Master of Science in School Counseling
At Viterbo, we are committed to your success. A program faculty advisor is assigned to work with you throughout the program, and we offer professional development throughout the academic year, including day-long conferences and workshops. Student organizations provide social activities, philanthropic opportunities, and community-based advocacy.
Additional school counselor degree highlights include:
- Hands-on learning. Experiential learning allows you to develop the skills necessary to work with K–12 students. Counseling skills labs are an essential part of the learning experience.
- Real experiences. Course highlights include working with students in schools during your practicum and internship and creating projects targeted at counseling interventions.
- Faculty. Our fully licensed, clinically experienced faculty are professionally active and engaged—many have specialty certifications in play therapy, for example.
- Learning environment. Our supportive, caring learning environment is supported by small class sizes that allow you to form professional relationships with faculty and peers.
Grades
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for all MSSC coursework, with no individual course grade lower than C.
Attendance
All graduate students are expected to attend all class meetings. If a student is unable to attend a class, the student must contact the instructor and take responsibility to meet the class objectives. This makeup will ordinarily require additional written work. It is the duty of the student to make arrangements for missed work. If more than one class meeting is missed within a course, the student shall contact the instructor and the MSSC program director in advance to discuss whether the student should enroll in the course at another time.
Transfer Credit
Individual consideration will be granted in the awarding of transfer credits in order to ensure that the student meets the licensure requirements as a Professional School Counselor. Up to 15 credits may be transferred from another CACREP accredited program.
Requirements
All students are required to complete 60 credits and maintain a 3.0 grade point average to be awarded the Master of Science in School Counseling degree. Those credits include the school counseling curriculum, field based experiences and research activities. Initial contact with one’s academic advisor will focus on developing an academic plan.
Research Project Requirements
All students will complete an action research project prior to graduation. This advocacy and research project will be completed in conjunction with an internship experience. This research project will address an issue, need, or problem relevant to the school counseling profession. The student will develop an action research proposal based upon the unique needs identified during internship and designed to inform the school counseling program at the internship student’s school site. Student will develop a methodology for the identification, collection, and analysis/synthesis of project data. Students are required to present their project and outcome data to the public.
School Counseling Requirements
Students are required to complete 60 credit hours for the MSSC program. For those students who hold a teaching license EDUC 613 and EDUC 619 will be waived. Students will then select 6 credit hours of electives that match with their educational goals. These electives are required to be graduate courses and may include courses in the Doctorate in Education in Counselor Education and Supervision program.
- Students will learn and demonstrate ethical practice.
- Students will demonstrate awareness of how their values, beliefs, cultural perspectives, and experiences impact the counseling process and professional relationships with clients and colleagues.
- Students will demonstrate creativity and flexibility in implementing developmentally and culturally responsive prevention and interventions in the K-12 school environment for individuals, small groups and in classrooms.
- Students will evaluate and integrate theory and research in their counseling practice.
- Students will demonstrate effective professional counseling relationships with K-12 students, their families and stakeholders within the school setting.
- Students will engage in academic and career planning with K-12 students to develop comprehensive career development programming.
- Students will demonstrate the development and evaluation of a comprehensive counseling program and program evaluation techniques grounded in research and measurement.
- Students will demonstrate the use of current and emerging technologies to assist with comprehensive program development, program evaluation and management in order to assist students in reaching their academic, career development and social/emotional goals