Lasting Network of Support
PLNU’s education alumni network, Education Associates, keeps you connected long after graduation. Faculty members have a reputation for staying in touch and continuing to mentor students. Career counseling and additional professional development opportunities are always available to you.
Relevant Topics to Meet Real Needs
District partnerships ensure PLNU’s curriculum addresses current needs and topics facing counselors. In addition to offering accredited programs grounded in research, PLNU equips you to integrate your beliefs, values, and goals with your school counseling practice.
Customizable and Convenient
Choose a specialization in K-12 counseling with a PPS credential, or opt for college counseling and student development if you work with young adults in a university, community college, or nonprofit setting. You can also select from multiple locations, full- or part-time schedules, and face-to-face, online, and hybrid course options.
Achieve greater impact with your career by earning your Master of Arts in Education. You will gain the skills and degree you need to advance or to simply be more effective where you are. You will do it in an environment where your goals and passion are shared and valued. At PLNU, we are here to partner with you and to give you the kind of holistic care you know every student deserves.
The counseling and guidance concentration of the M.A. in Education will prepare you for service to students in a changing world. You may choose your focus from:
- Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential — if you serve or want to serve as a school counselor in an elementary, middle, or high school setting.
- College Counseling and Student Development — if you work or want to work in health and wellness, residential, or student life services at a community college, university, or nonprofit organization.
Accreditation – WSCUC, CTC, NCATE
When you and your classmates complete PLNU's M.A. in Education with a concentration in counseling and guidance, you will be prepared to:
Equip
- Maintain competencies in knowledge, skills of the school counseling profession, and attitudes that demonstrate the ability to ethically implement, maintain, and advocate for a results-based counseling program.
Transform
- Promote the comprehensive counseling program through modeling of servant leadership that focuses on positive outcomes for diverse school communities in the belief that all students can learn and succeed.
Empower
- Engage in ongoing professional self-evaluation and personal self-reflection using the professional dispositions expected of educators. Assess student needs routinely and use technology to conduct, analyze, and evaluate research data and communicate results to all school stakeholders.
Professional Licensure or Certification
This program is approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and meets the requirements for educator certification in the state of California, where Point Loma Nazarene University is physically located. PLNU cannot confirm whether or not specific programs meet out-of-state requirements for Professional Licensure or Certification. Information about out-of-state requirements in teacher credentialing is available on this website.