Ed.M. with Certification in School Counseling

Program Overview

The Ed.M. program with school counseling certification at the GSE is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is designed to prepare culturally competent professional school counselors. Students exiting this 60-credit degree program are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for counseling in grades preschool through 12, These include capabilities to study and assess individual students, counsel students regarding personal, social educational and vocational plans and programs, collaborate with school administrators, teachers, and parents to advocate for student success, and develop cooperative relationships with community agencies in assisting children and their families. In alignment with the GSE’s mission, the program has a multicultural programmatic focus dedicated to empowering all students, supporting parent engagement, and eliminating the achievement gap. Expert faculty will lead students through curriculum encompassing counseling, psychology, sociological and cultural influences, college and career-readiness, assessment, evaluation, statistics, and research while encouraging self-reflection and personal growth in our developing school counselors, so they are capable of acting as counselors, leaders, advocates, and consultants in the communities they serve.

After the program is completed and the master’s degree is awarded, the GSE will make a recommendation to the New Jersey State Department of Education on behalf of the graduate to receive their Standard Certificate as a School Counselor.

Mission Statement

The mission of the School Counseling program is to prepare culturally competent professional school counselors for the roles and responsibilities of school counseling in the twenty-first century, towards promoting equity, inclusion, and social justice for students in K-12 schools. In response to the increasingly diverse demographic landscape of the United States and New Jersey in particular, the School Counseling program aims to recruit and admit diverse student cohorts and has a multicultural programmatic focus dedicated to empowering all students, increasing parent engagement, eliminating the achievement gap, and addressing biopsychosocial and systemic strengths and challenges that interact with academic success.

To this end, faculty members will effectively train professional school counselors who are culturally competent as well as sensitive to the diverse and changing needs of youth in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, their families, the schools that they attend, and the communities in which they live. The program curriculum provides a wide range of didactic and experiential learning opportunities emphasizing the preparation of school counselors as leaders, social justice advocates, and consultants, who engage school leaders, teachers, and community stakeholders to tend to the needs of all students. Graduates will excel in developing and implementing culturally responsive, comprehensive school counseling programs and support services based on data-driven and ethical decision-making models that promote academic achievement, personal and social-emotional development, and post-secondary educational and career development for all students.

Program Goals as of 2024-2025
(Last updated: 10/28/2024)

Knowledge/Understanding 

• School counseling students will develop knowledge and expertise necessary to implement a comprehensive school counseling program to address academic, career planning, and social-emotional development of their own students, as well as a deep understanding of contemporary issues that impact school counseling practice.
• Students will learn models of school counseling programs; the roles of school counselors to include advocates, leaders, and systems change agents in PK-12 schools promoting equity in student achievement; and learn advocacy for comprehensive school counseling programs and various roles including crisis management.

Communication/Community Building 

• Students will develop professional relationships through participation in clinical placements in school settings, as well as in counseling organizations such as ASCA, ACA and the New Jersey School Counselor Association (NJSCA).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 

• Foster Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Students will acquire skills and historical context to critically examine the connections of social, cultural, familial, emotional, and behavioral factors to academic achievement; and use evidence-based and culturally sustaining interventions to promote academic development.

Research/Professional Practice 

• Integrate Evidence-Based Research: Students will learn the importance of research in advancing the counseling profession, including the use of research to inform counseling practice; and identification and evaluation of the evidence base for counseling theories, interventions, and practices.  

Assessment 

• Students will learn about program evaluation designs and procedures, including needs assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessments to inform decision-making and advocacy assessment models and approaches, and how to effectively apply these methods to assess the impact of school counseling programming on youths’ academic/education, career, personal, and social development.

Professional Development/Self-Reflection 

• Students will engage in multiple opportunities for self-reflection through coursework that incorporates self-reflection as a key component of applying theory to practice and addressing one’s biases and assumptions as students build a professional counseling identity.
• Students will maintain the ethical standards set forth by the ACA and ASCA, guiding their professional conduct and competency in school counseling.
• Prioritize School Counselor Self-Care: Students will learn balanced self-care, recognizing its essential role in sustaining personal well-being and professional effectiveness.

For more information about this program:

• Download the program guide (includes course list and application requirements)
• As required by CACREP, the School Counseling program publicly reports outcomes annually. These reports can be found on our Accreditation page.
• Contact Matt Winkler, Assistant Dean for Advisement in the Office of Student and Academic Services

Program Details