Curriculum

The Master of Counseling (M.Coun.) graduate program with an option in School Counseling will prepare you to work as a professional counselor who promotes the social, psychological and physical well-being of individuals, families, communities and organizations in order to continually improve global welfare.

Our program faculty believe professional counselors stand for social, economic and political justice and therefore must be prepared to be proactive educators, change agents and advocates in the face of injustice. Development across the life span, cultural diversity and a global perspective are integral to the preparation of professional school counselors.

You can find a wealth of program information in the College of Education's student handbook.

Degree requirements

A total of 90 quarter credits are required to graduate with your M.Coun. degree with an option in School Counseling. Curriculum details are available on Oregon State's academic catalog.

Sample course topics

• Developmental perspectives in counseling
• Social and cultural perspectives
• Addictive behavior counseling
• Legal, ethical, professional issues in counseling
• Leadership of school counseling programs
• Special education issues
• Theory and techniques of child and adolescent counseling
• Research methods in education
• Appraisal of the individual
• Group counseling procedures
• Family counseling
• Crisis, grief and loss
• Cross-cultural counseling

Please note: Only Oregon State students who are enrolled in a counseling degree program are eligible to register for online COUN courses at the 500 and 600 levels.

Additional program features

Internship

You will be required to complete a 600-hour internship over three terms in order to graduate. The internship is the program's culminating field experience. It will place you on-site in a public or private mental health or school setting that will help you create the necessary bridge between training and professionalism.

Practicum

The program's Practicum I course requires four hours per week in a school setting. Practicum II requires six hours per week in the schools. (Please note: If you are not an Oregon resident and do not have a teaching license, you will need to take COUN 591 and COUN 582 to fulfill the TSPC requirement of a 200-hour teaching practicum experience. These two classes are not required for graduation but are for licensure purposes.)

Personal counseling

You are required to attend 10 individual counseling sessions and to participate in 10 hours of a group membership experience. These personal growth experiences allow you to observe and work with a practicing professional to achieve a greater understanding of the counseling process from a client’s perspective. This requirement is essential for personal growth.

Conferences and training

You are required to earn 6 contact hours (CEUs) of professional development activities by attending an approved professional conference.

Nationally administered exam

You must successfully pass a comprehensive national exam as determined by program faculty. You will be financially responsible for the cost of the exam.

Flexible hybrid learning format

Coursework is delivered in a hybrid format, with 50% of the instruction conducted online and 50% in face-to-face classroom meetings, held twice a term in Corvallis, Oregon. During fall, winter and spring terms, classroom meetings will be held the second and ninth weekends (Friday and Saturday). During summer term, the meetings will be held the first and seventh weekends (Friday and Saturday).

The online practicum and internship courses during years 2 and 3 are synchronous, which require “live” online attendance during specific dates and times.