Counseling, K-12 School Counseling, MEd and Certification

Shippensburg University's Counseling, K-12 School Counseling, MEd and Certification program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

What Will I Learn?

School counselors need empathy and compassion as well as analytical, listening, speaking and interpersonal skills. In this program, you will:

• Learn all aspects of the counseling profession and specific features of school counseling
• Gain in-depth knowledge of human growth and development to understand young people, improve student learning, well-being and enhance resiliency
• Learn to practice advocacy, value diversity and promote social justice
• Learn to work with diverse populations, individually and in groups, through an understanding and application of established and emerging counseling theories

The core courses focus on gaining the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to work in the helping profession and specifically in PreK-12 school environments. Understanding how to work with people therapeutically is the focus of the program overall. Courses are rigorous and include human development, career, research and statistics, assessment and multicultural counseling.

Internships allow you to learn professionalism, ethical decision-making and legal knowledge as well as how to work collaboratively with school staff, families and community members to achieve common goals for the education of students, improvement of schools and advancement of the larger community.

What Kinds of Experiences Could I Have?

Most courses are taught in a seminar fashion and are highly interactive with didactic lecture, discussion and experiential learning. You are expected to be engaged in learning and involved in classroom activities. There are plenty of opportunities for real world learning through internships, community partnerships, research, service learning and cultural immersion trips.

Our students also find success during their studies and in employment consistent with their training and preparation because of:

• Small classes and personalized attention from faculty
• Involvement with Growing Edges Community Counseling Clinic, a clinic on campus that is the only program of its kind in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education
• Partnerships with Drew’s Hope, Camp Koala and local school districts

What Types of Careers Could I Get With This Degree?

Successful completion of this program and the required examination qualifies you to work at any grade level in preschool, elementary, middle or high school. Most students who earn a master's in school counseling work in public or private educational settings as school or career counselors. Within the school counseling field, you can also pursue other opportunities, specializing in areas such as mental health counseling. You can work with young children to support emotional and behavioral development or provide college and career support to high school students.

Regional partners assure us that our students stand out in the school counseling field. You'll be well prepared and able to hit the ground running when you are employed.