Psychological Counseling: School Counselor EdM Online

Master of Education in Counseling Psychology - Online

School Counseling Track


The Ed.M. in school counseling provides students with the necessary coursework and training to obtain the school counselor certification in New York State. Our program is dedicated to the preparation of professionals who 1) facilitate the optimal development of individuals, groups, and organizations through 2) strategies of prevention, intervention, and remediation that are 3) culturally-relevant and psychologically-appropriate across the lifespan.

Online, asynchronous learning can accommodate the schedules of students whose schedules might also include career and family obligations. Make the most of online learning flexibility and stay on track towards earning an advanced degree. The admissions standards, curriculum, and requirements for graduation are the same as our in-person program. The online degree program differs from the in-person program only in the method of delivery. 

Students in this program have access to the same exceptional experience students on campus have: mentorship from accomplished faculty, thought-provoking classroom discourse, connections with peers, and access to opportunity.

The online Master of Education in School Counselor is registered with the New York State Education Department leading to certification as a School Counselor in New York State. Teachers College has made a reasonable effort to determine if the program meets the educational requirements for certification/licensure in other states, however, we have not made an official determination for other states at this time. If you plan to work in any other state and are considering enrolling in the online School Counselor program, please review the additional material provided on that state’s department of education website. Contact information for each state licensing agency is listed here

You may contact the Program Director, Riddhi Sandil, at sandil@tc.columbia.edu for more information about certification requirements. She would be pleased to assist you in understanding the requirements for your state.

Teachers College makes every effort to provide current and accurate licensure/certification information. However, licensure/certification regulations change frequently, so it is highly recommended that you contact the licensing agency for the state in which you plan to work for the most up-to-date information.

New York State School Counseling Certification

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Admission Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.

Master of Education

  • Points/Credits: 60
  • Entry Terms: Summer
  • Enrollment Formats: Full-Time, Online

Certification

View Public Disclosure Notification

  • NY State Initial: School Counselor

Application Deadlines

Entry Term AvailablePriority DeadlinesFinal DeadlinesExtended Deadlines
SpringN/AN/AN/A
SummerJanuary 15, 2025April 1, 2025N/A
FallN/AN/AN/A

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

 Requirement
 International applicants are not eligible to apply for this program and are encouraged to consider other program options
 Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume
 Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed
 Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable)
 $75 Application Fee
 Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
 Supplemental application required (included in online application)

For admission-related inquiries, please contact CCPadmission@tc.columbia.edu.

Additional Information

  • The School Counselor Master of Education program is registered with the New York State Education Department leading to provisional certification for School Counselor in New York State. If you plan to work in any other state and are considering enrolling in the online School Counselor program, please review additional material provided for your state on the respective state's Department of Education website. For more information visit the program's website.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.

View Full Catalog Listing

The Ed.M. in School Counselor (Online Track; COUB program code) is granted after successful completion of a comprehensive examination, a special project, and 60 points of planned, sequential study beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least 42 points must be taken at Teachers College. Approval of transfer credits to the Ed.M. program must be conducted upon admission into the program; transfer credits will not be accepted thereafter. The Ed.M. degree could lead to the doctorate at Teachers College and elsewhere but usually with some loss of time and credits because of differences in emphases between master’s and doctoral programs. Students who apply to the program during or after taking classes at Teachers College as a non-matriculated student can transfer up to 12 points if accepted as a matriculated degree student. Students who complete the Ed.M. degree are also welcome to apply for the M.A. en passant degree in Psychological Counseling which is earned at 32 points along with the successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination. Additional information may be found in the School Counselor Program Handbook.

School counseling is one of several areas of specialization within the Ed.M. program in Psychological Counseling (COUS). It is a specialty that allows students to develop appropriate skills to deliver services that are specific to school settings, in addition to learning the essential functions generally found in the counseling profession. A graduate of this specialization is eligible for initial certification as a School Counselor in New York State after completing the program, including a series of specified courses. Consult the School Counseling Program Master’s Student Handbook for more information about the School Counselor specialization.



All students in the School  Counselor  Ed.M. program (COUB) must take specific required courses in the following content areas:

  • Human growth and development: HUDK 4022, Developmental psychology: Childhood (3); HUDK 4023, Developmental psychology: Adolescence (3); HUDK 4024, Developmental psychology: Adulthood and the lifespan (3); or HUDK 5029, Personality development and socialization across the lifespan (3)

  • Social cultural foundations of counseling: CCPJ 4873, The Winter Roundtable on Cultural Psychology and Education (1), CCPJ 5164, Multicultural Counseling and Psychology  and one of two of the following: CCPJ 5165, Racial-Cultural Counseling Laboratory (4); CCPJ 5020, Racism and Racial Identity in Psychology and Education (3) CCPJ 5164, Multicultural Counseling and Psychology (3); CCPJ 4050 Microaggressions in Instituitional Climates (3); CCPJ 4180 LGBT (Q) Issues in Psychology (3);CCPJ 4070 Counseling Linguistically Diverse Populations: Latina/o Psychology (3); CCPJ 4068 Counseling and Gender (3);  Reconstructing Gender: Exploring Transgender Experiences (3) or IND 5020 Participatory Methods(3). 

  • Counseling theory and practice: CCPJ 4064, Theories of counseling (3) and CCPJ 5371, Foundations of counseling (3)

  • Psychopathology: CCPJ 4000, Multicultural psychopathology (3); CCPX 5032, Adult psychopathology (3); or CCPX 5034, Child psychopathology (3)

  • Group counseling: CCPJ 5025, Group counseling (3)

  • Fundamentals of School Counseling: CCPJ 4160 School Counseling for Children and Adolescents (3) and CCPJ 4170 College Admissions Counseling For School Counselors

  • Lifestyle and career development: CCPJ 5062, Career counseling and development (3)

  • Assessment and appraisal: CCPJ 5060, Assessment in counseling psychology (3), and one of the following: HUDM 5059, Psychological measurement (3); HUDM 4050, Introduction to measurement (3); CCPJ 4066, Foundations of testing and accountability (3) or HUDM 4120 Basic Concepts of Statistics (3). 

  • Research and program evaluation: CCPJ 5070 Evaluation and research methods in counseling psychology (3)

  • Professional orientation and ethics: CCPJ 4560, Professional and ethical issues in psychological counseling (3)

  • Foundations of mental health counseling and consultation: CCPJ 5371, Foundations of counseling (3) (also listed under Counseling Theory and Practice) and CCPJ 4165, Consultation in community agencies and resources (3)

  • Clinical instruction: CCPJ 5360, Practicum in career and personal counseling (1)

  • One year of supervised fieldwork (maybe completed outside New York state upon consultation with the Program Director): CCPJ 52630, Fieldwork in psychological counseling and rehabilitation (6 points total spread over two or three semesters); CCPJ 5263, Supervised fieldwork in elementary school counseling (6 points total spread over two or three semesters); or CCPJ 5265, Supervised fieldwork in secondary school counseling (6 points total spread over two or three semesters).

School counselor students (COUB) also are also required to:

  • Complete three  workshops, one on school violence prevention, one on child abuse reporting and one in harassment, bullying, cyberbulling and discrimination. The workshops can be found online at http://www.violenceworkshop.com and www.childabuseworkshop.com

  • Complete a special project in addition to the 60 points of coursework. Students should plan to complete their project in the same semester that they apply for the Ed.M. degree.

  • Complete the comprehensive exam, which is a mandatory requirement for obtaining the en passant M.A. and the Ed.M., is generally taken in the semester in which 45 credits are completed.

 

The School Counselor (online) program is offered in a distance learning format with courses being offered online in a synchronous and asynchronous modality. Teachers College uses the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) for the online course environment, information about the course, and complete course assignments. Required courses often are scheduled in the morning, afternoon and evening, so it might be difficult for some students to attend on a part-time basis and complete the program; however, it should be noted that at times, required courses may be offered during the evening and students must be prepared to make needed accommodations. Full-time students generally complete the program in about five semesters. The length of program completion for part-time students varies with the number of points in which they enroll each semester.

 

In addition to required core courses, students will be expected to select electives from the various areas of psychology and other appropriate disciplines that will provide breadth and depth to their preparation as counselors. Consult the School Counselor (online) Student Handbook for further information on elective coursework. 

New York State Education Department (NYSED) mandates teacher and counselor certification requirements that are needed for program completion and graduation which are listed in the Office of Teacher Education section of the catalog.

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