What Universities Offer a Masters in Guidance Counseling?
Guidance counselors in both secondary and postsecondary school settings help students cope with social and academic problems. They also provide assistance to students applying to college or conducting a job search. Many schools offer the master's degree programs required for employment in this field.
How to Select a Guidance Counselor School
When selecting a master's degree program in guidance counseling, students might want to choose a program that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Through a combination of coursework and supervised internships, accredited programs prepare graduates to pass school counselor licensure exams administered by state departments of education.
These classes can include assessment techniques, multicultural counseling, group counseling, class and gender in schools, career development, child psychopathology, chemical dependence and counseling theory. Students who are not certified as teachers may need to consider whether or not a school's guidance counselor program offers the additional education classes, such as classroom management or cognitive development, needed to meet some states' licensure requirements.
Internships are also an important part of graduate guidance counselor programs. Master's degree candidates often work within local schools alongside full-time guidance counselors to prepare for careers counseling students in grades K-12. Graduate students may find themselves observing counseling techniques or conducting counseling sessions.
If students plan on working at inner-city schools, they might want to select a school that offers classes in bilingual education and cross-cultural counseling theory. Applicants to these programs may be required to demonstrate foreign language proficiency to gain admission.
Largest Guidance Counselor Schools by Overall Student Enrollment
| College/University | Student Population | Institution Type |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | 67,082 | 4-year, Public |
| University of Florida | 51,474 | 4-year, Public |
| University of Central Florida | 50,121 | 4-year, Public |
| Michigan State University | 46,510 | 4-year, Public |
| University of South Florida | 46,189 | 4-year, Public |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 44,406 | 4-year, Public |
| New York University | 42,189 | 4-year, Private not-for-profit |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison | 41,620 | 4-year, Public |
| Indiana University - Bloomington | 40,354 | 4-year, Public |
| Florida International University | 38,759 | 4-year, Public |
| Florida State University | 38,682 | 4-year, Public |
| University of Arizona | 38,057 | 4-year, Public |
| California State University - Long Beach | 37,891 | 4-year, Public |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 37,000 | 4-year, Public |
| California State University - Fullerton | 36,996 | 4-year, Public |
| California State University - Northridge | 36,208 | 4-year, Public |
| University of Houston | 36,104 | 4-year, Public |
| Rutgers University - New Brunswick | 36,041 | 4-year, Public |
| San Diego State University | 34,889 | 4-year, Public |
| University of North Texas | 34,830 | 4-year, Public |
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21 Popular Schools
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Colorado (2 campuses)
- Nevada (2 campuses)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Utah (3)
Classroom-Based Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must have completed 12 college credits
School locations:
- California (16 campuses)
Classroom-Based Programs
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Master
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- MA - Psychology (Professional Clinical Counseling Emphasis)
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Master
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- MSEd in School Counseling
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Florida (2 campuses)
- Hawaii (1 campus)
- Texas (1)
Classroom-Based Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must have either two or more years of college or active military status if you are under 24 years of age
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate.
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Master
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- MS in Education - Leadership
- MS in Education
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- Master of Science in Education - Online Teaching and Learning
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be 21 years of age or older and have completed some college or 24 years of age or older and a high school graduate for a Bachelor's degree
- Masters degree applicants must have a Bachelors degree
- Doctorate degree applicants must have a Masters degree
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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School locations:
- Online Learning
- Arizona (3 campuses)
- California (14)
- Colorado (3)
- Florida (6)
- Georgia (4)
- Illinois (7)
- Indiana (2)
- Kentucky (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- New Jersey (3)
- Nevada (1)
- New York (2)
- Ohio (4)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (5)
- Tennessee (2)
- Texas (7)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (3)
- Washington (3)
- Wisconsin (2)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
