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.

PLNU's fully online asynchronous school counseling program equips you to transform your school or university one student at a time. We accept applicants throughout the State of California for our Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.) in School Counseling. Both the M.A. and M.S. tracks have the same unit requirements but differ in the career trajectory you can pursue. Those who enroll in the M.A. track are equipped to continue working with students in a school environment. The M.S. track, however, prepares you to continue your education and pursue a doctoral degree. 

Our M.A. track can be taken with or without the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) credential, but it's recommended if you want to work in a counseling role in the state of California’s public school system.  

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 and expert faculty within PLNU's School of Education. You'll also be empowered to develop students and young adults to achieve their fullest potential.

When you join PLNU’s master’s in school counseling program, 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 Associates alumni network 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

Our embedded PPS credential allows you to meet the requirements to work as a counselor in the California public school system right after graduation. For those seeking to further their education, our M.S. in School Counseling requires a master’s thesis that prepares you for doctorate work. 

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’s in school counseling. 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 give you the kind of holistic care you know every student deserves.

A master’s in school counseling with the embedded Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Credential prepares you to be able to serve students as a school counselor in an elementary, middle, or high school setting. 

PLNU's fully online asynchronous program allows you to work toward your degree at a pace that works best for you. You have the flexibility to craft your own schedule.

Accreditation: WSCUC

When you and your classmates complete PLNU’s master’s in school counseling, 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. For information about PLNU programs and out-of-state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification, please refer to our Disclosures page. 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):

• Spring 2025 Quad II — March 17, 2025
• Summer 2025 Quad I — May 12, 2025
• Summer 2025 Quad II — July 7, 2025
• Fall 2025 Quad I — September 2, 2025
• Fall 2025 Quad II — October 27, 2025

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

Application Deadline(s):

• Spring 2025 Quad II — February 28, 2025
• Summer 2025 Quad I — April 25, 2025
• Summer 2025 Quad II — June 20, 2025
• Fall 2025 Quad I — August 15, 2025
• Fall 2025 Quad II — October 10, 2025

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’s in school counseling must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, as evidenced by an official transcript.

Admissions Interview: You may be eligible for an interview waiver. Eligibility can be discussed in more depth with a PLNU admissions counselor once you've started your application. 

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
   
   *Please note, official transcripts must be sent directly from the regionally accredited institution.
3. Submit a personal essay, 2-3 pages in length and double-spaced.
4. Once you have submitted your admissions application, your two selected professional recommenders will automatically be sent the auto-generated document to complete on your behalf. If you'd life to include a written letter in addition to this required document, you may do so, but it's unnecessary.
5. Basic Skills Requirement: Senate Bill 153 (Chap. 38, Stats 2024), effective June 29, 2024, makes two changes to the California Basic Skills Requirement (BSR). Specifically, the bill adds a provision that allows possession of a bachelor’s (or higher) degree earned at a regionally accredited college or university to meet the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR). The bill also removes the BSR as a requirement for earning any credential or permit where the applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree. 

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.

PLNU’s master’s in school counseling 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

*Those seeking a career in counseling outside of the California public school system can complete the M.A. program without the PPS credential.

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 master’s in school counseling program, view the PLNU catalog.

M.A. Course Information M.S. Course Information