As an educator, you want to help students reach their potential — academically, socio-emotionally, spiritually, and vocationally. Perhaps you’ve wondered how you can make more of a difference.

In PLNU's diverse school counseling program, our expert faculty will equip you to transform your school or university one life at a time. You'll be prepared to serve your students with excellence, grounded in the theories and history of school-based counseling practices while also developing your own expertise — all under the guidance of knowledgeable mentors. You'll also be empowered to develop students and young adults to achieve their fullest potential.

When you join PLNU’s Master of Arts in Education program with a concentration in counseling and guidance, you'll challenge yourself to become a more effective counselor. Everyone you encounter here will share that goal with you, from your admissions counselor to your professors. Rest assured, PLNU’s School of Education will take a personal interest in you and care about your concerns, experience, beliefs, and goals.

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

Achieve greater impact with your career by earning your Master of Arts in Education. You'll gain the skills and degree you need to advance or simply be more effective where you are. You'll also do so in an environment where your goals and passion are shared and valued. At PLNU, we're here to partner with you and to give you the kind of holistic care you know every student deserves.

With a specialization in K-12 counseling and Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential, you'll be able to serve students as a school counselor in an elementary, middle, or high school setting. You'll also be able to choose from multiple locations, full- or part-time schedules, and face-to-face, online, or hybrid course options.

Accreditation: WSCUC

When you and your classmates complete PLNU's M.A. in Education with a concentration in counseling and guidance, you'll 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, modeling 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. 

Are you ready to take the next step and apply?

We're here to make the entire process a simple one. We'll walk you through the application process, answer your questions, and get you one step closer to earning your degree.

Program Start Date(s):

• Fall 2022 Quad I — August 29, 2022

• Fall 2022 Quad II —October 24, 2022

• Spring 2023 Quad I — January 9, 2023

• Spring 2023 Quad II — March 13, 2023

Note: Not all programs offer entry for new students each quad. Check with your enrollment counselor for programs and start dates.

Application Deadline(s):

• Fall 2022 Quad I — August 1, 2022

• Fall 2022 Quad II — October 10, 2022

• Spring 2023 Quad I — December 19, 2022

• Spring 2023 Quad II — February 22, 2023

Start Application

The Selection Process

The educational context at PLNU will challenge you to live a full life that integrates the pursuit of knowledge with beliefs, values, and actions. While honoring diverse perspectives and beliefs, Christian values and principles are woven into the educational experience. We understand your application is not only a reflection of you as a student; it reflects you as a person. At PLNU, we holistically evaluate your academic history, work and life experience, background, and circumstances to determine admission into a graduate program. Your undergraduate GPA is an important piece of your application, but if you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0, you may still be eligible for admission based on your application package as well as the exceptions policy per your particular program.* Therefore, we strongly encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor, who will advise you regarding your qualifications and provide specific information about the admission under exceptions process.

To be admitted into PLNU's Master of Arts in Education program, you must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, as evidenced by an official transcript.

If you have any questions about your qualifications or the program in general, we encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor.

Application Checklist

Note: The application is completed entirely online with the exception of transcripts, which can be submitted electronically or directly to PLNU, and test scores, which should be submitted electronically.

1. Submit an online application for admissions (including $50 non-refundable application fee, which is waived for PLNU alums, current or former military and their dependents, and PLNU employees).
2. Submit official transcripts with proof of earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution. (If you are a PLNU alumnus, please notify your counselor to have your transcripts retrieved. You do not need to request transcripts from the PLNU Office of Records.)
   
   Official transcripts must be sent to:
   Point Loma Nazarene University
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   3900 Lomaland Dr.
   San Diego, CA 92106
   
   Official electronic transcripts must be emailed to:
   gradprocessing@pointloma.edu
3. Submit a personal essay, 2-3 pages in length and double spaced, that addresses the following topics:
   • Describe your professional career goals for the next five years.
   • Describe the variety of experiences that helped you determine these goals.
   • Explain what motivates you to work in California’s diverse schools.
   • Explain why you are applying to PLNU, a private Christian university.
4. Provide two professional recommendations. You will be asked to register your recommenders by providing their names, titles, and email addresses.
5. Basic Skills Exam: CBEST OR Equivalent*

   • Test scores should be emailed to gradprocessing@pointloma.edu

   • Please note: PLNU does not receive scores sent from testing centers
     
     *Options for meeting the Basic Skills Requirement:

     • Pass the CSET: Multiple Subjects Plus Writing Skills Examination

     • Pass the CSU Early Assessment Program or the CSU Placement Examinations

     • Achieve qualifying score on the SAT or ACT

Start Application

*Exceptions Policy: If you have below a 3.0 GPA in your baccalaureate degree, you will need to speak with your enrollment counselor for more information on the exceptions materials needed for your particular program.

The Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in counseling and guidance is designed to help you advance your career in counseling.

The program is ideal for:

• Elementary School Counselors
• Middle or High School Counselors
• Career Counselors

Student Profile

Angie Winkler: Changing Lives as a Counselor

PLNU graduate student Angie Winkler shares how God led her to the calling of school counseling — and to go back to school to get her M.A. in Education and a Counseling and Guidance, Pupil Personnel Services Credential — in an unconventional way ... a trip "down under" to Gold Coast, Australia.

Read More

For information about the courses required for the Education, M.A., Counseling and Guidance program, view the PLNU Catalog.

Course Information