School Counseling (M.S.) plus Pupil Personnel Services Credential

How to Apply

The GRE is no longer required to apply to this program.

Important Dates for Fall 2024

Item Due Date 
1. Cal State Apply application
(opens October 1 each year)
December 1, 2023
2. Official transcripts due December 15, 2023
 

Steps 1-4: Admission to SDSU

Steps 1-4 must be completed through the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office.

SDSU Graduate Admissions: Steps to Apply

NEW!  For the Fall 2024 application cycle only 1 application will be required to apply to this Master's program.  In the past 2 applications were required - one to the University and one to the Program. They have been combined into the Cal State Apply application. If you have any application questions, please email Stephanie Kearney at [email protected]

For this program, you are NOT required to complete the additional Interfolio program application. Instead, applicants must complete the Cal State Apply application and follow the directions below:

1. Submit CAL State Apply Apllication

Please gather the items below and have them ready to upload to the Cal State Apply application in the Program Materials box/quadrant:  

Write a separate personal statement responding to each of the following 3 prompts. Please type the question at the top of the document and format with double-spacing, 12-point font and at least 1-inch margins. Use a maximum of 2 pages for your answer to each prompt. (Keep in mind that we consider these statements representative of the quality of your potential work in the program.)

  • Prompt #1: There are many career paths in counseling and education. Please describe why you have chosen to pursue a career in school counseling and how SDSU’s program aligns with those goals.
  • Prompt #2: How do you define social justice? Discuss how your identities and lived experience contribute to your relationship with social justice and equity issues, and how as a school counselor, you will advocate for social justice and equity in education and/or culturally diverse communities.
  • Prompt #3: Describe a time when you were part of a team in a collaborative experience to advocate for change. Please describe one personal strength and one area of growth that you learned through this experience. 
  • Prompt #4: For re-applicants only:  How have you spent the last year continuing to grow and develop as a future school counselor?

updated prompts 9/8/2021

Complete your experience profile using the Experience Profile Template (Word Document).

You will be required to take this exam while in the program or meet this requirement via coursework. More details on the coursework option are available at Basic Skills Requirement.

Obtain the results of a negative TB test. These results must be current from within the past 4 years. You can go to your medical doctor or a local clinic to get this done.

Download unofficial transcripts (or scan a paper transcript) for every institution, one file per institution, and be prepared to upload to the Cal State Apply application. This is in addition to, not a substitution for, having official transcripts sent to SDSU Graduate Admissions office.

Apply for your Certificate of Clearance. More directions on this process can be found on the School of Teacher Education's Certificate of Clearance webpage. Follow the directions for applying to the Certificate of Clearance. (The Emergency Teaching Permit does not apply to this program.)

You will be required to have a Certificate of Clearance prior to starting practicum/fieldwork hours in schools, but it is not required for Fall 2024 admission.

 

Contact 3 individuals who you have interacted with both personally and professionally who would be able to write a letter of recommendation for you. If you are a re-applicant, you will also need one new letter of recommendation.  You may use two of the same letters of recommendation that you submitted with your application last year.  Please request that they write their letter and have it ready for when the system is available since they will be needed quickly. Recommenders will submit their letters directly into the Cal State Apply Application.

2. WAIT TO REQUEST OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

Please wait to request these official transcripts until after you have submitted the Cal State Apply application, then request that your official transcripts be sent to SDSU, following instructions at Submitting Your Transcripts. If you send them in before you submit the application, they will take longer to process.

If you attended SDSU for your undergraduate degree, you can skip this step—we have this information already on file.

Get in Touch

Application Process Questions

Program Questions

Visit the Program Homepage

School Counseling M.S. & PPS Credential