School Counseling M.A.
Take the next step in your career with UNC's master’s degree in School Counseling as you gain valuable, real-world counseling experience working in community schools (K-12) through our 600-hour internship program. Work closely with top faculty with professional counseling experience, in small classes that include doctoral student supervisors. You’ll be eligible to become a Nationally Certified Counselor when you graduate.
This program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP), enabling you to become a Nationally Certified Counselor when you graduate, and ensuring that foundational academic requirements are met for licensure across the nation.
Innovative Training, Flexible Options
Whether you are a working professional or a full-time graduate student, we have an option to fit your needs. Our Greeley Campus, which includes our state-of-the-art Psychological Services Clinic, offers a more traditional graduate school experience in a semester-long format. We also offer this master’s program at our Denver Center, where classes are delivered in an intensive weekend format designed for working professionals.
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
Finding Answers to Complex Challenges
With support from a collaborative partnership between site and university supervisors, our School Counseling internship students have the opportunity to work autonomously in diverse communities across Colorado and into Wyoming. The School Counseling internship experience engages students in a multitude of school counseling activities including brief individual counseling; group counseling; teacher, administrator and guardian consultation; and systemic interventions. School Counseling internship students learn how to assess the unique needs of a school community, implement data-driven school counseling interventions and monitor the impact of comprehensive school counseling programs.
Related Programs
Your Future in School Counseling
School counselors perform a variety of important roles. They connect with students, help teachers assess students’ abilities and interests, ensure that proper care and education is provided to students with different needs, help with college applications and so much more. At UNC, you’ll get the strongest possible career preparation for school counseling, working alongside skilled faculty who bring professional counseling experience to the classroom.
Consider UNC's M.A. in School Counseling if you:
- Are a good listener who cares about the needs of students
- Are a full-time graduate student or working professional
- Excel in small classes
You’ll learn:
- How to respond to K-12 student needs through individual and group counseling
- How to facilitate skill-building activities in classroom settings
- How to work with parents, teachers and school administrators
- History and current trends in school counseling
- Ethical and legal aspects of school counseling
Sample courses:
- Foundations of School Counseling
- Organization and Administration of School Counseling Programs
- Understanding Children, Adolescents and their Systems
- Theories and Practices in Group Guidance for School Counselors
- Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
- Understanding and Counseling Diverse Populations
- Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse
- Psychological Trauma and Intervention for Individuals, Families and Communities
Where can your degree take you?
By 2022, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics expects more than 30,000 new jobs to be created for educational, guidance, school and vocational counselors. In our master’s program in School Counseling, you’ll gain the preparation you need to work in diverse school settings, with hands-on training in actual K-12 classrooms and valuable networking opportunities via community and professional organizations. Our program has a very high job placement rate. It also enables you to become a Licensed School Counselor as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor following graduation.
UNC Professor Bring Research to Teaching
Jennifer Murdock is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology and Counselor Education. She is a 2007 graduate of the University of Wyoming. Her research interests include professional identity and orientation, career counseling and career transitions and the use of creative instructional strategies.
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