Master of Science in Counseling (CSP)
The MS in Counseling and College Student Personnel is a 45-credit program built around counseling theory, student development and hands-on work with students in college and university settings.
Students take two or three courses per term as a cohort, moving through a curriculum that ends with 300 hours of supervised field experience at colleges and universities.
Two Ways To Earn Your Degree
Choose between attending classes at our Thousand Oaks campus or completing your degree online, with both paths offering the same high-quality education and strong support from faculty. Once you choose online or in person, you will follow that format for the entirety of the program.
In Person
During fall and spring terms, students attend two back-to-back classes one evening per week. In some terms when students are completing fieldwork, there will be online classes to attend on certain Monday evenings. In the summer term, students attend two evening classes each week. The summer courses also include weekly virtual content.
Online
The online modality is a blend of self-paced work and virtual sessions with active participation. You’ll complete some coursework on your own schedule, while attending live sessions one evening per week. These sessions are scheduled back-to-back on the same night. Later in the program, two courses will include extended 2.5-hour sessions.
Real Experience at Real Schools
All students complete two 150-hour experiences — a practicum and field studies — at a college or university of their choice. This applies to both the in-person and online degree option.
We will provide support in choosing your placement so that it matches your career goals and preferred location.
“I decided to pursue my M.S. in Counseling and College Student Personnel because I wanted to work in a college setting and serve students and help them succeed. . . . I feel more comfortable having difficult and challenging conversations because of the counseling foundation the program provided.”
In-Person MS in Counseling (CSP) Courses
45 credits total | All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted
Term One (Fall)
Diverse Perspectives in Education & Culturally Proficient Leadership
College Student Development
Professional Development in Practice (1 credit)
Term Two (Spring)
Counseling Theory & Practice
Microskills in Counseling
Term Three (Summer)
Introduction to Student Affairs Practice
Introduction to Educational Research
Term Four (Fall)
Group Process & Leadership
Educational and Career Counseling in Higher Education
Term Five (Spring)
College Student Retention & Success
Law & Ethics in Higher Education
Practicum in College Student Personnel
Term Six (Summer)
Assessment, Evaluation, & Grant Writing
Leadership and Organizational Change in Higher Education
Term Seven (Fall)
Field Studies in CSP (2 credits)
Special Topics in College Counseling
Online MS in Counseling (CSP) Courses
45 credits total | All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted
Term One (January-March)
Introduction to Student Affairs Practice
College Student Development
Term Two (March-May)
Equity, Access, and Cultural Proficiency in Higher Education
Law and Ethics in Higher Education
Term Three (May-July)
Organizational Leadership in Higher Education
Educational Research
Term Four (August-October)
Counseling Theories & Approaches
Microskills of Counseling
Practicum I (1.5 credits)*
Term Five (October-December)
Group Counseling in Higher Education
Career Counseling in Higher Education (1.5 credits)
Practicum II (1.5 credits)*
Term Six (January-March)
College Student Retention & Resiliency Development
Assessment and Grant Writing in Higher Education
Field Studies in CSP I (1.5 credits)*
Term Seven (March-May)
Educational Counseling in Higher Education (1.5 credits)
Integrative Approaches to Mental Health & Crisis Intervention in Higher Ed
Field Studies in CSP II (1.5 credits)*
All online courses include mandatory weekly interactive live sessions, except courses marked with an asterisk (*), which have these sessions every two weeks. Courses in italics are taught synchronously.
In-Person MS in Counseling Courses
45 credits total
All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
This is the foundational course in which the framework of Cultural Proficiency is introduced and woven throughout the counselor education programs. Students examine their social and personal identities, beliefs and values, and the impact on their roles as future counselors, advocates, and leaders in diverse and inclusive educational settings. Systems of power, privilege, and oppression are explored through the lens of educational systems to understand micro- and macro-level issues of equity, access, and inclusion for students in higher education.
This course will introduce candidates to theories of college student development and the processes by which they occur. Factors that impact student development will be discussed and application of theory to practice to maximize student learning in college settings will be fostered.
Seminar on professional development opportunities and attendance at a professional conference.
Fundamentals of counseling: theoretical approaches, the counseling process and cross-cultural perspectives.
An emphasis on counseling knowledge and skills. Includes in-class monitored practice.
Prerequisite: Counseling Theory and Practice. (Graded P/NC only).
This course provides candidates with an overview of college student services with a specific focus on the various functional areas in the field. Additionally, this course outlines key information about organization and administration of student affairs and services, including assessment, strategic planning, program development and implementation and resource acquisition and allocation.
A core course designed to introduce counselors to educational research. Through an examination of the nature of research, ethical and philosophical principles, types of research, and characteristics of data, students will explore quantitative and qualitative methods of designing and conducting research in the context of educational settings.
This course provides an overview of career development theories and approaches that are appropriate to be used to support college students' vocational goals and issues. Students will gain exposure to relevant assessments, technological resources, and interventions to support students’ career and vocational development, with hands-on experience with career and vocational counseling to be used within the field of student affairs and higher education.
This course develops students' knowledge and abilities in facilitating group counseling in educational settings. Students examine the stages of group development and techniques used to facilitate running psychoeducational groups.
This course provides an examination of the major legal and ethical issues confronting student affairs professionals and other administrators in higher education settings. Federal regulations and mandates, constitutional issues, tort liability and contractual relationships will be covered. Ways of making practical decisions that are legally and ethically sound are examined.
This course addresses: the history of college student retention and success in the United States; retention and success theories; and the retention trends and issues of four-year and two-year institutions. Specifically, this course emphasizes the retention and success of diverse student groups. Moreover, this course examines how retention and success is tracked and measured and practices and programs that contribute to the retention and success of all students.
This course supports candidates in their first supervised field placement. For CSP candidates, this would be at an accredited college or university, with one hundred fifty (150) field hours required. Candidates will be expected to apply theory and knowledge gained in the program in practice in their field placement site. This course will provide group supervision of candidates’ experiences and address relevant topics for emerging counselors’ professional development. Fieldwork application is required for enrollment and vetting by the program’s fieldwork coordinator. Prerequisites: EDCG 521, EDCG 523, EDCG 526, EDCG 517, EDCG 516 (EDCG 582 and EDCG 584 may be co-requisites).
This course addresses program assessment and evaluation as well as grant writing. Students will learn about the characteristic peculiarities of program assessment and evaluation and become familiar with the grant writing process.
The course is designed to develop an understanding of management and leadership theories, concepts, group processes, decision making and planning. A variety of leadership styles and practices which influence student and employee performance will be reviewed in these topical areas: power and influence, delegating, trust-building, vision and mission development, setting and fulfilling professional and/or personal objectives, situational, visionary and transformational leadership, impediments to leader effectiveness, organizational culture and principles of shared leadership
This course will provide candidates with content knowledge on a special topic in college counseling. In particular, this course will focus on contemporary and relevant information pertaining to trends and necessary information revolving around higher education and student affairs.
Supervised field experience in student services departments and programs in a postsecondary setting under the supervision of an experienced college student personnel professional. Required number of hours: 150. Prerequisite: Practicum. Approved fieldwork application required. (Graded P/NC only).
This course will be taken at or near the end of the program.
Online MS in Counseling Courses
45 credits total
All courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
This course provides an overview of college student services with a specific focus on the various functional areas in the field. The course outlines key information about organization and administration of student affairs and services, including assessment, strategic planning, program development and implementation, and resource acquisition and allocation.
This course introduces theories of college student development and the processes by which they occur. Factors that impact student development will be discussed and application of theory to practice to maximize student learning in college settings will be fostered.
This course examines the major legal and ethical issues confronting Student Affairs professionals and other administrators in higher education settings. Federal regulations and mandates, constitutional issues, tort liability, and contractual relationships will be covered. Ways of making practical decisions that are legally and ethically sound are examined.
This is the foundational course in which the framework of Cultural Proficiency is introduced and woven throughout the counselor education programs. Students examine their social and personal identities, beliefs and values, and the impact on their roles as future counselors, advocates, and leaders in diverse and inclusive educational settings. Systems of power, privilege, and oppression are explored through the lens of educational systems to understand micro- and macro-level issues of equity, access, and inclusion for students in higher education.
A core course designed to introduce counselors to educational research. Through an examination of the nature of research, ethical and philosophical principles, types of research, and characteristics of data, students will explore quantitative and qualitative methods of designing and conducting research in the context of educational settings.
This course develops an understanding of management and leadership theories, concepts, group processes, decision making, and planning. A variety of leadership styles and practices which influence student and employee performance will be reviewed in these topical areas: power and influence, delegating, trust-building, vision and mission development, setting and fulfilling professional and/or personal objectives, situational, visionary, and transformative leadership, impediments to leader effectiveness, organizational culture, and principles of shared leadership.
This course examines foundational theoretical approaches of counseling, the counseling process, and cross-cultural perspectives. Students explore techniques and tools drawn from these theoretical approaches and consider how to use them ethically and age appropriately in educational settings.
This course develops students' knowledge and abilities in facilitating individual social emotional counseling skills in educational settings. Students explore techniques and tools used to counsel others. An emphasis will be placed on learning about mental health issues and interventions for students in crisis.
This course supports students in their first supervised field placement at an accredited college or university, with 150 field hours required between both practicum courses. Students will apply theory and knowledge gained in the program in practice in their field placement site. The course provides group supervision of students’ experiences and addresses relevant topics for emerging counselors' professional development.
This course develops students' knowledge and abilities in facilitating group counseling in educational settings. Students examine the stages of group development and techniques used to facilitate running psychoeducational groups.
This course provides an overview of career development theories and approaches that are appropriate to be used to support college students' vocational goals and issues. Students will gain exposure to relevant assessments, technological resources, and interventions to support students’ career and vocational development, with hands-on experience with career and vocational counseling to be used within the field of student affairs and higher education.
This course continues supporting students in their supervised field placement at an accredited college or university, completing the 150 field hours required between both practicum courses. Students will apply theory and knowledge gained in the program in practice in their field placement site. The course provides group supervision of students' experiences and addresses relevant topics for emerging counselors' professional development.
This course addresses the history of college student retention and success in the United States; retention and success theories; and the retention trends and issues of four-year and two-year institutions. The course emphasizes the retention and success of diverse student groups and examines how retention and success is tracked and measured and practices and programs that contribute to the retention and success of all students.
This course addresses program assessment and evaluation as well as grant writing. Students will learn about the characteristic peculiarities of program assessment and evaluation and become familiar with the grant writing process.
In this course, students begin a supervised field experience in student services departments and programs at an accredited college or university under the supervision of an experienced college student personnel professional. Students will be required to complete 150 hours of fieldwork between both field studies courses.
This course provides an overview on academic counseling skills and knowledge used by counselors/college student educators in higher education. Students will be introduced to topics of academic resiliency and development, such as college admissions process, academic advising knowledge, skills, and competencies, and academic needs interventions for specific student populations. The course will emphasize resilience development and growth mindsets as theoretical models.
This course provides an overview on integrative mental health and wellness in higher education. Students will be introduced to topics of resiliency development, trauma informed practices, crisis management and interventions for specific student populations.
In this course, students complete their supervised field experience in student services departments and programs at an accredited college or university under the supervision of an experienced college student personnel professional. Students will complete the remainder of the 150 hours of fieldwork required between both field studies courses.
Request Information
To learn more about the graduate degree programs offered by the Cal Lutheran Graduate School of Education and download a brochure, please fill out the form. You can also get in touch with an enrollment specialist directly by calling us at 805-493-3325 or for the online Master of Science in Counseling and College Student Personnel call 805-521-9856.
