in Multicultural Psychology and the courses applied toward a masters or doctoral degree.
  • A minimum of 9 credit hours must be 8000 or above (graduate level)
  • 6 credit hours must be taken within the core area with a foci on racial and ethnic minorities  (see listing below)
  • 3 credit hours must be taken in the auxiliary area (see listing below)
  • 3 credit hours must be taken in the skills area (see listing below)

Core Courses (must complete at least 6 graduate-level credit hours from the following courses with a main emphasis on race/ethnicity in psychology and/or education.)

  • ESCP 9000 Multicultural Issues in Counseling (3):  This course surveys the research and theories of counseling various racial/ethnic minority and gay, lesbian and bisexual populations in the U.S.  Special consideration is given to examining the intersection among race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and class on psychosocial adjustment.
  • ESCP 8580 Social and Cultural Identity Development (3): This course is designed to introduce students to (a) the dominant social and cultural identity theories and paradigms and (b) how these theories have been operationalized and measured.
  • ESCP 8590 Multicultural Counseling Competencies (3):  This course reviews theory, research, assessment, and clinical practice in multicultural counseling.
  • We encourage students to explore other courses pertaining to race/ethnicity issues in other departments. Any Racial/Ethnic-focused graduate level courses offered outside of the ESCP department should be approved by one of the Directors of the Center.

Auxiliary Courses (must complete 3 credit hours from the following courses emphasizing a wide range of diversity and social change issues):

  • ESCP 8585 Gender Issues in Counseling and Education (3): This course covers topics including conceptions of gender roles, measurement of gender-related constructs, gender role socialization process, high incidence of gender-related problems, and psycho-educational and counseling interventions.
  • ESCP 8990 Career Development Theory for Women (3):  This course considers the relevance of theories of career development for women, and their application to the counseling of women.  Supervised clinical experience in the application of theories to counseling high school age women provided.
  • ESCP 8510 Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability (3). Presentation of medical aspects of major disabilities and their effects upon social, vocational, personal, and economic adjustment. Study of basic restoration and accommodating services.
  • ESCP 8540 Theory and Practice in Feminist Therapy 3).Theory, research, practice standards and current debates within feminist therapy. Includes both examination of topical areas in a seminar format and live observation of feminist therapy.
  • We encourage students to explore other courses pertaining to diversity issues and inequality in social system in other departments. Pre-approval from the Directors of the Center is needed.

Skill Courses (must complete 3 credit hours from one of the options below)

I. Research Skills:  successful completion of at least 3 hours of A450/A490 (or departmental equivalent) for research hours on an independent, substantive research project such as a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.  The scope and quality of the research project is expected to be of such a caliber that it could be submitted to a refereed journal in the student’s discipline.  The research project must be on a multicultural-related topic (i.e., issues related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and international concerns).

Successful completion of this requirement will consist of:

  • Approval of the proposed project can be obtained in one of two ways:  (1) approval of the project from a director of the Center for Multicultural Research, Training, and Consultation, or (2) have an ESCP faculty affiliated with the Center on the thesis/research/dissertation committee.
  • One committee member must have expertise in multicultural issues.
  • A passing grade in the course.
  • Approval of the completed project by a director of the Center, or having an ESCP faculty affiliated with the Center on the thesis/research/dissertation committee,

OR

II. Applied Multicultural Skills:  The person must demonstrate competencies in working with diverse populations (with an emphasis on racial and ethnic minority populations).  This experience will result in 3 hours of graduate credit that can be obtained in the two ways listed below.

Successful completion of this requirement will consist one of the following:

  • Completion of 3 credit hours of applied work.  This can be obtained in one of three ways:  (1) successful completion (with a passing grade) of ESCP 8943 (Applied Multicultural Interventions); (2) successful completion (with a passing grade) of a multiculturally-designated applied course (e.g., counseling practica classes, teaching practica classes, group counseling practica classes:  a list of approved courses can be obtained at the Center); or (3) applied experience via community outreach programs, work placements in agencies, or extended volunteer experiences in community agencies.  For the third option, the student must receive direct, individual supervision for minimum of 15 hours from an advanced-level person (MA degree or higher) at the community/work site.  The supervisor must have expertise in the area of multicultural psychology or education.  The student must document this experience by completing the Multicultural Applied Experience and Supervision Form (obtained from the Center for Multicultural Research, Training, and Consultation).  The form requires a supervisor signature, description of the work experience and general evaluation of the student’s performance. (After the student completes this requirement and the Multicultural Competency Portfolio described below, he or she will receive 3 credits of 8085: Problem).
  • Approval by a Center director of a Multicultural Competency Portfolio completed by the student to demonstrate awareness, knowledge and skill competencies in the area.
  • Consultation: Successful completion of any consultation courses in organization or systemic changes including applied consultation activities. Pre-approval from one of the Co-directors of the Center is needed.