Master of Science in School Counseling

Program Goals

1. Prepare counseling professionals with a breadth of knowledge and skills for prevention, intervention, and advocacy in private or public PreK-12 school settings.
2. Cultivate a school counselor professional identity and disposition aligned with ethical practice and the ASCA Code of Ethics.
3. Foster the ability to critically evaluate and consume research through a social justice lens to inform evidence-based school counseling practices.
4. Prepare counseling professionals to advocate for school needs at the individual, community, and policy levels.
5. Promote the development of critically reflective practitioners focused on wellness, self-care, and professional quality of life.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will develop and maintain a strong counselor identity rooted in the profession’s ethics, values and principles. 
2. Students will be able to demonstrate competence in working ethically with clients of diverse backgrounds across the lifespan.
3. Students will be able to apply counseling skills and effectively deliver counseling interventions aligned with their theoretical orientation. 
4. Students will be able to analyze their own social location and lived experience, while mastering strategies to bracket and challenge 
5. Students will be able to evaluate counseling specific assessments, including career assessments, and administer assessments in the best interest of their clients. 
6. Students will be able to design a holistic counseling practice that aligns with their theoretical orientation and remain aligned with the Shenandoah University mission of being a lifelong learner committed to continuing education and service work. 
7. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of their role in an interdisciplinary team.
8. Students will be able to present scholarly research findings.
9. Students will be able to be employed as a school counselor. 
10. Students will be able to pass the Praxis exam.

Courses

All courses and their descriptions within the school counseling program are listed below. Please note the asterisks indicating their delivery method and which courses are electives.

*S Courses are online-synchronous
*A Courses are online-asynchronous
**Courses are electives

Course Number	Course Title	Credit Hours
COUN 501	Basic Counseling Skills
COUN 519	School Counseling Ethics and Profession
COUN 503	Group Counseling
COUN 505	Lifespan Development*A
COUN 506	Counseling Theory
COUN 507	Research Seminar I*A
COUN 508	Addiction Counseling*S
COUN 510	Career Counseling*A
COUN 511	Multicultural Counseling*S
COUN 512	Grief, Loss, Trauma, and Crisis*S
COUN 514	Human Sexuality in Counseling*S
COUN 517	Research Seminar II*A
COUN 527	Research Seminar III*H
COUN 550	Counseling Children and Adolescents**
COUN 560	Counseling Veterans and Military Personnel**
COUN 570	Case Management**
COUN 520	School Counseling Leadership, Advocacy and Consult
COUN 602	Systems Concepts in Counseling *A
COUN 522	Classroom Management
COUN 525	School Counseling Practicum
COUN 650	Field Placement I
COUN 660	Field Placement II

Course Number	Course Title	Credit Hours
COUN 509	Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics
COUN 580	Advanced Counseling Skills and Conceptualization
COUN 603	Assessment Processes in CMHC*A
COUN 601	Diagnostic Processes in Counseling*

Brittany Sager, Ph.D.

Program Director, Division of Counselor Education

View Brittany Sagers’ Faculty Profile

Meet the Counselor Education Faculty

I love that the faculty in the School Counseling program are open to feedback and value their students’ opinions. I also appreciate that they allow ample opportunity for students to put forth additional insight on the material we are learning, whether that is through sharing our own experiences or just offering a new perspective. Lastly, I really appreciate that they all take their time to genuinely listen to what we have to say during class discussions and will even ask students to put forth their input if it’s something they have knowledge of.”

“Dr. Tiffany Snow has been great to have as a role model in the fields of clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. She is consistent and highly professional. She has also been very open about the progression of the program with the students, which I really value. While she is very meticulous with the material she puts forth, she is also very flexible and adaptable in allowing students to offer feedback on assignments.”

– Lilly Proctor, SC ’27

Apply Now

The school counseling program admission requirements include:

• A completed application submitted through the Shenandoah University application portal located on the clinical mental health counseling website.
• A completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a recommended minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 grade scale.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (or previously attended).
• Submit two letters of recommendation that indicate the applicant’s ability to participate in the rigors of graduate school as well as the traits applicants possess to be a future allied health practitioner. At least one faculty letter of recommendation is preferred.
• Students who meet academic requirements will be invited to participate in an interview with faculty members of the Division of Counselor Education.
• A writing sample crafted as a response to a prompt.
• International students may be required to meet additional requirements.
• Students will be required to complete state background checks.
• Personal liability insurance from the start of the program.
• Adherence to Shenandoah’s School of Health Professions and individual practicum and internship sites immunization and vaccination policies.

*Applicants with a GPA below the recommended may still apply and be considered for admission at the discretion of the Division of Counselor Education director.

To ensure you meet eligibility for licensure, please visit the Virginia Department of Education.