Program Overview

School Counseling, MEd

The Master of Education in School Counseling program prepares graduate students to work as school counselors. This 60-credit hour program leads to Missouri certification and eligibility for Missouri Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor credentials and is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Program Overview

The program is designed to enable students to deliver counseling services within schools and throughout their extended communities. Through the program, students are trained to apply principles of learning, human development, counseling, research, and measurement within school settings.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

1. Apply helping relationship skills to establish therapeutic alliances and to achieve counseling goals with clients in diverse counseling settings.
2. Utilize counseling ethical standards to guide professional practice and ethical decision-making.
3. Assess client status and goals within relevant treatment contexts (e.g., school, clinic, community) and identify interventions based on research and best practice.
4. Identify and apply appropriate theories to conceptualize client cases and inform counseling practice to achieve therapeutic goals.
5. Articulate the ways in which mental health and career needs intersect for clients across the lifespan.
6. Use developmentally appropriate trauma-informed approaches to address the needs of clients and systems.

Career Opportunities

• School Counselor

Employment Outlook

Employment of school counselors is projected to grow up to 5% by 2032, with a median annual salary of $60,140, according to wage and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements include:

• An earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher
• A completed graduate school application
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• Two completed references on file
• Completion of the supplemental application
• Upon admission, students will take CNS ED 6010, Theories of Counseling, in their first semester

Application Deadlines

Admissions are conducted twice a year, with application deadlines on March 1 and October 1 for the fall and spring semesters, respectively.

Program Type and Format

• Program type: Graduate, MEd
• Format: On-Campus

Student Outcomes

100% of graduates pass the certification exam and are gainfully employed in the field.