School Counseling Masters Program

School Counseling Program Overview Video:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UAUPlL1K0ReuY38BPPCeQjG9j4bGAbXv/view?usp=sharing

Admissions Procedures 

The School Counseling Program prepares professional school counselors who will be leaders, advocates, and systemic change agents in K-12 urban educational settings. The program emphasizes increasing graduates’ awareness, knowledge, and skills to work with economically, socially, and culturally diverse urban student populations. The program focuses on access, equity and social justice in the delivery of counseling services to promote the academic, career, and personal-social development of ALL students in culturally diverse urban settings. We aim to develop professional school counselors with the competencies to work both individually and systemically and who are committed to closing the achievement gap in urban schools.

Students earn an M.Ed. (60 credit hours) in School Counseling. Coursework includes one 100-hour practicum and two 300-hour internships in schools in Prince George’s County. Students also take courses in counseling, school counseling, research methods, and special education. Students matriculate on a full-time basis and complete the program in two years.

 For more information, feel free to watch the recording of our Program Overview at the following link:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UAUPlL1K0ReuY38BPPCeQjG9j4bGAbXv/view?usp=sharing. For specific questions about the program, please contact Diksha Bali dbali@umd.edu, Graduate Assistant, School Counseling.

School Counseling admissions deadline - December 1, 2022  (Fall only)

Mission

The School Counseling Masters Program at the University of Maryland prepares counselors to work professionally with children from the kindergarten level through high school. Counselor-trainees are prepared to work in elementary, middle, intermediate and high school settings. The hallmark of the program is its primary focus on preparing professional school counselors who can promote human growth and development in urban educational settings. To this end, the program emphasizes increasing awareness, knowledge, and skills in interacting with economically, socially, and culturally diverse student populations. A major emphasis of the training is on clinical experiences in partnership with local school districts. These partnerships foster an understanding of multicultural and diverse student populations and mastering counseling techniques that promote their educational empowerment in urban school settings. Consistent with the belief that counseling is for all children, the program has a focus on access, equity and social justice in the delivery of counseling services in culturally diverse urban settings. The program aims to develop professional school counselors who are educational leaders and advocates for systemic change.

Program Objectives

Graduates of the program will: 

  1. 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;
  2. demonstrate knowledge of the role and function of the professional counselor and how it relates to the mission of urban schools; 
  3. demonstrate leadership ability and advocacy skills in schools and communities to remove barriers to student learning; 
  4. demonstrate the ability to build collaborative partnerships with parents, agencies and community stakeholders for promoting access, equity and social justice in urban school settings;
  5. demonstrate expertise in working individually with culturally diverse students on educational, career, social, emotional, or personal issues that impact upon student achievement; 
  6. demonstrate expertise in group work with culturally diverse students on educational, career, social, emotional, or personal issues that impact upon student achievement;
  7. demonstrate the ability to consult with other professionals and administrators concerning the developmental needs of culturally diverse students; 
  8. demonstrate skills in developing a data-driven counseling program to meet the unique needs of an urban school; 
  9. demonstrate skills in assessing the influence of urban social context and policy variables on lifespan development with a primary focus on childhood and adolescence; 
  10. demonstrate the ability to conduct research in urban educational settings;
  11. demonstrate comprehension of ethical and legal issues relative to school counseling in urban environments; 
  12. understand school counseling as a profession and develop a critical attitude towards its practice in urban settings; 
  13. demonstrate increased sensitivity and clinical skills that represent awareness of the diversity of race, gender, religion, ethnicity, ability status, nationality, and sexual orientation as relevant to professional school counselors working in contemporary urban environments.

Below is a current list of professional organizations related to the School Counseling Program. 
 

American School Counseling Association
http://www.schoolcounselor.org

American Counseling Association
http://www.counseling.org

Maryland Association for Counseling and Development
http://www.mdcounseling.org

Maryland School Counselor Association
http://www.mscaonline.org/