Program overview

Make an impact with Rider’s 60-credit Master of Arts in Counseling Services program. As a student in the school counseling concentration, you’ll prepare for a rewarding career as a school counselor in an elementary or secondary school. With our cutting edge instruction, hands-on practice in schools and supportive faculty, you’ll gain the skills needed to succeed. Students have the option to choose from four focus areas or take a range of electives in different interest areas. Courses are offered in the evenings with full-time and part-time enrollment options available to meet the needs of returning and professional students with busy lives.

Register for Graduate Open House

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Career ready

Throughout the program, students participate in at least three field placements in K-12 schools. Students also have the option to do an internship in a clinical mental health setting as one of their electives. 

In addition, the program prepares students for the eight-core content areas of the National Counselor Exam (NCE), required by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) in order to become a National Certified Counselor. Students completing this program will also have met the educational requirements for Board Certified Coach (BCC).

Depending on the elective options a student takes in this program, the coursework may also meet the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Students also have the option to take courses to qualify for the Student Assistance Coordinator Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (SAC CEAS) in NJ.

Facts and figures

The data below is updated for AY 2022-2023.

100%

program completion rate

100%

employment rate (Spring '22-Fall '22 graduates)

12

students graduated

Prepared for success

Rider graduates have a strong reputation within the counseling community and are employed in K-12 schools throughout New Jersey. 

Where our graduates work

  • East Windsor Regional Regional School District
  • Hamilton Township School District
  • Collingswood Public Schools
  • Perth Amboy Public Schools
  • Christina Seix Academy
  • Timber Creek Regional High School
  • Freehold Township Public Schools
Gabrielle Magwood
My favorite aspect about my education at Rider is that I feel prepared for the day-to-day tasks of my job, but I also feel confident enough in my skills and abilities to take on those unexpected challenges that arise in the counseling profession."
Gabrielle Magwood '21
Master of Arts in Counseling Services (School Counseling concentration)

Choose your focus

Students may tailor their learning to their goals by choosing from four focus areas or taking a variety of elective courses on various topics.

Focus on clinical client care

The clinical client care focus prepares students to address complex mental health issues. Courses include Advanced Psychopathology and Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Lynch Adler Hall

Accreditation information

The program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP), the premier national accrediting body that ensures excellence in counselor preparation and training and is approved for certification with the New Jersey Department of Education.

The MA Counseling and MA CMHC programs are on an 8-year accreditation cycle and are CACREP-accredited until March 31, 2031. CACREP accreditation is sought for our programs on an ongoing basis.

Program requirements

Students take 51-credits of courses focused on counseling issues such as:

  • Applied issues in educational counseling
  • Career counseling
  • Multicultural issues in counseling
  • Theories of counseling
  • Diagnosis and psychopathology
  • Counseling skill training
  • Working with children, adolescents, and families

For the remaining 9 credits, students can choose from a range of focus areas that fit their interests and career goals, such as play therapy, trauma issues in counseling, addictions counseling, and creativity in counseling.

Students should consult with their faculty advisor on elective choices to select courses that meet student career and licensure or certification goals.

Contact

Terry Pertuit

Associate Professor

Graduate Education, Leadership and Counseling

Bierenbaum Fisher Hall

tpertuit [at] rider.edu

(609) 895-5449

Academic Focus: Counseling Services

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