The School Counselor endorsement program meets the licensure requirements of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and is accredited by CACREP based on national standards for the preparation of school counselors. This endorsement program does not lead to a Master's degree.

In the School Counselor endorsement program, students prepare to become licensed professionals dedicated to supporting students and their communities within school settings. 

The primary role of a school counselor involves developing and overseeing comprehensive guidance programs designed to help students acquire essential skills across various life domains, including social, personal, academic, and career development. These skills are considered vital for thriving in our diverse society. To achieve this, students in the program learn and employ a range of strategies, including:

• Providing individual or small group counseling sessions for students
• Collecting data from students and stakeholders in effort to implement comprehensive evidence-based practices
• Delivering valuable information through classroom guidance sessions

The UCCS School Counselor endorsement program equips its students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make a positive impact on the lives of students and to foster nurturing and inclusive educational environments.

The school counselor program requires the completion of a 60-semester-hour program. School Counselor students will complete the same foundational coursework as the Clinical Mental Health Counselor students and may be eligible for licensure as a Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Post-master’s degree supervised counseling experience and successful completion of the National Counselor Examination are currently required for license eligibility. It is strongly recommended by the Departmental faculty members that school counselors seeking the LPC credential take additional coursework in psychopathology and diagnosis, clinical mental health counseling, and complete a supervised field experience specific to community counseling.

Students graduating from the School Counselor program will also be immediately eligible to apply for National Certified Counselor (NCC) recognition and are encouraged to do so.

Required Courses

Courses that may be fulfilled with previously transcripted coursework

For details on the admissions process for the School Counselor graduate program, please visit the Admissions Details page.