School Counseling

This is a 2-year, 60-unit Master of Science in School Counseling degree and the California Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential.

Program Overview

The mission of the SDSU School Counseling program is to prepare school counselors to become leaders, advocates, and systems change agents in our diverse schools. As an integral part of the total educational program for student success, school counselors learn to design, develop, implement and evaluate their comprehensive school counseling program to ensure that every student receives developmentally appropriate competencies in academic, career and personal/social development.

School counselors become professional student advocates who promote equity and access to a rigorous education for every student and who work to prevent and remove barriers to learning. Our graduates develop themselves as culturally sustaining leaders in educational transformation and social justice in the schools and communities they serve.

Program Design

The program consists of 2 years of full-time graduate study for a 6o-unit Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling and the California Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential for School Counseling. Students begin taking courses in summer prior to the fall semester.

• First-year students have class onsite in schools a minimum of 1 day per week.
• Second-year students are on school sites a minimum of 2 full days per week.

Who should apply?

We are looking for prospective students who:

• Have a desire to counsel and guide students in academic, college/career and social/emotional development in school settings
• Are passionate advocates for students in schools
• Demonstrate interest in working with diverse children, adolescents and their families in school
• Are motivated, empathetic, committed and responsive to working for social justice and equity in school and community contexts
• Have skills in critical thinking, professional writing ability, are good oral presenters, and are intellectually flexible and insightful
• Are responsible for their own learning
• Demonstrate a professional demeanor, are dependable, and ethically appropriate
• Are self aware and culturally competent
• Demonstrate a willingness to contribute to the learning of others
• Show courage and commitment to work on their own personal issues that may interfere in their work with clients
• Have the desire to be a leader in systemic change

Information Sessions

If you missed our last info session or want to revisit what was shared, you can view the presentation slides here. These slides provide valuable insights into our program, introduce our core faculty, and highlight experiences from our current students.

Whether you're considering a career in school counseling or exploring our program, we hope these resources answer your questions and offer a glimpse into our supportive learning community.