Master's of Science in School Counseling

Become a School Counselor.

Limited Residency | 2.5 – 3 Years | Master’s in School Counseling

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Dual Degree Options

Onsite Visits

Semesters

Credit Hours

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Designed for the Working Professional

Earn a Master’s in School Counseling while maintaining your current professional lifestyle. Our limited-residency education model provides you with an accessible, manageable experience. We empower your education, whether you are branching into a new profession or building on your current career.

Students will have a weekly class over Zoom to better integrate the material they learned throughout the week. This will also be a great opportunity to ask questions and facilitate discussions with the rest of your cohort.

Meet the Highest Professional Standards

We have designed our program to meet professional standards. Our commitment to providing the most rigorous education will position you to practice at the highest professional level with the greatest flexibility.

Diverse Degree Combinations

Pair your Master’s in School Counseling with counseling expertise in another subject. Diversify your practice and your client population with dual-degree options in addiction counseling, clinical mental health counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, and marriage, couples, and family counseling. Continuously refresh your practice while helping as many clients as possible.

Built-in Clinical Support System

Most students find clinical sites and preceptors through connections already cultivated by our counseling program. Students must query these opportunities themselves, but we help identify clinical internships and practicum options that fit their professional goals. Then we train potential preceptors in effective supervision to ensure that our students are receiving superb guidance.

Become a Licensed School Counselor

We provide the theory framework and hands-on experience required to become a licensed school counselor. Gain the prerequisite knowledge and skills to maximize your performance on crucial licensure exams.

DUAL-DEGREE MASTER’S OPTIONS

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions offers 5 separate counseling master’s degrees that you can pursue alongside one another. Our dual-degree programs allow you to pair a master’s in school counseling with a master’s in either clinical mental health counseling, addiction counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, or marriage, couples, and family counseling. This 72-credit dual degree option requires only 12 extra credits—alongside the additional corresponding clinical hours—to equip you with a rare and flexible skillset.

School Counseling/Clinical Mental Health Counseling

A school/mental health counselor listens to a teenager in a counseling sessionSCHOOL COUNSELING/CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING

Make a lasting impact on students and gain the skills and to serve in clinical mental health counseling contexts. Classes in psychopharmacotherapy and mental health systems enable you to work in clinics, private practice, hospitals, and other professional environments. Attain the flexibility to help diverse, expansive client populations, and layer your work in a school setting with even more understanding of the field.

School Counseling/Addiction Counseling

School/addiction counselor works with teenager during group counselingSCHOOL COUNSELING/ADDICTION COUNSELING

Especially if you plan to practice in Utah, where the population faces a dire battle with drug use, having a strong background in addiction counseling could enormously benefit your future clients. Courses in biopsychosocial aspects of addiction, addiction treatment, and other areas train you to serve people facing this all-too-common struggle.

School Counseling/Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling

School/family counselor listens to a mother and daughter in a counseling sessionSCHOOL COUNSELING/MARRIAGE, COUPLES AND FAMILY COUNSELING

Combine your school counseling expertise with a focus on family therapy. Explore complex family dynamics to help empower your clients to cultivate their most meaningful relationships.

Learn how to apply system theories for families and couples while also helping children and adolescents within the family framework. It’s a natural pairing for an aspiring school counselor striving to understand the complicated dynamics of students’ families.

School Counseling/Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling

School/clinical rehabilitation counselor listens to a smiling teenager speakSCHOOL COUNSELING/CLINICAL REHABILITATION COUNSELING

Assist clients with physical, developmental, and emotional disabilities to craft and achieve personal goals based on their unique circumstances. Develop a client-centered perspective that assists them to function effectively within their vocations and overall environments.

Examine the biopsychosocial aspects of impairment and disability and create systems of support that empower the differently-abled, and learn treatment plans that help clients maximize their potential. Especially in schools, where students are developing long-term ways to mitigate physical, mental, and emotional disabilities, this focus can hold huge gains for your student population.

PROGRAM CURRICULUM

This 60-credit course of study prepares you to counsel students in a wide range of professional contexts; to build and lead counseling teams that make a meaningful impact on their student populations. Develop the competencies and self-understanding to help students grapple with anything from personal struggles, to family situations, to planning their futures. You’ll become a flexible, capable counselor ready to make a lasting impact wherever you see an opportunity.

School counselor sits with young boy

Counseling Core

Our 36-credit core counseling curriculum teaches counseling fundamentals that form the bedrock of school counseling. Learn the foundations of human development, psychodiagnosis, social and cultural counseling, and other areas as you gain a versatile base of practical knowledge. These theoretical frameworks and techniques will sustain your practice for years to come.

Practicum & Internships

Work with faculty to secure a preceptor and clinical location that enables you to develop your skills under professional supervision. Gain a combined total of at least 700 clock hours and 280 client contact hours to grow into an independent clinician. Practice within a context that fits your professional interests and goals.

School Counseling Foundations

Specialize your expertise through targeted school counseling courses that help you develop a nuanced understanding of the field. Courses in the foundations and management of school counseling, career readiness, and counseling interventions build a knowledge base that empowers you to thrive in myriad professional contexts. You’ll become a data-driven clinician capable of drawing on a network of resources to support each student.

Integrate Your Skills and Knowledge

Become a complete counselor by combining all facets of your practice into a cohesive skillset. We embrace periodic opportunities to assess our students’ knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to prepare you for the complete clinical experience. This helps you identify your weaknesses and build on your strengths to develop your personal counseling approach.

3 Onsite Immersions

Over the course of our roughly 2-year program, you will make three trips to our campus in Provo, Utah for a 2-day academic immersion experience. Connect with faculty and students, gain intensive in-person training, and take advantage of RMU’s many on-campus resources. It’s an opportunity to build your skills, form lasting professional connections, and fully focus on your long-term career goals.

MISSION & VISION

 

The mission of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is to educate current and future healthcare professionals for outcomes-oriented, evidence-based practice. The University demonstrates mission fulfillment through the quality of its education and success of its students in academic programs that develop leaders skilled in clinical inquiry and prepared to effect healthcare change.

The vision of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is to advance the quality, delivery, and efficacy of healthcare.

 

Semester Starts

Summer 2024

Priority Application Deadline

3/11/2024

Final Application Deadline

4/15/2024

Semester Start

5/6/2024

Fall 2024

Priority Application Deadline

7/8/2024

Final Application Deadline

8/12/2024

Semester Start

9/3/2024

Winter 2025

Priority Application Deadline

11/11/2024

Final Application Deadline

12/16/2024

Semester Start

1/6/2025

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university
  • An overall minimum 2.75 undergraduate grade point average on a 4.0 scale
  • An acceptable undergraduate statistics course with a grade of a C or higher
  • Acceptable test scores from one of the following standardized tests: GRE, MAT, or PLT. (This criterion is waived for applicants who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better or hold a conferred master’s degree or higher)
  • Three letters of recommendations (at least 2 from professional references)

PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling master's degree programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and have been determined to be ... “in full compliance with all applicable accreditation standards and policies.” The accreditation cycle for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling specialty areas runs through October 31, 2031.

Noted limitations – Post masters counseling certificate programs are not accredited by CACREP, nor are the additional three MS degree programs offered (Addictions Counseling, Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling).

UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (8060 165th Avenue NE Ste 100, Redmond, WA 98052-3981), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the US Department of Education.

Tuition & Financial Aid

There are many ways you can pay for your education and receive aid. See how our Financial Aid Office can help you fund your education.

Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance (COA) is the cornerstone of establishing a student's financial need, as it sets a limit on the total aid that a student may receive. Learn more...