SYSTEMATIC PROGRAM EVALUATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has accredited the Department of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) since 1994. In accordance with the 2016 CACREP standards, the Department of Counselor Education at NEIU is continuously engaged in program evaluation activities. The results of the 2022-23 program evaluation have been compiled in our annual Executive Summary Report of Program Evaluation.
Current Summary Profile Enrollment (2022-2023)
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 120 enrolled (88 female, 32 male)
- Couple and Family Counseling: 35 enrolled (28 female, 7 male)
- Rehabilitation Counseling: 16 enrolled (12 female, 4 male)
- School Counseling: 55 enrolled (45 female, 10 male)
Total for all programs: 226 students
Data collected from NEIU’s Institutional Data Digest.
program graduates (2023)
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 44 graduates
- Couple and Family Counseling: 12 graduates
- Rehabilitation Counseling: 8 graduates
- School Counseling: 17 graduates
Total for all programs: 81 graduates
retention RateS
Retention rates measure the percentage of newly enrolled students who return the following year. Below is a breakdown of retention rates based on year and program.
2021 Academic Year
| Major | Initial Headcount | Retained to Next Year | Retention Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 35 students | 28 students | 80% |
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 6 students | 5 students | 83% |
| School Counseling | 14 students | 13 students | 93% |
| Couple and Family Counseling | 9 students | 8 students | 89% |
2022 Academic Year
| Major | Initial Headcount | Retained to Next Year | Retention Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 20 students | 20 students | 100% |
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 students | 3 students | 100% |
| School Counseling | 11 students | 8 students | 73% |
| Couple and Family Counseling | 12 students | 12 students | 100% |
Completion RateS
Completion rates measure if students earned their degree within a certain time limit. The data below reflects the progress of an admitted cohort and measures if a degree was earned within three years. For example, a student admitted in the Fall of 2018 would need to conclude their studies by Fall 2021 for their degree to be considered “complete” in the data.
NEIU gives students six years in which to complete a graduate degree. We tell our counselor education students to give themselves at least three years to complete the degree on a part-time basis. While most of our students complete the degree in three years, the degree can be completed full-time in 24 to 30 months.
2021 Academic Year
| Major | Admitted | Degree Completed in 3 Years | Completion Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 19 students | 13 students | 68% |
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 students | 0 students | 0% |
| School Counseling | 11 students | 8 students | 73% |
| Couple and Family Counseling | 13 students | 7 students | 54% |
2022 Academic Year
| Major | Admitted | Degree Completed in 3 Years | Completion Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling | 29 students | 19 students | 68% |
| Rehabilitation Counseling | 14 students | 11 students | 79% |
| School Counseling | 17 students | 13 students | 77% |
| Couple and Family Counseling | 16 students | 12 students | 75% |
Annual Alumni Survey AND National Counselor Examination Report
The Department of Counselor Education conducts an annual survey of the previous year’s graduating class. For the class of 2022, 66 surveys were sent electronically and 26% of the graduates returned our annual survey. The following data came from that survey and the National Counselor Examination report for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022:
The job placement rates of graduates who are actively seeking employment in 2022:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 94.1%
- Couple and Family Counseling: 90%
- Rehabilitation Counseling: 50%
- School Counseling: 100%
The licensure examination pass rates of students who graduated in 2022:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 88%
- Couples and Family Counseling: 100%
- School Counseling: 100%
According to the National Counselor Examination (NCE) results report for the Fall 2021 application cycle and Spring 2022 application cycle, 35 NEIU Counselor Education students took the NCE. Of those students, 32 students passed the NCE. The passing rate of 91% is slightly higher compared to last year’s passing rate of 89%.
The NEIU School Counseling students who took the School Counselor Content Test in School Counseling (#181) Examination in FY 2021-2022 had a 94 % pass rate with an average score of 261. Even though this score is slightly lower than last year’s average score of 268, NEIU School Counseling alumni pass rate was much higher than the state average of 88% pass rate.
