COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Science in Counseling is a 60–69 unit professional program designed to prepare students for careers in counseling across a variety of settings, emphasizing social justice and postmodern praxis. Core coursework (39–48 units) provides foundational knowledge and skills in counseling, including introduction to counseling, research and evaluation, law and ethics, advanced counseling techniques, conflict resolution, counseling theories, socio-cultural counseling, human development, group counseling, career counseling, appraisal, and a practice-based placement that ranges from 6 to 12 units. Students select one of three concentrations—School Counseling, Professional Counseling, or a dual School and Professional Counseling concentration—which adds 21–30 units of specialized coursework tailored to their career goals. The School Counseling concentration focuses on learning theories, systems consultation, professional school counseling, crisis and trauma counseling, family counseling, aging, death and grief, and gender and sexuality. The Professional Counseling concentration emphasizes addictions counseling, crisis and trauma counseling, diagnosis, psychopharmacology, family counseling, aging, death and grief, and gender and sexuality. The dual concentration combines the coursework from both areas, totaling 30 units, providing students with a broader professional preparation. The program culminates in either a comprehensive examination or a master’s degree project. This combination of core and concentration-specific courses equips graduates with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and ethical grounding required to practice as licensed professional counselors or school counselors, meet California licensure requirements, and respond effectively to complex issues in clinical, educational, and community settings.