COUNSELING (MA/MED)
Advance your leadership skills on a Vincentian foundation
With a master’s degree in Counseling, you’ll transform lives using careful, considered approaches to complex human problems. Our graduate counseling program is one of the largest in Illinois and produces skilled leaders in each of its three specialty areas, all of which are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Educational Programs (CACREP).
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The CACREP accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling practitioner-oriented program prepares graduates to work in settings such as community agencies, private practices, hospitals, foster care agencies, and correctional facilities. You’ll be prepared to help clients overcome the obstacles that prevent them from leading healthy and productive lives.
College Counseling and Student Affairs
The CACREP accredited College Counseling and Student Affairs specialty area is for professionals who will work in student affairs offices, including career centers, residential life, and college counseling programs. Coursework will touch on national policy, management theory, and the foundations of student affairs.
School Counseling
The CACREP accredited School Counseling specialty area leads to professional school counselor licensure through the Illinois State Board of Education. You’ll be ready to work in public and private K–12 school systems with a strong background in data-driven counseling.
You have the option to pursue an initial teaching license (PEL) with a School Counselor endorsement. Students who are already licensed can add a School Counselor endorsement to their PEL.
Courses are offered weekday evenings and Saturdays on the Lincoln Park Campus. The program can be completed in three years.
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Provide guided instruction for Chicago students
Directly impact the diverse population of Chicago by working in our Education and Counseling Center. This learning laboratory offers a variety of programs and events for children and teens. You’ll gain experience providing individual and group counseling to school-aged children.
Application Deadlines
The Counseling program admits new students every fall quarter. It has set admission deadlines and prospective students must complete an application by the following dates to be considered for admission:
- Fall: August 15 (or until program reaches capacity)
Admission Requirements
Submit an online application, letters of recommendation, essay, résumé, personal statement and official transcripts.
Required Courses
Based on your specialty area, you’ll take 60 to 90 quarter hours of core curriculum and specialty area coursework, as well as practicum, internship, and elective courses.
1st
DePaul’s Counseling program was the first in Illinois and 24th in the United States to affiliate with Education Trust’s National Center for Transforming School Counseling.
91%
of Counseling graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.
Expand your knowledge with educational leaders
At DePaul, you’ll learn from faculty like Assistant Professor Rebecca Michel who recently published an article that was recognized as the Most Valuable Article of the Year by ACA AdultSpan Journal. At DePaul, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from her in courses like contextual dimensions of college student development and career counseling.
“In my work and travels as the 2019 National School Counselor of the Year, I often talk about my ‘unicorn philosophy,’ which is all about taking a strengths-based approach to youth support and modeling this approach through affirmation and validation of the skills, passions, and perspectives that make us all unique. I learned how to do that at DePaul. I learned how my identities as a first-generation, Black, gay, cisgender man and my backgrounds in theatre and sociology could be leveraged and supported via creative, intentional (and comprehensive) counseling programming to make a positive impact in the lives of others. With my own eyes, I’ve come to truly see that the counseling program at DePaul is highly respected in the school counseling profession for producing excellence in the field, and we all carry that legacy with us from the moment we begin our DePaul journeys.”
Brian (MEd ’14)
Counseling Department Chair, William Jones College Preparatory High School
Alumni Network
Your degree connects you with DePaul’s community of more than 195,500 alumni, 122,500 of whom are in the Chicago area. You’ll also have access to College of Education alumni resources, including networking, professional development workshops and certifications.
Program Data
Each year the Counseling Program conducts a self-evaluation to inform curricular and programmatic changes.
Program Data 2020-2021
Program Evaluation Report 2020–2021
Scholarships
Graduate school is an investment in your future. Learn more about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you.
Counseling Program Admission Requirements
Admission Eligibility
DePaul offers three concentrations within its Counseling master's degree program: College Counseling and Student Affairs, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. To be eligible to enroll in the Counseling program, students must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
A School Counselor Licensure program is also available. To be eligible to enroll in it, students must hold a master's degree in a Counseling-related discipline.
Application Requirements
A complete application to one of the Counseling programs will include the following materials:
- Graduate admission application
- $40 application fee
- Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
- Résumé
- Letters of recommendation from professors or work supervisors; applicants to the master's degree program are required to submit three letters.
- Personal statement* answering all of the following questions (the entire statement should not exceed 1,500 words or approximately 300 words per question):
- Discuss why you want to enter the counseling field. Demonstrate in your response that you have researched the field and have a basic understanding of what counseling professionals do.
- Given what you have researched about the profession, discuss your short-term and long-term goals should you eventually graduate from our program. Integrate into your response why DePaul's counseling program will help you achieve your goals.
- Discuss why self-awareness, self-reflection and self-care are important skills for counselors. Explain ways in which you would attend to all of these should you be a student in our program.
- Explain how your personal values and ethical beliefs will be an asset to you as a future counselor, and explain any challenges you may face in future practice. Provide concrete examples from your personal or professional life to help illustrate your points.
- Discuss your understanding of "multicultural proficiency" and "social justice". Explain how you believe they play a role in the work of counseling professionals as well as how they fit with your own beliefs and values. Provide concrete examples from your personal and professional life to help illustrate your points.
*Please note: All personal statements must include the following statement:
I attest that this essay is an accurate reflection of my writing ability. This personal statement is my original work and has been written by me, [insert your name].
Applicants who have earned a degree outside of the U.S. or who will be considered international students must submit additional materials. Visit our International Students page for more information.
Applicants can upload supplemental application materials, send requests for letters of recommendation, and pay the application fee through our online application system.
Application Deadlines
The Counseling program admits new students every fall quarter. It has set admission deadlines; prospective students must complete an application by the following dates to be considered for admission:
|
Term |
Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Fall |
August 15 (or until program reaches capacity) |
Information Sessions
Learn more about the Counseling graduate program and meet with program faculty at an upcoming information session.
Specialty Area Requirements
The Counseling master’s degree program includes between 60 to 88 quarter hours of coursework in both Social and Cultural Foundations and Counseling, which generally make up the first two years of the program, followed by a year of professional practice in the field (12 quarter hours.)
At the end of the program, students who opt to earn an MEd are required to complete a capstone project, and students who opt to earn an MA complete a master’s thesis.
