Skip to main content

Professional School Counseling

Secondary Education & School Leadership | Programs | M.A. Urban Education

Professional School Counseling PreK-12 Concentration

The Professional School Counseling (PSC) PreK-12 concentration is designed for applicants wishing to become school counselors in Pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. Applicants may be admitted for enrollment in the fall and spring semesters.

Program Overview

A master’s degree in counseling from Norfolk State University’s Professional School Counseling program is intended to prepare individuals for employment as counselors in professional PreK-12 educational settings or college counseling settings. The program provides master’s level students with the necessary information and skills required to carry out duties unique to the counseling profession.

The official name of the master’s degree program is a Master’s of Art in Urban Education. The program currently adheres to the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards, and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) guidelines.

The program leading to the master’s degree in school counseling consists of a minimum of 60 semester credits beyond an undergraduate degree, including a clinical practicum and an internship. If the counseling program changes the curriculum while students are completing the program, students may choose to follow their original curriculum contained in the graduate catalog and handbook from the year that the student matriculated (began the program) or the student may change to follow the new curriculum as outlined in the latest graduate catalog and handbook. The curriculum may not be combined, a choice of handbook and catalog is required, and students may not switch programs once a counseling track has been selected. All students are required to follow any non-curriculum policy changes implemented.

Norfolk State University’s Professional School Counseling program is designed to professionally train and prepare professional counselors in the specialty of school counseling. The Professional School Counseling program prepares students for careers in the PreK-12 public and private school settings.

Licensure Requirements:

While requirements for licensure vary by state, program participants must complete all (60-credit CACREP) coursework, both internship experiences (600hrs), and meet the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Licensure requirements for an endorsement in Pupil Personnel Services License in School Counselor PreK-12. Program completers seeking additional state-specific qualifications may need to research the professional school counseling licensure requirements for that state.

Job Outlook and Salary:

· The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 5% job growth for School Counselors from 2022 to 2032 [BLS School Counselors ON Bureau of Labor Statistics (.gov) bls.gov]. This is faster than average growth for all occupations.

· The nationwide median annual salary for School Counselors is $60,140.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Program Objectives

The program has specific objectives, which are as follows:

  1. Evaluate multicultural and ethical issues, as well as the impact of ability levels, stereotyping, family, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual identity, and their effects on student achievement.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of multiethnic, multicultural and pluralistic society trends and issues through application of multicultural competencies and theories in applied learning situations throughout various counseling settings
  3. Describe development- including biosocial, cognitive, cultural, and psychosocial –as an ongoing set of processes, involving both continuity and change.
  4. Develop an awareness and understanding of the different career models, theories, and resources available to counselors.
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of the counseling process and treatment including basic helping and interviewing skills that entails an understanding of essential interview so that the student is able to develop solid clinical skills, design intervention strategies, evaluate client outcome and treatment strategies. 
  6. Explore the group process by examining theories and research related to group counseling, integration of group counseling concepts in counseling programs for clients.
  7. Utilize assessment results to for the purposes of diagnosing and effective diagnostic intervention planning with legal and ethical considerations associated with assessment selection, administration, and interpretation.
  8. Candidates will demonstrate competency in conducting research through application of research principles.
  9. Graduate diverse counselor candidates with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to be consummate professional counselors.
  10. Recruit multicultural, accessibility inclusive, and multiethnic students to create a supportive diverse learning community.
  11. Prepare candidates to plan, deliver, and evaluate comprehensive school counseling programs for both public and private schools to guide educational, career, personal, and social needs of students in k through 12 settings.

The program has been developed utilizing a learning-outcomes base that requires candidates to master specified knowledge, skills, and abilities. The program is life-skills oriented and candidates are committed to the development of the highest educational and quality of life potential of all their students. Candidates are expected to maintain a high level of competence, ethics, and integrity while exercising objective professional judgment in the practice of their profession.

In order to prepare effective counselors to work in the school setting, course work and related counseling field experiences emphasize human growth and development; counseling theory and techniques for individuals and groups; career development with components in educational and occupational information; standardized testing in the areas of aptitude, interest, achievement, and career; professional rights and responsibilities; research and evaluation techniques, and organization and administration of counseling programs.

Curriculum