Administration & Student Support

If you would like to work in a school setting but do not wish to teach, we’ve got you covered. PSU offers programs in school counseling, social work, education administration, and speech and hearing sciences. Each of these programs provides a different career pathway to working in schools.

School Counseling

A master’s degree is required to earn a school counseling license. First, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree, though there is no specific major required.

The most common bachelor’s degrees earned by PSU school counseling graduates are Child, Youth, and Family Studies, Social Work, Sociology, and Psychology. However, there is no required track for school counseling.

A school counselor with dark, curly hair and an ochre shirt smiles while advising a student with a blond undercut and dark blue clothes.

School Counseling—Master’s

School counselors work to maximize student success, promoting access and equity for all students. PSU’s school counseling master’s program includes a strong clinical emphasis, exceptionally preparing professional school counselors to work in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public and private schools.

School Counseling Master’s

A group of diverse adults sit in a semicircle sharing their stories.

School Counseling Graduate Certificate for Post-Master’s Students

If you already hold a clinical master’s degree, complete this streamlined program to move into the school system. This program prepares post-master’s students with their preliminary school counseling license and is designed to meet the requirements for the preliminary school counselor license.

School Counseling Certificate

A group of teenagers are gathered together working on schoolwork.

Social Work—Master’s

Completion of this program prepares social workers to provide advanced practice and leadership in clinical mental health, communities, organizations, healthcare and aging, and services to children and families.

Master of Social Work

Education Administration & Leadership

There are a variety of leadership opportunities within schools. PSU offers master’s, licensure, and endorsement programs to advance your career in education.

A blurry teacher across the room addresses a classroom full of students.

Curriculum & Instruction—Master's

This program is for teachers and other education professionals who want to pursue advanced studies in teacher leadership, educational theories and research, and curriculum design. Become an educational leader and drive change in schools and districts, or improve your educational practice in the classroom.

Curriculum & Instruction

Principal License

Principals provide leadership to their school community with a focus on student needs, school climate, and personnel development. Principal licensure programs at PSU prepare you to feel confident making strong decisions when it matters most, and to move cutting-edge educational practices forward. Our approach integrates anti-racist teaching practices and prepares you to become a culturally-responsive leader.

To become a principal, you will first need to work in a school—in a licensed role—for at least three years. Depending on your educational background, we offer two pathways to becoming a school principal. If you are not already a teacher, school counselor, or other school professional, check out our become a teacher page to get started. You can also earn a master’s degree by adding four additional courses to the license.

A principal greets the mother of new student with a handshake in school corridors.

Principal License—Graduate Certificate

Whether you already have your master’s degree or not, we have a pathway for you to become a Principal. Our programs prepare you to serve diverse learners in a changing world.

Principal License Program

Speech & Hearing Support

PSU’s speech and hearing programs prepare you to make a difference in the growing fields of speech-language pathology, audiology, health, and education.

A doctor inspects the inside of a patient's ear.

Speech & Hearing Sciences—Bachelor’s

PSU’s bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing science is your first step toward a rewarding career helping children and adults with speech, language, swallowing, and hearing disorders.

Speech & Hearing Major

A woman works with a young girl on speech communications.

Communication Sciences & Disorders—Undergraduate Certificate

PSU’s certificate in communication sciences and disorders helps prepare you for a career in speech-language pathology or audiology.

Communication Sciences Cert.

Speech & Hearing Sciences—Master’s

PSU’s master’s degree in speech-language pathology prepares you for a career helping children and adults improve their lives with better communication.

Speech & Hearing Master’s