Program Structure
Overview of the program:
The School Counseling Master’s degree program is a three-year program of study. We operate on a cohort model, which means our students are admitted together and progress together through sequential coursework. Our program is held in person on PSU’s campus in downtown Portland and includes academic and clinical work.
Year One:
The first year of our program includes foundational courses for the counseling profession and specialty area. These classes focus on developmental foundations, theories and interventions, legal and ethical issues in counseling, and diagnosis and treatment planning.
In the first year of the program, students will also participate in a group counseling experience called the Experiential Training Clinic (ETC). In this experience, recent graduates of our program facilitate group counseling sessions. As group members, students will increase self-awareness, explore personal cultural identity, facilitate interpersonal learning and skills, learn about group processes and skills, and increase readiness to begin in counseling practicum. Students will choose to take this class in one term of the first year.
Year Two:
The second year of the program includes our students' first clinical work. All of our students complete their practicum in our Community Counseling Clinic. This low-barrier clinic serves the public at a low cost, meeting a vital need in our community and aligning with PSU’s mission Let Knowledge Serve the City. Practicum is a year-long experience wherein students engage in both clinical work and serve as peer supervisors. By experiencing their first clinical under our direct supervision, our students receive exceptional support as we guide their practice and development as a counselor. When our students move into the peer supervision aspect of practicum, they also learn about supervision theory and process, a unique offering rarely found in counselor education master’s degrees. We believe this helps set our students up for success in their future as counselors and supervisors.
Year Three:
Our students complete two internship placements in the third year of the program in schools. Our Field Placement Office facilitates internship placement for students, placing them in our many partner schools in the Portland-metro region and beyond. Students complete internships at both the elementary and secondary levels, preparing them for their School Counseling license with the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).
Students will have a primary placement at the level they are most interested in working (elementary or secondary) and should plan to spend approximately three days in that placement per week. They should plan to spend approximately one day per week in their additional placement. During their internships, students will be placed with a cooperating school counselor and receive additional supervision from PSU faculty as well as our School Counseling Internship Coordinator.
Concurrent with internships, students complete an action research project during the third year of the program. In this culminating project, students identify a need at their primary placement and design and implement an intervention or prevention based on that need.
Sample Days and times of classes for the 2020 - 2023 cohort. Please note that this is a sample. Class days and times are subject to change, please always refer to the most recent class schedule for current times.
The program of study leading to an MS in Education: Counseling includes the following 90 credits:
Program of Study
Sequence of Courses
Course descriptions
For course descriptions, please consult the Bulletin or Class Schedule.
Field Placement
Students are required to complete an application prior to their field placement.