Mount Mary University’s accredited Master of Science in Counseling school counseling concentration prepares you for a career in supporting students with academic development, career development and concerns in personal, social or emotional health and development.

School counselors generally work in K-12 school settings and work with teachers, principals and parents to help students achieve and prepare for life transitions, post-high school training, education and employment. School counselors also may provide consultation for other special needs and circumstances.

By completing the school counseling program, you will meet the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's requirements for the Early Childhood/Adolescence school counselor license (license code 54).

School Counseling Degree Requirements

The 54-credit school counseling concentration requires you to:

  • complete all required and elective program coursework (see below)
  • perform 100-hour practicum
  • perform 600 on-site hours of internship experiences in a K-12 school setting
  • pass Praxis 2 Professional School Counselor Exam

The following courses are required for this concentration:

(All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise specified) 

Counseling Core:  

  • CON 600 Professional Identity & Ethics  
  • CON 601 Orientation to Practicum-Internship (0 credits)  
  • CON 610 Theories of Counseling  
  • CON 612 Techniques of Counseling  
  • CON 630 Statistics, Research, Program Evaluation  
  • CON 650 Trauma Counseling 1   
  • CON 700 Multicultural Counseling 
  • CON 740 Group Procedures in Counseling  
  • CON 741 Family Systems Theory, Assessment and Practice  
  • CON 750 Counseling across the Lifespan  
  • CON 795 Supervised Practicum  

School Counseling Concentration: 

  • CON 711 Academic/Career Planning &Development  
  • CON 712 Counseling Children & Adolescents  
  • CON 730 Counseling in Schools  
  • CON 796 Counseling Internship 1 (School placement)  
  • CON 797 Counseling Internship 2 (School placement)  
  • EDU 703 Exceptional Learners (Required for students without WI teaching certification)  
  • EDU 742 Instructional Strategies (Required for students without WI teaching certification)

Elective Courses 3 credits of elective coursework required for those without WI teaching certification; 9 credits of elective coursework required for those with WI teaching certification. 

  • CON 615 Introduction to Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling & Case Management  
  • CON 640 Medical & Psychosocial Aspects of Disabilities (prereq CON 615) 
  • CON 651 Trauma Counseling 2  
  • CON 652 Trauma Counseling 3 
  • CON 659 Conflict Mediation for Professionals  
  • CON 679 Special Topics in Counseling  
  • CON 714 Addictions Counseling  
  • CON 715 Professional Issues in Addictions Counseling (prereq 715) 
  • CON 720 Counseling Assessment  
  • CON 770 Psychopathology  
  • CON 775 Psychopharmacology (prereq CON 770) 
  • CON 780 Independent Reading  
  • CON 790 Research or Thesis  

See complete degree requirements and a listing of courses in the Academic Catalog (PDF).

School Counseling Plus Licensed Professional Counselor Option

If you’re interested in pursuing a school counseling degree, as well as eligibility for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) status in Wisconsin, you must complete an additional 21 credits to meet the requirements of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. The following courses are needed, in addition to the 54 credits for the school counseling concentration, to meet the LPC option:

  • CON 622: Advanced Counseling Techniques
  • CON 714: Addiction Counseling
  • CON 770: Psychopathology
  • CON 775: Psychopharmacology
  • CON 785: Advanced Issues in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  • CON 796: Counseling Internship I (CMHC placement)
  • CON 797: Counseling Internship II (CMHC placement)

School Counseling Post-Master's Certificate

Post-Master’s Certificates in Counseling are designed for students who have previously received a master’s degree in the counseling field and who seek an additional area of concentration in which to be licensed. In most cases, specific licenses are granted by a state regulating and licensing boards and in some cases licensing or credentialing may be awarded by a national professional organization. See the curriculum requirements based on your previous degree.

School Counseling Practicum Sites

Our faculty will help you secure a practicum and internship site. Practicum and internship sites for school counseling students are located in southeastern Wisconsin and include:

PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP SITES

Transfer Credits

A maximum of 9 credits or 30 percent of total program credits, whichever is greater, may be transferred from other regionally accredited institutions with the approval of the program director. All transfer credits must be at a grade B or better, and must be documented with official transcripts. Credit earned prior to admission will be evaluated during the admission process only.

School Counseling Program Assessment

2022 Assessment Report

For information about the Mount Mary students' performance and employment, see the Wisconsin Educator Preparation Program Annual Reports.