Contact the Department of Educational Psychology
Meet the Counseling Program faculty at the Information Open House Click for Dates and Details
Interview Days-CMHC Flagstaff, Phoenix, & TucsonClick for Dates and Details
Student Handbook & Access to Personal Counseling
CACREP Student Handbook Access to Personal CounselingNAU CACREP Annual Reports
- 2021 - 2022 Program Evaluation Report
- 2020 - 2021 Annual Report to CACREP
- 2020 - 2021 Program Evaluation Report
- 2019 - 2020 Annual Report to CACREP
- 2019 - 2020 Program Evaluation Plan
Join our graduate program
Graduate quick links
- current tuition and fees
- financing your education
- loan forgiveness for teachers
Practicum and Internship Manuals and Forms for Masters Candidates
Practicum and Internship Manuals and Forms for Masters Candidates
Financial Info
Future students
Visit the College of Education's future students page to get helpful links for both undergraduate and graduate students.Programs of study
For a complete listing of all programs of study, please visit the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Programs of Study page.Counseling - School Counseling, Master of Education
The Educational Psychology Department designed this plan to prepare professional school counselors. It is appropriate if you are seeking the Arizona Department of Education's K-12 Guidance Counselor Certification. We offer this program at Northern Arizona University–Flagstaff and through some of our statewide offices.
This academic plan meets the coursework requirements for National Counselor Certification of the National Board for Certified Counselors.
This program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Requirements Accordion Open
To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.
You must additionally complete:- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
- All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
Read the full policy here.
Overview Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- Complete individual plan requirements.
Candidates in this program are required to demonstrate content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, professional knowledge, and professional dispositions to be eligible to enter student teaching or internship placements.
Content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge or skills, and professional dispositions are demonstrated through candidate performance on key assessments embedded in the following course(s):
| Minimum Units for Completion | 60 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required. |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Arizona Endorsement | Prepares student for Arizona Endorsement. |
| Progression Plan Link | View Program of Study |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
As a student in the MEd in Counseling - School Counseling program, you will take courses, engage in fieldwork, and participate in practicum and an internship that will prepare you to be a certified school counselor.
Upon obtaining your degree, you will be prepared to provide counseling services in the following areas:
- human growth and development
- social and cultural foundations
- career and lifestyle development
- research and program evaluation
- professional orientation
- school emergency mangement plans, and crises, disasters, and trauma
Our School Counseling faculty are leaders in the School Counseling profession across Arizona and at the national level (See Advocacy Projects and faculty bios). Our faculty are also integrally involved with the day-to-day realities of the ever-evolving profession of school counseling. The CACREP-accredited coursework is deeply informed by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) current edition of the ASCA National Model, which stresses the modern school counselor’s integral role in all students’ academic, career and personal/social growth and development.
Student Learning Outcomes
Outcomes align with Standards from the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
- Professional orientation and ethical practice - studies that provide an understanding of all of the following aspects of professional functioning.
- Social and cultural diversity - studies that provide an understanding of the cultural context of relationships, issues, and trends in a multicultural society.
- Human growth and development - studies that provide an understanding of the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels and in multicultural contexts.
- Career development - studies that provide an understanding of career development and related life factors.
- Helping relationships - studies that provide an understanding of the counseling process in a multicultural society.
- Group work - studies that provide both theoretical and experiential understandings of group purpose, development, dynamics, theories, methods, skills, and other group approaches in a multicultural society.
- Assessment - studies that provide an understanding of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation in a multicultural society.
- Research and program evaluation - studies that provide an understanding of research methods, statistical analysis, needs assessment, and program evaluation.
- Foundations, contextual dimensions and practice in School Counseling.
Details Accordion Closed
Graduate Admission Information
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Admission requirements include the following:- Transcripts.
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Additional Admission Requirements
Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
- GRE® revised General Test for applicants with a GPA lower than 3.0.
- 3 recommendation references
- EPS 525 or upper-division undergraduate Statistics course completed within the past three years.
- Responses to Specific Essay Questions
- IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card
- Candidate Interview
Master's Requirements
This Master’s degree requires 60 units distributed as follows:
- Counseling – School Counseling Course Requirements: 45 units
- Select a Career Counseling course: 3 units
- School-Based Crisis course: 3 units
- Elective Coursework selected in consultation with your advisor: 3 units
- Post-Practicum Internship: 6 units
Take the following 60 units:- EPS 590, EPS 594, EPS 601, EPS 615, EPS 617, EPS 621, EPS 622, EPS 634, EPS 660, EPS 661, EPS 670, EPS 680, EPS 688, EPS 690, EPS 692 (45 units)
- Select one from the following (3 units):
- EPS 669 as School-Based Crisis (3 units)
- EPS 694 for the post-practicum internship (6 units)
- Additional elective coursework chosen in consultation with your advisor (3 units)
Additional Information
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
- Program Fee Information
Program fees are established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). A program fee has been approved for this program. See program fee details. Program fees are subject to change and updated July 1 for the next academic year.
NAU Program Statement of Inclusion
We align with the American Counseling Association's (ACA) commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness. As a program and a profession, we respect, honor, and support the uniqueness of individuals across varying multicultural identities, which include but are not limited to sexual and affectional orientation, gender identity and expression, age, race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, military affiliation, religion or spiritual beliefs, ability, language, national origin, ancestry, and political views. Our counseling program welcomes students and faculty with diverse backgrounds and life experiences to ensure the representation of varying perspectives, worldviews, and ideas. We strive to build inclusive learning spaces in which all students feel their voice is valued and recognized as an asset to the classroom. These beliefs reflect the core values of the counseling profession and echo the sentiment: “Everyone counts, everyone has an opportunity, and everyone welcomed.”
GRE®️ revised General Test – Applicants with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 are required to submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores on the aptitude portion (verbal and quantitative) of the GRE taken within the past six years. Applicants with a cumulative GPA higher than 3.0 have the option to submit GRE scores, if desired. GRE scores must be received by the application deadline for admission.
This program was intentionally designed to lead to certification as a Standard School Counselor, PreK-12 in the state of Arizona. For information regarding how the curricular requirements for this degree program align to certification requirements in other states, see https://nau.edu/compliance-and-authorization/professional-licensure-by-state/.
Program Description Accordion Closed
What Does the Program Look Like?
This 60-hour CACREP-accredited program meets the coursework requirements for the Arizona Department of Education’s K-12 Guidance Counselor Endorsement and is designed to prepare students to become effective leaders in the process of transforming school counseling under the ASCA's National Model for School Counseling Programs. The degree and certificate are also portable to most states (for a state-by-state certificate overview, please visit the American School Counselor Association state certification requirements.) As a student in the MEd in Counseling - School Counseling program, you will take courses, engage in fieldwork, and participate in practicum and internship experience that will prepare you to be a certified school counselor. Upon obtaining your degree, you will be prepared to provide counseling services in the following areas:- human growth and development
- social and cultural foundations
- career and lifestyle development
- research and program evaluation
- professional orientation
How Will This Degree Prepare Students For the Real World?
Our School Counseling faculty are leaders in the school counseling profession across Arizona and at the national level (See Advocacy Projects and faculty bios below). Our faculty are also integrally involved with the day-to-day realities of the ever-evolving profession of school counseling. The CACREP-accredited coursework that students experience at NAU is also deeply informed by the American School Counseling Association (ASCA National Model), which stresses the modern school counselor’s integral role in all students’ academic, career and personal/social growth and development.Our Mission and Program Objectives Accordion Closed
Program and Student Learning Objectives for School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs
- Our Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling Programs regularly gather and “reflect input from all persons involved in the conduct of the program, including counselor education program faculty, current and former students, and personnel in cooperating agencies.”
- We seek to recruit and retain students who represent the diverse population of the Southwestern U.S.
- Become familiar with the requirements for being a professional counselor, including the relevant research and literature pertinent to the discipline.
- Become familiar with and knowledgeable about the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels.
- Develop a thorough understanding of knowledge and competencies related to issues and trends in a multicultural and pluralistic society, and to effectively demonstrate multicultural counseling competencies.
- Demonstrate effective counseling skills.
- Become familiar with studies in group dynamics and to development and related life factors, and to demonstrate effective career counseling skills.
- Understand major theories of career development and related life factors, and to demonstrate effective career counseling skills.
- Develop an understanding of assessment processes, and to demonstrate skills in individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation.
- Become familiar with research, statistics, and program evaluation as they apply to the practice of counseling.
- Develop a clear sense of professional identity in counseling, which includes professional ethics, legal responsibilities, professional preparation standards, participating in professional organizations, and obtaining necessary credentials.
- Acquire knowledge about counseling supervision, and to experience peer, site supervisor and faculty supervision that allow students to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills that they have acquired to practice.
- Experience continuous course-related and overall program-related feedback to enhance their professional development as they become professional counselors.
- Acquire knowledge and skills related to the ways that counselors use a variety of technologies designed to assist students, clients, and the systems they work within.
- Acquire knowledge related to the professional identity, roles, and functions of professional counselors.
- Practice ongoing assessment of one's own skills, strengths, weaknesses, professional and personal development as related to counseling professional identity, counseling ethics, and the principles of ethics of client autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity.
Accreditation Information Accordion Closed
- Number of graduates in the past year: 19
- Completion Rate: 100%
- Licensure or certification examination pass rate: 100%
- Job placement rate of students/graduates: 95%
What is the benefit of a face-to-face counseling program versus online program? Accordion Closed
GRE Information Accordion Closed
How to Apply and Due Dates Accordion Closed
How do I apply, and when is the application due?
The entire application process is a one-stop process. Once you click on APPLY NOW, in above right margin, all elements of the application are handled within that link!The primary application items we will evaluate include:
- The graduate school application
- GPA
- Application essay questions
- Three professional/academic recommendation forms
- Interview
- GRE General Test (ONLY if your undergraduate GPA was less than 3.0)
Application deadlines for Educational Psychology (EPS) programs
| Program | Site | Application deadlines | Semester next cohort begins |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD Combined Counseling/School Psychology | Flagstaff | December 1 (all applications) November 15 (for those wishing to be considered for the Presidential Fellowship) | Fall 2025 |
| EdS School Psychology | Flagstaff | January 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| EdS School Psychology | North Valley (Phoenix) | January 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Flagstaff | January 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling | North Valley (Phoenix) | February 15, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Tucson | February 15, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Yuma | April 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MEd Counseling - School Counseling | Flagstaff | January 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MEd Counseling - School Counseling | North Valley (Phoenix) | February 15, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MEd Counseling - School Counseling | Tucson | February 15, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| MEd Counseling-Student Affairs | Flagstaff | January 1, 2025 (priority deadline) Extended Deadline of April 1, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
| M.Ed. Human Relations | Online & All Campuses | Rolling Admission | |
| Applied Human Behavior | Online; Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, South Mountain Community College | Rolling Admission |
- Completed application files are reviewed and admission decisions are made once each year.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your application file is complete. Incomplete files will not be reviewed.
- In Flagstaff, many students apply for graduate assistantships (GA roles). If a student secures a GA role during grad school, they typically earn a full-tuition waiver in exchange for working 20 hours per week. For additional information, please visit the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies webpage.