University of Scranton  

The University of Scranton School Counseling Program assists students to develop a professional identity as a school counselor. To aid in that process, special curricular emphasis is placed on the American School Counseling Association’s National Model for School Counseling Programs and affiliated school counseling organizations:

1) The American School Counseling Association (ASCA)

2) The Education Trust’s National Center for Transforming School Counseling (NCTSC)

3) The National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research (CSCOR)

4) Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA)

Each organization strongly adheres to the position that professionals in this field can best facilitate academic, career and personal/social development among students by acting as leaders, advocates, collaborators, and visionaries for systemic change. Trainees in the University of Scranton’s program are taught to pay particular attention to access and equity issues that create educational gaps between student groups. The four elements of the ASCA National Model (Foundation, Delivery System, Program Management, and Accountability) are infused throughout the curriculum. Emphasis is also placed on the American School Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics.

Program faculty are advocates for comprehensive services that are appropriate and relevant for all students in schools, and they promote the use of developmental perspectives by school counselors. The school counseling faculty are National Trainers for the Education Trust’s Transforming School Counseling Initiative and are members of state boards for counseling policy issues. The School Counseling Program prepares graduates to conceptualize and implement comprehensive school counseling programs around the eight goals that characterize developmental counseling: understanding school environments, understanding self and others, understanding students’ attitudes and behaviors, understanding students’ decision-making and problem solving skills, exercising effective interpersonal and communication skills, understanding student success skills, understanding students’ career awareness and educational planning, and understanding community pride and involvement.

Our 48-credit program leads to a master’s degree (M.S.) in counseling. Graduates of our programs are eligible for Pennsylvania Department of Education certification as Elementary School Counselors (K-6) or Secondary School Counselors (7-12). Students interested in dual certification may complete additional coursework. The programs are a part of the teacher-education unit at The University of Scranton. The teacher-education unit also consists of the Education Department and the Teacher Education Committee. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education accredit the teacher education units at the University of Scranton. The School Counseling Program is also nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Students completing the program are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) sponsored by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).