The YSU Master of Education (MSEd) in Counseling offers students four distinct tracks for students to specialize their curriculum to their intended career path. The tracks include addiction counseling, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and college counseling and student affairs. The College Counseling and Student Affairs track prepares students for careers across the many departments of a university. Our graduates have gone on to work as academic advisors, admissions coordinators, and housing directors in colleges across the U.S. This path involves two unique specialty areas to dive into within one track.
This concentration within the program is built to prepare students to gain their licensure as a professional counselor. Their focus is to learn about both student affairs/higher education leadership and administration roles, along with clinical counseling skills. The counseling program prepares students for their future careers through practicum and internship courses that place them in various locations suited to their desired career path. Once students earn the required supervised experience hours and pass the necessary exams to be certified, they will be a specialized professional who can help a variety of clients through behavioral, emotional, and psychological challenges.
Similar to the College Counseling concentration, the Student Affairs concentration also prepares students to work on a college campus or in related higher education positions but is a non-licensure track. Students in this concentration follow the many career paths in higher education that do not require licensure and still take core counseling courses to develop foundational skills to provide students they may encounter throughout their future careers. They also gain internship experience in areas across campus, including but not limited to academic advising, career services, and student activities to bolster their resumes before launching their careers. Because students in this path seek roles where licensure is not required, their training in counseling makes them stand out from the average applicant.
YSU has a student affairs-oriented student organization associated with the track, which is called the Student Affairs Leadership Support Association (SALSA). The goal of this group is to provide students with leadership development and skills in student affairs and higher education of leadership and administration. SALSA’s second goal is to support and promote the YSU Division of Student Affairs and all the engaging, student-centered resources they provide across campus. This organization is open not just to student affairs students, but all other counseling students and some undergraduates as well. Recently, SALSA leaders Brooklyn Bokan, Oliver Roose, and Casey Henderson presented at the Student Leadership Summit. This event is the largest gathering of student leaders on YSUs campus. SALSA members presented effective leadership practices to over 160 student leaders.
Assistant Professor of Psychological Science and Counseling, Dr. Madeleine Stevens perfectly sums up the value of this program and her reasons why students should consider it:
“Students seeking careers in student affairs and higher education should consider our program because it provides the necessary knowledge and skills in working directly with college students and interfacing with other campus leaders. It also provides specific training in working with a wide variety of people from an evidence-based, humanistic foundation, provided by the program’s counseling focus.”
She also added that YSU is specifically a good place to come to if you want to get into this type of work because, “It is worth noting that the YSU counseling program’s College Counseling/Student Affairs specialty area is the only one of its kind in Ohio that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Furthermore, it is one of 13 CACREP-accredited College Counseling/Student Affairs specialty areas in the country.”
The current president of the Student Affairs Leadership Support Association said:
“My experience in the YSU Student Affairs and College Counseling program has provided me with valuable knowledge and practical skills that directly support my professional goals in student conduct within higher education. Through coursework and hands-on learning opportunities, I have developed a stronger understanding of student development, conflict resolution, counseling techniques, and ethical decision-making. The program has strengthened my ability to communicate effectively, approach challenging situations with empathy and professionalism, and support students through educational and accountability-focused processes. These experiences have prepared me to foster a safe and supportive campus environment while helping students learn, grow, and succeed through the student conduct process”
You don’t have to travel far to find an alumni penguin supporting students’ futures! Chris Santangelo, YSU’s Assistant Director for the Office of Career Exploration and Development graduated with a master’s in counseling through the student affairs track. Here’s what he said about where his degree has led him:
“I graduated from the College Counseling/ Student Affairs program in May 2023. I gained extensive knowledge, skill, and experience in the program. Skills I include while working with students daily include empathy, active listening, strong communication, and counseling skills as applicable. As a graduate student, I worked at BCLASSE as an Academic Advisor. I met individually with students who needed assistance with course registration, future planning, and additional guidance as needed. Additionally, I was an instructor for the YSU 1500 Success Seminar course and served as a First-Year Academic Advisor to first-year students. Graduating from the Master of Science in College Counseling Student Affairs program has changed my life. I have grown immensely both professionally and personally. I am grateful I has the opportunity to go through this experience.”
And as he fittingly put, “Go Penguins!”
The College Counseling and Student Affairs Program at YSU The YSU Master of Education (MSEd) in Counseling offers students four distinct tracks for students to
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