The mission of the Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling program (MCFC) is to prepare professional counselors to address a variety of issues in the context of relationships and families. The mission of the Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling specialty (MCFC) is to prepare professional counselors to address a variety of issues presented in relationships and families. Our goal is to graduate students who are self-reflective scholar-practitioners who can conduct and utilize research on effective practice through their involvement in the solution of real-world problems in relational contexts. We are committed to preparing our students in accordance with CACREP standards (www.cacrep.org) and South Carolina licensure requirements (www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/Counselors). Further, we believe these counseling professionals provide leadership that will promote awareness, knowledge, and skills in interacting with economically, socially, and culturally diverse members of communities. The MCFC specialty is committed to recruiting and admitting students who reflect the diverse nature of our society. In addition, preference will be given to applicants who have had one or more years of direct, supervised, full-time work experience in an educational, mental health or human services setting. The ideal candidate demonstrates openness to those opportunities designed to foster personal and professional development through a supporting and challenging learning environment. Students progress through a carefully designed sequence of coursework and clinical experiences in a cohort model. Program faculty intentionally designs didactic and experiential coursework that fosters professional knowledge, skills, and self-awareness; all integral to professional practice of marriage, couples, and family counseling. The program participates in a collaborative partnership with professional counselors and human service agencies to monitor, evaluate and improve the program's efforts to achieve its mission. Successful completion of program requirements will earn the student the Educational Specialist degree (Ed.S.) in Counselor Education with a specialization in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling.