M.S.Ed. in Counseling

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program graduated 11 students last year with a 100% completion rate. And 100% of our clinical mental health students passed their licensure examination and 100% found job placement after graduation.

The School Counseling program graduated seven students last year with a 86% completion rate. And 100% of our school counseling students passed their licensure examination and 100% found job placement after graduation.

For admission to graduate school, you'll need to identify your intended degree specialization and submit the following:

• Graduate School application
• Official transcripts
• Applicant essay
• Two letters of recommendation
• Current resume

A test of English proficiency will also be requested if you are an international applicant.

As you have carefully considered your interests, determination, and capacities to pursue admissions consideration, respond to the following essay prompts using the writing guidelines.

Essay Prompts

• Please share your career goals regarding why you want to become a professional counselor; including your personal experiences, interests, community engagement, and abilities that lead you to apply for a graduate program in counseling.
• The current definition of counseling as developed and endorsed by the American Counseling Association: "Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals." How do you see your strengths and professional goals aligning with this definition of counseling? What are your areas of potential growth for attaining these goals?
• What are your values (e.g., cultural, political, familial, social, professional, etc.) and how do you relate to and work with individuals and groups who have different values than your own?
• What factors have led to your consideration of professional counseling as opposed to other helping professions (e.g., psychology, social work, etc.)?
• Is there anything else that you would like for us to know which might be of help in the admission decision process?

Writing Guidelines

• Provide critically reflective responses to the prompts as a single document, narrative essay format, without page breaks.
• For each writing prompt, provide 1 to 2-page responses per prompt.
• Text should be double-spaced, Times New Roman or Calibri, 12-point font with 1-inch page margins.
• Running header should appear on each page with your name and page numbers.
• Use these major headings for each question prompt, aligned-center, bold-font style within your response document:
  • Career Goals
  • Strengths and Growth Edges
  • Navigating Values
  • Emerging Counselor Identity
  • Conclusion
• Save and submit your essay response as a PDF file format document.
• Title the document with your name and “MSEd app essay.”

The Counseling Faculty are committed to preparing multiculturally competent counseling professionals for school, community, and higher education settings who can facilitate positive change in the development and interactions of diverse individuals throughout their lifespans. The Faculty are also committed to the generation and application of knowledge about counseling and related issues and techniques.

The fundamental purpose of the counseling programs at NIU is to prepare clinical mental health counselors, school counselors and counselor educators who: 

• Advance knowledge
• Promote mental health and wellness
• Engage in inclusive and socially just practice
• Celebrate multicultural differences
• Advocate for systemic change
• Embody empathy and humility

Master’s Program Objectives

Objective one – common core courses: Students will demonstrate mastery of a common core of knowledge and skills in counseling. this common core involves coursework in such areas as (a) human growth and development, (b) social and cultural foundations, (c) groups, (d) career and lifestyle development, (e) research and program evaluation, (f) professional orientation and (g) appraisal.

Objective two - experiential courses: Students will be able to demonstrate effective use of counseling skills for a selected setting. Specific courses that address this objective are: Supervised Experiences (9 credit hours required)*

Objective three - specialization courses: Students will demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills in a selected area of professional preparation (12 hours in clinical mental health counseling or school counseling coursework and electives).

We take pride in helping you move in a timely manner through our program regardless of full- or part-time status. During your program of study, you will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of common core areas in counseling, which include ethics, diagnosis of mental health, career, theories, group work, assessment, crisis intervention, substance abuse, counseling skills and strategies, and multiculturalism.
• Demonstrate effective counseling competencies.
• Demonstrate general dispositions toward self-reflection and being non-judgmental, and openness to supervision.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in Clinical Mental Health or School Counseling.
• Demonstrate knowledge of multicultural counseling skills and social justice issues.

All M.S.Ed. Counseling students learn the core knowledge complete coursework for professional counseling licensure eligibility in the state of Illinois.

On an annual basis, 70-100 eligible applicants apply for admissions to the master's level counseling degree programs. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program averages 50 to 60 degree program enrolled students. The School Counseling program averages 40-50 degree program enrolled students.

Counseling faculty work to recruit and admit diverse student populations. Note: NIU collects race/sex demographic information based on students' legal classifications. However, in alliance with NIU's stated commitment to diversity and inclusion, we recognize that our students, faculty and staff may identify beyond the demographics listed.

Self-reported counseling student race and sex last year included:

The NIU Counselor Educator team includes seven full-time faculty and two instructors of counseling. Professors of counseling represent not only diversity of multicultural intersectionality, but also diversity of counseling approaches and research interests.

Counselor education program faculty review various program and student outcome data points each year to determine the continuation of our changes in program delivery design. This annual review report (DOCX) includes:

• Summary of the program evaluation results
• Subsequent program modifications
• Any other substantial program changes

Our accelerated program allows you to begin graduate study while an undergraduate, saving you time and resources. View requirements for the accelerated B.A. or B.S. in psychology/M.S.Ed. in counseling. Contact your advisor for more information.