Graduate Coursework in College Counseling: An Exploratory Study of the Certificate Programs Training Pathway in the United States

Abstract

This research is a qualitative case study of graduate certificate programs offered in college counseling in the United States. This study presents historical and current information about eight different college counseling certificate programs and seven themes that describe these programs in the context of national college access and college readiness goals. Eight programs were identified at four schools in California, one school in Michigan, one school in Minnesota, and one school in Massachusetts. These certificate programs have a bifurcated history and have existed since 1990. Results of the study revealed: the two major types of college counseling certificate programs, their role in creating private counseling practices, the types of readings in the programs, as well as the variability of the courses, subjects, and instructional faculty. This research fills a gap in the literature, provides recommendations for advancing these certificate programs within the emerging academic discipline of college counseling, and suggests future related research that should be conducted. Overall, this study raises the visibility of this training pathway.