School Counseling
MED
Why study School Counseling?
At the University of Cincinnati, our goal is to prepare licensed professional school counselors to support students’ social, emotional, and career development in various PreK-12 school settings, including both public and private schools. The purpose of the School Counseling graduate degree program is to foster culturally responsive professional school counselors who have the knowledge and ability to lead Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (CSCPs) guided by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. Graduates are equipped with the skills to support students on their educational journey and provide students with the necessary college and career readiness skills.
Additionally, our program prepares school counselors to positively impact the school environment by serving as social justice advocates through collaboration with administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other key stakeholders to provide equitable services to all students.
Our CACREP-accredited program centers around our core counseling curriculum, aligned with current national accreditation standards for master’s programs in counseling, state licensing requirements for counselors, and university requirements for graduate programs. In addition, the program requires specialized coursework, field-based practice, and internship training under the supervision of a licensed, practicing school counselor in the PreK-12 school setting. Further, an assigned faculty advisor assists students in choosing elective coursework and in planning their field-based practice and internship experiences. Graduates of this program meet training requirements established by the Ohio Board of Education for licensure as a school counselor. Although requirements for licensure vary from state to state, our faculty is dedicated to providing support through one-on-one faculty advising so students are prepared for licensure in the state where they are seeking employment.
Admission Requirements
- Undergraduate transcript(s)
- References (3 strongly preferred, minimum of 1 required)
- Goal statement (2 parts, including a commitment to multiculturalism)
- CV/Resume
Application Procedures:
Prospective students should complete the online application by January 15th for Fall enrollment. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required materials and support documents are successfully submitted by the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be processed or reviewed.
Unofficial Transcripts:
At the time of application, please upload unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended to the application.
Official Transcript Submission after Enrollment Confirmation:
Once an applicant has been extended an offer of admission to the University of Cincinnati and has accepted the offer, they must submit an official transcript showing the conferral of a bachelor's degree. Official final transcripts or transcript evaluations showing bachelor's degree conferral must be submitted by the start of a student's first term of enrollment at UC. A course registration hold will be placed on the second term of enrollment for any student missing their official transcript/transcript evaluation showing bachelor's degree conferral.
For more information on where to submit official transcripts, please visit the Graduate College's website.
UC Alumni
Students who have received a degree from the University of Cincinnati do not need to submit official copies of their UC transcripts. However, UC alumni must still upload unofficial transcripts during the application process.
This area of study is best suited for individuals who enjoy working in schools with children and/or adolescents. Those who choose school counseling as a career need to be self-driven, independent, creative, and persistent as well as have the capacity to work collaboratively with others in order to achieve common school and community goals. School counselors serve as advocates for K-12 students and the counseling program. In this capacity, they are required to engage in individual and group counseling, classroom guidance, crisis management, program development and management, and the evaluation of data. Further, good verbal and written communication skills are a must for successful school counselors.
Career possibilities center on working with children and adolescents in K-12 school settings however the degree may provide students with foundational skills needed to work in other areas of counseling beyond the K-12 school setting. Opportunities to become a counselor at the elementary middle and high school levels have been available to students and afford a variety of career experiences.
Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state’s educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid). To learn whether a University program meets a given state’s educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage.
Please contact Dr. Rachel Saunders, school counseling program coordinator, to inquire about information related to advising.
Internships offer a unique experience to tailor the educational experience to the needs of the student.
Chi Sigma Iota is a national honor's society in Counseling and UC has an active chapter that works closely with the Counseling Program. There are opportunities to work on research projects through a competitive thesis option on independent study with faculty and doctoral students, which affords opportunities to prepare for doctoral level training or other research-practitioner positions in the field.
For international admissions requirements, please visit our website.
Application Deadlines
The application deadline for Fall Semester admission to the School Counseling program is January 15th.
This master's degree program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is designed around a set of core classes selected to be consistent with national accreditation standards for master's programs in school counseling, with state licensing requirements for counselors, and with university requirements for graduate programs.
Contact Information
PO Box 210014
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0014
(513) 556-6308
cechrecruit@uc.edu
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Program Code: 18MAS-SCNS-MED