School Counseling (M.A.)

The Counseling program offers an M.A. in School Counseling for students whose academic backgrounds include educator preparation or certification as well as for those who do not.

Program Overview

2

Year Program

600

Internship Hours

Students in the College of Education’s School Counseling program cover various areas including student learning & behavior, legal and ethical issues, college and career development, appraisal methods, counseling theories, group work, special populations, research, and program evaluation.

The program aligns with the standards of the Florida Department of Education and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Non-certified teachers must complete additional courses and pass the state FTCE exam for certification. With high demand for school counselors, students gain counseling competence, technological skills, and complete 600 hours of supervised internship over three semesters. Internships focus on college & career readiness, social-emotional learning, and academic achievement in local schools across SW Florida.

Program Forms

School Counseling Internship Manual

School Counseling Program Handbook

School Counseling Program Recommendation Form

Apply

Admission Requirements

Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid

What do School Counselors do?

How We Prepare Our Students to be Effective School Counselors

Mentoring
Supportive classmates in your cohort
State of the art, hands-on experiential learning
Supervised internships
Professional engagement, leadership, and advocacy

Advantages for School Counselors

High demand for school counselors in SW Florida
Work with K-12 students and families throughout the school year
Make a positive difference in the lives of children
Work with the whole child: academic, career, social, and emotional

ASCA-Aligned Curriculum

The FGCU School Counseling Program is aligned with the ASCA school counseling curriculum standards (PDF).

Transition to School Counseling Certificate

The College of Education offers a Transition to School Counseling Certificate for students who have a prior master's degree in community or mental health counseling. Your master’s degree must be in counseling. A degree in other areas, including educational degrees (e.g., educational leadership or curriculum), are not eligible for the certificate.

Note: The College of Education is no longer accepting applications for the Fall 2023 - Spring 2024 academic year.

School Counseling Certification Information

Information for Current and Prospective Students

Accreditation
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Admissions Information
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Getting Started
Applicants must submit an application online per the individual program’s instructions below. Please contact Graduate Admissions at 239-745-GRAD or graduate@fgcu.edu for additional information about the application process. Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up to date admission requirements prior to commencing the application process.
See program website at URL listed above.

Applicants must submit an application online at apply.fgcu.edu. Please contact Graduate Admissions at 239-745-GRAD or graduate@fgcu.edu for additional information about the application process. Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up to date admission requirements prior to commencing the application process.

School Counseling program related documents:

▶ You can download the recommendation form template here.

▶ Download an entry requirements checklist here.

▶ Download the School Counseling Plan of Study here.

Program Admission Requirements
- Submit an FGCU Graduate Admissions Application and satisfy all applicable university admissions requirements
- A four year undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester hours attempted accruing to the undergraduate degree;
- Applicants with a 3.0 GPA and above are exempt from taking the GRE or MAT. Applicants below a 3.0 GPA must submit a GRE or MAT report taken within the last five years. For complete information on the GRE, visit their web-site at http://www.gre.org/. If you have any questions on the GRE procedures and regulations, contact the Educational Testing Service. You can also get important information about the MAT from the FGCU website. If you need accommodations, please visit the FGCU Adaptive Services website at https://www.fgcu.edu/adaptive/.
- Applicants with Florida Teacher or Educator certification are required to submit evidence of their certificate.
- Submission of three recommendations from professionals in the field using the department's recommendation form. Note that letters of recommendation submitted in addition to the form are optional. You can download the recommendation form template here.
- Performance in courses taken post baccalaureate will be taken into consideration for admission to the School Counseling Program.
- A brief (2-3 pages, double spaced) Statement of Purpose. This essay should answer the question, "Out of all the many ways I can help children and families with their academic, career, social, and emotional development, why school counseling?" This statement serves both as a writing sample and a demonstration of your thoughtful approach and decision to school counseling as a profession.
- An individual interview as scheduled by the school counseling program admissions committee after all other parts of the application are complete (you will be contacted by phone or email).
- Criminal Record Policy Statement: All applicants are advised that in order to complete the school counseling program they must complete internships. Most internship sites (i.e., schools) do background checks and will not permit the placement of school counselor interns with criminal records. The department reserves the right to deny program admission to any applicant if it appears that applicant is unlikely to be able to complete the internship requirement due to a criminal record, thus inhibiting their ability to complete the program.
Once your application is submitted you will receive confirmation within five business days. You may check the status of your application by using our online application check at https://gulfline.fgcu.edu/pls/fgpo/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon

Deadline: Priority application review begins on February 1 of each year. Qualified applications submitted thereafter will be reviewed and may be admitted on a space available basis.
Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2023-2024 Catalog Year
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
- Students must satisfactorily complete the number of credits specified by the graduate degree program.
- A grade of B or higher must be earned in all graduate program courses used as prerequisites and each of the required courses.
- Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work attempted.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all coursework in program.
- Students must complete and pass a culminating demonstration of learning and competence at the end of the program, currently the Florida School Counseling PK-12 (018) Subject Area Examination. Students seeking certification must fully demonstrate Florida Educator Accomplished Practices as part of their supervised field experiences (i.e., internship).
- Students seeking certification by graduating from a state approved program must show evidence of passing all the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) components as required by the state of Florida. These include the FTCE, taken by all applicants applying for an initial teaching certificate (i.e., if you are not a teacher certified), and the Florida School and Counseling PK-12 (018) Subject Area Examination.
- The COE limits the transfer of coursework into its graduate programs to a maximum of 12 credits or three courses. To be considered, courses must have been completed with a minimum grade of B and no more than seven years prior to the date of entry into the graduate program and no more than ten years prior to graduation from the graduate program.
- Submit an application for graduation by the semester deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
- Students must register for a minimum of one credit during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
- Earn more than 50% of the credits toward the degree through FGCU.
- Earn a minimum of 38 credits.
Program Requirements
Required Courses in the Major (38 credits)

SDS 6010 Intro to School Counseling (3)
SDS 6068 Develop Aspects of Learn & Beh (2)
SDS 6200 Appraisal in School Counseling (2)
SDS 6338 Sch Couns College/Career Dev (3)
SDS 6406 School Coun Theory/Techniques (3)
SDS 6415 School Counseling Techniques (2)
SDS 6418 Sch Couns Ldrship Acct & Supv (2)
SDS 6425 Sch Couns Special Populations (3)
SDS 6515 Grp Wrk for School Counselors (3)
SDS 6600 Consult & Collab Prob Solving (3)
SDS 6635 Sch Couns Research & Prog Eval (3)
SDS 6705 School Couns Leg/Ethical Iss (3)
SDS 6830 School Counseling Internship (6)*

*Six (6) total credits of SDS 6830 are required for graduation; these are typically accrued over multiple semesters, while taking one credit for each 100 hours of internship to be completed in the semester.

Other Requirements (6 credits)
For non-certified or certificate eligible teachers (6 credits): In addition to the above required courses, students who have not otherwise established competencies in Reading, Instruction, and ESOL as specified by the Florida Department of Education must complete the following 6 credits (usually taken in the fall semester and/or spring but under advisement may be taken in the summer prior to matriculation):

EDG 6356 Inst Models and Strategies (3)
RED 5147L Developmental Reading (3)*

Note: *Requires 15 hours of field observation in a school setting during the day.
Total Credits Required: 38 HRS
Course Descriptions
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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search
Course Schedule
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Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Learning Outcomes
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The programs meets all CACREP standards as defined as the eight Core competencies and for the School Counseling specialty area. Accomplishment of these standards is noted in the syllabus of each course and is tracked using a program called Tevera.

The program also adheres to learning outcomes for graduate students at FGCU.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Supplemental Tuition Waiver Policies
- Students are eligible to apply for graduate tuition fee waivers in one of FGCU's graduate Counseling programs after being admitted to the program with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Application Form and policies: Students are advised to file a FAFSA when they apply to the program.
There are other scholarships and aid available, some especially for school counselors and educators. See below:

Foundation Education Based Scholarships
- FGCU Foundation
- Bartley Scholarship (see story here).
External Education Based Scholarships

Quick links to external based scholarships.

CAPE CORAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

The Cape Coral Community Foundation has several Scholarship Funds available. In our 2006/2007 Scholarship cycle we awarded 33 recipients over $60,000 dollars to assist them in continuing their education. Scholarship eligibility varies according to the specific criteria of the Scholarship Fund that was established by the fund's donor. Please review the information regarding eligibility and criteria as each Scholarship Fund is unique.

SCHOLARSHIPS
1. The Bird Scholarship Fund was created to assist students that attend Faith Presbyterian Church or have family members that attend the church. Applications can be obtained at the Faith Presbyterian Church office.
2. The Brighten the Corner Scholarship Fund was created to assist young people who may have thought education opportunities beyond high school would not be available to them. An 85% attendance in a Christian Service of their choice is required.
3. The Helen & Edward Brancati Teacher Development Scholarship was created to assist teachers employed by an accredited school in the United States who are seeking to continue their education.
To apply to any of the CCCF scholarships please visit the foundations website.

FAFSA

Get help paying for college. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

FASTWEB

FastWeb is an online resource in finding scholarships to help you pay for school.

FLORIDA FUND FOR MINORITY STUDENTS

Florida Fund for Minority Students.

HISPANIC COLLEGE FUND

More than $2 million will be awarded in scholarships to more than 500 deserving Hispanic students from the United States and Puerto Rico. To qualify for the scholarships, undergraduate and graduate students must maintain a 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA; be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident residing in the United States or Puerto Rico; be enrolled full-time at an accredited university for the upcoming school year; and must demonstrate financial needs. Learn more about Hispanic College Funds

STATE FARM HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND
- State Farm Companies Foundation has assisted Hispanic college students through its relationship with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund since 1990. Each year, we provide scholarships in the amount of $2,500 to twenty (20) Hispanic college students who are pursuing a teaching career.
- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund administers the program for State Farm Companies Foundation. Applications become available August 1st, the deadline to submit an application is October 16th (application must be postmarked by October 16th)
- To obtain an application and selection criteria, please contact Hispanic Scholarship Fund:
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
55 Second Street, Suite 1500
San Francisco, CA 94105
1-877-HSF-INFO 1-877-HSF-INFO

(1-877-473-4636 1-877-473-4636 FREE

OTHER SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

View more recent posts about scholarships from the Scholarship section of our News You Can Use updates.
School Counseling Programs of Study
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Please note: Due to curricular and programmatic changes, the program of study is specific to the year in which students are admitted. Programs of study for the most recent three cohorts are provided below.

Program Overview

2

600

Program Forms

Information for Current and Prospective Students

School Counseling (M.A.)

Experience FGCU