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Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Master of Arts in School Counseling

A 48-credit hour Master of Arts degree in School Counseling is offered to candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree and are interested in counseling students in a P-12 school setting. School counselors have a unique preparation as counseling practitioners and educators who work in pre-school, elementary, middle, and high schools delivering a comprehensive program with wide-ranging prevention instruction and activities, early identification, short-term counseling interventions and support. They are leaders, advocates, collaborators, consultants, and facilitators of systemic change. The program invites those with a current valid teaching license as well as those without a teaching license.

Application for an initial P-12 Kansas school specialist license for school counselor requires a graduate degree, the completion of an approved graduate-level school counselor preparation program with a minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA, successful completion of state board approved school counselor exam, and either a currently valid Kansas teaching license or the successful completion of additional field experiences (70 clock hours). Candidates without the current teaching license (known as direct entry) will work with the program director to complete this additional experience.

The School Counseling program requires the candidate to implement the critical reflective process during coursework and clinical experiences through self-evaluation and feedback from peers, instructors, supervisors, and mentors. Program goals and outcomes align with the current KSDE School Counselor Licensure Standards and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) School Counselor Preparation Program Standards. Candidates are assessed relative to the program outcomes and program dispositions throughout their coursework and clinical experiences for improvement and mastery of counseling and instruction. Coursework develops and strengthens the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the school counselor candidate and emphasizes use of current research based best practice including the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student, and ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.

School Counseling Program Outcomes

Candidates who successfully complete the USM school counseling program will possess and be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, professional judgement, and dispositions needed by the school counselor:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the philosophical, historical and social foundations of contemporary education and counseling practice; and preparation standards, professional credentialing practices, legal and ethical behaviors.
    • demonstrates knowledge of the philosophical, historical, and social foundations of contemporary education and counseling practices.
    • has graduate level educational preparation based on professional standards, is licensed with professional credentialing practices and practice legal and ethical behaviors.
  2. Possess the knowledge and skills to plan, organize, implement and evaluate a comprehensive, developmental, results-based school counseling program.
    • demonstrates the ability to implement a data-informed district-wide, comprehensive, developmental school counseling program based on the ASCA program components aligned with district missions and goals.
    • demonstrates legal and ethical uses of assessment, measurement, and data to implement learner and program evaluation to enhance student learning and program effectiveness.
  3. Understand and demonstrate appropriate counseling skills to address the needs of individuals throughout the stages of human development, possess knowledge of related human behavior at all developmental levels and in multicultural contexts and the impact of the stages and behaviors on learning and family dynamics.
    • demonstrates theory-based counseling skills to address the developmental needs of individuals across the lifespan and in multicultural contexts.
    • implements data-informed interventions within a multi-tier approach, collaborations, and consultations to enhance school success and family transitions.
  4. Understand the major theories of individual and group counseling and demonstrate appropriate skills, techniques and the use of technology in implementing individual and group counseling and classroom lessons designed to promote academic, career and social/emotional development of learners.
    • demonstrates using technology as a counseling tool in individual, group and classroom counseling to promote academic, career and personal/social development of learners.
    • implements a developmentally appropriate data-informed program respectful of personal, cultural, and behavioral characteristics. (Examples of best practice interventions include multi-tiered approaches, peer helper programs, individual plans of study, career mentoring, healthy decision-making processes, and responsive services to address change, stress, transition, grief, and crisis situations.)
  5. Understand and demonstrate legal and ethical use of assessment, evaluation and research in multicultural contexts.
    • selects and implements best practice of using assessment, evaluation, and research to enhance the learning of all learners.
    • implements theory-based strategies in the counseling curriculum designed to improve the learning and achievement of all learners based on school mission and program goals.
  6. Have knowledge of career development and apply a multi-tier approach for counseling all learners through their developmental stages.
    • implements data-informed and developmentally appropriate individual, group, and classroom career development processes and counseling.
  7. Understand the significance and demonstrate the skills of teaming and consultation, collaboration and coordination in developing programs to facilitate the positive interaction between learners and their environment.
    • demonstrates leadership and conducts theory-based consultation and collaboration with families, school colleagues, and community stakeholders.
    • facilitates the positive interactions between learners and their environment.
  8. Understand social and cultural diversity across developmental stages and is able to identify appropriate counseling practices.
    • positively influences school culture by addressing the social justice, identity development, character development and social emotional learning of all learners in a diverse world.
    • demonstrates cultural competency by implementing individual and group counseling interventions and classroom lessons addressing the needs of all learners.

School Counseling Program Dispositions

The University of Saint Mary candidate will demonstrate readiness for a career in the profession of school counseling through a commitment to:

  1. Professionalism
    1. Responsible for personal growth and professional learning
    2. Form healthy, respectful relationships and appropriate boundaries
    3. Positive regard and objectivity
    4. Self-care
  2. Critical Reflective Practice, Professional Ethics and Standards and Care
    1. Self-awareness and reflection
    2. Accept/Apply critical feedback
    3. Respect for diversity and application of a multicultural approach
    4. Being trustworthy
    5. Ethical practice
  3. School Counseling Profession Identity and Expectations
    1. Congruence with identity, roles, responsibilities, expectations
    2. Advocacy and leadership for systemic change
    3. Continuous professional involvement, growth, and development

Admissions Requirements

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 (on a scale of 4.00) cumulative or in last 60 credit hours.
  • Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate work, documenting GPA and degree conferral.
  • Completed application form and fee.
  • Statement of goals and experiences (2-3 pages) describing:
    • why the applicant wants to become a school counselor rather than other helping roles/professions
    • what the applicant believes school counselors do (the job activities they perform) and how that matches with how they see themselves in a future career, and,
    • any relevant experiences they may have had in working with school aged children/adolescents, or in working/volunteering within a school.
  • Two professional recommendations addressing specific characteristics (form provided).
  • An interview (in person or by videoconference) with the school counseling program director.

Students are admitted to the Master of Arts in School Counseling program twice a year, at the start of fall semester and the start of spring semester. Admission is based on the quality of credentials submitted and the results of an interview with the school counseling program director.

Students seeking admission to the program must be able to demonstrate the ability to communicate in the English language receptively and expressively, orally and in written form with sufficient proficiency to develop professional relationships, function within a school setting, and engage in school counseling professional activities with accepted standards of practice. Students with prior criminal convictions will find difficulty in obtaining a license to counsel in schools. Licensure is granted by individual states and not guaranteed by the University of Saint Mary.

Continuous Enrollment

Students admitted to the School Counseling program must be continuously enrolled during the fall and spring semesters until they graduate. Students who fail to enroll, for either the fall or the spring semester, will be dismissed from the program unless they receive a Leave of Absence. Students desiring a Leave of Absence from the program must submit a request to the School Counseling Program Director stating the reasons for their request. The Leave of Absence request must be approved by the Social and Behavior Sciences Division Chair.

Curriculum (48 crs)

Required Courses

PY 723Advanced Psychopathology

3
PY 724Life Span Development

3
PY 730/SW 730Methods of Research and Assessment

3
PY 741Professional Orientation and Ethics

3
PY 744Career Development and Counseling

3
PY 748Multicultural Counseling

3
PY 749Helping Relationship Skills

3
PY 750Counseling Theories

3
PY 751Group Processes in Counseling and Therapy

3
PY 763Counseling Children and Adolescents

3
PY 765Foundations of School Counseling

3
PY 767School Counseling Program Management

3
PY 769Counselor Consultation and Collaboration

3
PY 771Practicum in School Counseling

3
PY 773Internship in School Counseling I

3
PY 774Internship in School Counseling II

3

Maximum Hours

Students in the School Counseling program may not enroll in more than nine credit hours during any semester.

Field Experiences

Enrollment in the practicum and internship courses occur at the end of the program and involve a basic application process to determine readiness for a school field experience and to facilitate obtaining an approved school placement. Approval for enrollment in field experiences is contingent upon successful completion of prerequisite coursework and standards, dispositional evaluations verifying readiness, and an approval for placement at accredited schools.

Graduate Transfer Credit

Up to nine graduate credit hours may be transferred into the Master of Arts in School Counseling program upon admission provided the courses (and the institutions awarding the credit hours) with which the credits are associated reflect the same or equivalent content and standards as those required in the program of study. Course syllabi may be requested for this evaluation. Courses that do not address equivalent standards, competencies, and outcomes will not be accepted for transfer. Credit for clinical skills or field experience courses (i.e., PY 749, PY 771, PY 773, PY 774) will not be accepted as transfer credit.

Additional Credits for Professional Counseling License

Students who wish to pursue an additional license in professional counseling (LPC) for practice in community agencies and other non-school settings must complete additional requirements beyond the school counseling degree program. State licensing laws and regulations prescribe a graduate degree in counseling, coursework in specific content categories, 60 graduate credits in counseling, and passing a national exam prescribed by that state. Any additional course credits completed at USM to meet such requirements are earned separately from the school counseling degree program of study, do not constitute an additional degree, concentration, track or other special transcript designation, and are not eligible for federal financial aid. Students interested must work closely with their assigned advisor to ensure understanding of the specific LPC licensing requirements, and timing in the scheduling of the applicable coursework.