Program Overview
The M.S in School Counseling is a 60-semester-hour degree, approved by the Florida Department of Education that will academically prepare students to become certified Guidance Counselors in the state of Florida. The program is designed to provide students with an intellectual and biblical foundation for understanding the spiritual, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and mental facets of human nature. In an educational environment that promotes active learning through the use of role-plays, case studies, demonstrations, and discussions students will:
- Integrate Christian belief and practice with the scholarship and professional standards of the school counseling profession.
- Develop the skills necessary to provide competent, balanced, and professional counseling and consultation services for students, parents and those working with them in educational settings.
- Develop critical thinking and analysis skills and the knowledge needed to make ethical decisions.
Throughout this program students will:
- Integrate the principles of counseling with biblically informed values.
- Demonstrate collaborative and effective problem-solving skills using multiple theoretical approaches.
- Develop counseling skills that foster the application of theory to a variety of counseling situations in educational systems.
- Apply acquired skills and techniques to actual counseling situations in schools. Research contemporary issues in school counseling to provide practical solutions, and communicate results through clear, concise and appropriate media.
Career Options
Individuals with this degree serve as School Counselors in public and private elementary, middle and high schools.
The Master of Science in School Counseling degree allows successful students upon graduation and registration with the Florida Department of Education to achieve certification in the specialty area of Guidance and Counseling (grades PK-12).
Program Summary
Total Credits – 60-63 credit hours
- Core Courses – 48-51 credit hours
- Experiential Courses - 12 credit hours (with 700 hours of supervised internship experience)
Program Length – 24-months (6 semesters)
Program Delivery – Each semester typically includes 4 courses offered in a full 16 week semester
- in face-to-face format
- on 2 evenings per week
- two course sessions each evening
Entrance Requirements
Submission of the following with satisfactory evaluative scores on the admission rubric:
- Proof of a minimum GPA of 3.0 earned from a regionally accredited institution
- Resume
- Written essay describing the current and future impact of your faith in your personal and professional life and the reason for your desire to pursue this degree Official college transcripts
- Professional Reference
- Academic Reference
- Christian Character Reference
- An interview with the faculty of the graduate counseling programs, typically in group format with other applicants.
- Completion of undergraduate courses in areas below prior to enrollment:
- Introductory (General) Psychology
- Theories of Personality
- Psychology of Human Development (Developmental Psychology)
- Abnormal Psychology
Other Policies
Non-Degree Seeking Students
Students with existing graduate degrees may take certain courses as a non-degree seeking student with advanced approval of program faculty. This may appeal to those that need further graduate hours or courses to qualify for certification by the FL DOE as a School Counselor. Contact the graduate admission office for details on applying as a non-degree seeking graduate student.
Students who do not already have the Florida Department of Education Endorsement for Reading or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) must take the appropriate courses to receive these prior to conferring of the degree.
Transfer Credits
Graduate credit may be accepted from an accredited university with a CACREP-equivalent or state approved DOE program. Transfer credits must be from graduate level courses earned at an accredited university, less than 8 years old, and evaluated by program faculty as equivalent in content to SEU’s program courses. The student must request an evaluation of transfer credit as soon as possible so the determination of transfer credit can be completed before the end of the student’s first semester of enrollment in the program. Up to 15 credit hours are potentially acceptable for transfer into the degree program. They are typically limited to the following course content areas: Research Methods, Human Growth & Development, Community Counseling, Assessment, Special Populations, Career Counseling, Substance Abuse, and Psychopathology. The Chair and faulty will evaluate and award transfer credit on a case- by-case basis.
Provisional Status
Applicants who score within a lower “provisional” range on the rubric for various reasons, which may include an undergraduate GPA below 3.0, may be accepted on a provisional basis if program faculty finds that students provide or display evidence suggesting that they will be successful in graduate work by virtue of their performance in the entire evaluation process. Students admitted in provisional status must earn at least a “B-” in each of their first four courses in the program, and proactively they are required to receive writing support services from the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) during the first semester in developing a written assignment of graduate level quality.
Additional Degree Requirements
- Students are required to complete the following prior to conferring of the MSSC degree;
- Register for and successfully pass all three sections of the Florida Teachers Certification Exams (FTCE) prior to degree completion.
- Complete the Comprehensive Professional Counseling Exam (CPCE)
- Successfully submit portfolio per program procedures and receive satisfactory evaluation from faculty
- Complete required hours of field experience (minimum 280 direct; 700 total) during Practicum and Internship Courses.
- Students who do not already have the Florida Department of Education Endorsement for Reading or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) must take the appropriate courses to receive these prior to conferring of the degree.
Two Year Plan
School Counseling, Master of Science Two Year Plan
