Multicultural psychology minor

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 is to

  • expose graduate students to the growing theoretical and empirical research completed in the fields of multicultural psychology and education
  • help graduate students develop multicultural competencies in research and practice
  • provide graduate students with training necessary to meet the psychological and educational demands of diverse populations

Minor requirements

  • 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)
  • ESCP 8580 Social and Cultural Identity Development (3)
  • ESCP 8590 Multicultural Counseling Competencies (3)

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)
  • ESCP 8990 Career Development Theory for Women (3)
  • ESCP 8510 Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability (3)
  • ESCP 8540 Theory and Practice in Feminist Therapy 3)

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

Students must complete 3 credit hours from either research skills or applied multicultural skills

Research Skills

Students must complete 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:
    • approval of the project from a director of the Center for Multicultural Research, Training and Consultation
    • or 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 for Multicultural Research, Training and Consultation, or having an ESCP faculty affiliated with the Center on the thesis/research/dissertation committee

OR

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:
    • successful completion (with a passing grade) of ESCP 8943 (Applied Multicultural Interventions)
    • 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
    • applied experience via community outreach programs, work placements in agencies, or extended volunteer experiences in community agencies.
      • For this 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 for Multicultural Research, Training and Consultation is needed.