Return to: Curry School of Graduate Education
Counseling is a unique helping profession based on education and social and behavioral sciences. The program prepares students to communicate effectively, tolerate ambiguity, and handle a variety of interpersonal situations. The master’s degree (M.Ed.) program in School Counseling, in addition to being accredited by CACREP, is approved by the Virginia Department of Education. Graduates will be recommended for Virginia licensure as preK-12 school counselors. The program is designed to prepare students to become accountable, competent, and reflective counselors who promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of young people. The primary goal of faculty is to prepare ethical, culturally competent counselors who address individual and systemic barriers to educational achievement and personal development in the context of a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program. Graduates of the program will demonstrate the ability to facilitate student development in the three broad areas described in the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Standards: academic development, career development, and personal/social development. The program is broadly based and interdisciplinary in nature.
Students interested in becoming counselors focus their training on planning, implementing, and evaluating counseling programs to meet the unique social, physical, intellectual, and emotional needs of children and adolescents in school settings. All students in the program are required to complete a counseling field experience at both elementary (pre-K through 6) and middle/secondary (7 through 12) school settings. Students are assigned to practicum and internship sites in local and neighboring school districts (e.g., Albemarle County, Charlottesville City Schools, Fluvanna County Schools, Greene County Schools, Nelson County Schools, Orange County Schools). Students’ practicum, completed in their first spring semester, is 100 hours. Students must complete their internship during the fall and spring of their second year. They must complete a minimum of 600 hours of internship. The Counselor Education program requires a minimum of 48 (core, specialty, elective) credits. Students must enroll on a full-time basis during the academic year.
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