Program Details
The Masters in School Counseling program seeks to improve the human condition by training counselors to become social justice agents of change who promote equitable conditions inside and outside of schools.
The USF MA in School Counseling Program features:
- School of Education credential tuition rate
- Two-year 49 credits program that starts in summer
- A Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPS) to practice as a school counselor in California
- An option (with an additional 11 credits) for the Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor licensure pathway (LPCC)
- Fieldwork training in schools begins immediately to complement academic coursework
- A focus on building and recognizing students' cultural assets
Program Delivery
Teaching Schedule
Fall and Spring
Classes meet on alternate weekends (See School of Education Weekend Teaching Schedule):
- Friday evenings 5:30 p.m.–9:45 p.m. (hybrid schedule)
- Saturdays 8:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (in person)
- There is an additional weekday evening class online (See School Counseling Program Schedule)
Summer Sessions
Courses are completed in 6 consecutive weekends during June and July in a hybrid schedule (alternating in person and online weekends)
Friday evenings 6–10:00 p.m. & Saturdays 9 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
The optional dual concentration for Professional Clinical Counseling (PCC) includes 11 additional units of coursework. Classes are offered online in Winter Intersession and in the Summer semester, and in-person on weekly Thursday evenings in Fall and Spring semesters.
Students go through the program as a cohort, forming informal study groups and building on each other's knowledge and life experiences. Such collaborative learning is a powerful force in shaping each individual’s academic, personal, and professional experience. The relationships formed in the program often lead to support, resources, and professional opportunities.
Sample course sequence
PPS School Counseling Program (49 credits)
Summer Year 1 (6 credits)
Foundations of School Counseling (3 credits)
Law and Ethics (3 credits)
Fall Year 1 (10 credits)
Counseling Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Lifespan Developmental Counseling (3 credits)
Cross Cultural Counseling (3 credits)
Traineeship 1 (1 credits)
Spring Year 1 (9 credits)
Group Counseling Skills (3 credits)
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Traineeship II (3 credits)
Summer Year 2 (6 credits)
Trauma and Crisis Counseling in a Multicultural and Urban Context (3 credits)
Individual and Family Psychopathology (3 credits)
Fall Year 2 (9 credits)
Academic Counseling (3 credits)
Career Counseling (3 credits)
Traineeship III (3 credits)
Spring Year 2 (9 credits)
Consulting with parents, teachers and schools (3 credits)
Assessment and the Counselor (3 credits)
Traineeship IV (3 credits)
Dual Concentration Program in School Counseling and Professional Clinical Counseling (60 credits)
Summer Year 1 (6 credits)
Foundations of School Counseling (3 credits)
Law and Ethics (3 credits)
Fall Year 1 (10 credits)
Counseling Theory and Practice (3 credits)
Lifespan Developmental Counseling (3 credits)
Cross Cultural Counseling (3 credits)
Traineeship 1 (1 credits)
Winter Intersession Year 1 (2 credits)
Human Sexuality (1 credit)
Child, Elder, and Adult Abuse (1 credits)
Spring Year 1 (12 credits)
Group Counseling Skills (3 credits)
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Traineeship II (3 credits)
Substance Abuse and Addictions Counseling (3 credits)
Summer Year 2 (6 credits)
Trauma and Crisis Counseling in a Multicultural and Urban Context (3 credits)
Individual and Family Psychopathology (3 credits)
Fall Year 2 (9 credits)
Academic Counseling (3 credits)
Career Counseling (3 credits)
Traineeship III (3 credits)
Family Systems Therapy
Winter Intersession Year 2 (3 credits)
Clinical Psychopharmacology (3 credits)
Spring Year 2 (9 credits)
Consulting with parents, teachers and schools (3 credits)
Assessment and the Counselor (3 credits)
Traineeship IV (3 credits)
Summer Year 2 (1 credit)
Only for students with 12 month clinical placements
Traineeship V (1 credit)