At the University of Cincinnati, our goal is to prepare licensed professional school counselors to support students' social, emotional, and career development in various PreK-12 school settings, including both public and private schools. The purpose of the School Counseling graduate degree program is to foster culturally responsive professional school counselors who have the knowledge and ability to lead Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (CSCPs) guided by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model. Graduates are equipped with the skills to support students on their educational journey and provide students with the necessary college and career readiness skills.
Additionally, our program prepares school counselors to positively impact the school environment by serving as social justice advocates through collaboration with administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other key stakeholders to provide equitable services to all students.
Our CACREP-accredited program centers around our core counseling curriculum, aligned with current national accreditation standards for master's programs in counseling, state licensing requirements for counselors, and university requirements for graduate programs. In addition, the program requires specialized coursework, field-based practice, and internship training under the supervision of a licensed, practicing school counselor in the PreK-12 school setting. Further, an assigned faculty advisor assists students in choosing elective coursework and in planning their field-based practice and internship experiences. Graduates of this program meet training requirements established by the Ohio Board of Education for licensure as a school counselor. Although requirements for licensure vary from state to state, our faculty is dedicated to providing support through one-on-one faculty advising so students are prepared for licensure in the state where they are seeking employment.