Practicum and internship site support
CACREP Accredited
High Licensure Exam Pass Rates
Transform Lives. Build your Career
Let St. Bonaventure turn your passion for helping people into a lifelong rewarding career. Choose a Master of Science in Education in either Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling and prepare for the licensed professional counselor exam and beyond.
Through engaging coursework and in-field practice, you’ll help those you counsel overcome personal challenges and accomplish their goals. You will excel as a community leader, advocate, and practitioner who models compassionate service to humanity, fostering the well-being of society.
The mission of the Counselor Education Program is to prepare students for the professional practice of counseling in a multicultural and diverse society. Specific program goals are: (a) support for the mission of St. Bonaventure University; and (b) adherence to the highest standards of Counselor Education. The programs abide by the principles set forth by the American Counseling Association [ACA]. The Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling programs are fully aligned with the standards put forth by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs). View the 2024 CACREP Annual Report.
Program Objectives
In keeping with the St. Bonaventure University mission and values, students will graduate the program with a professional identity grounded in:
- A compassion for all individuals and believing in the worth and dignity of all members in society.
- A commitment to seeking wisdom, which involves intellectual pursuits as well as how to live authentically.
- Integrity as demonstrated by accepting responsibility to practice as an ethical and competent reflective practitioner in an intentional way.
FACULTY SPEAK ABOUT MSED:
RANKINGS & RECOGNITION
- 2025 Top 20 Regional University (North), U.S. News & World Report
- 2025 #8 Best Value School (North), U.S. News & World Report
Programs
MSED in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Our online clinical mental health counseling program trains highly skilled counselors who are committed to serving the needs of individuals and their communities.
Whether you’re already working in counseling and want to become licensed or come from a different industry entirely, our flexible program gives you the skills to channel your passion for helping people into a career.
Improve outcomes through a variety of counseling practices, including crisis counseling, addiction counseling, research methods and more.
MSED in School Counseling
Our online Master of Science in Education School Counseling program prepares you to become a licensed school counselor.
Our flexible program helps those wishing to advance their current position or change careers entirely. It’s great for those already working in a school or care facility who want to support the emotional well-being of children and improve outcomes.
Our mission is to ensure students reach their fullest potential and become well-adjusted adults.
Round out your master's degree and become a more versatile counselor with our Advanced Certificate in Clinical Mental Health or School Counseling. This valuable addition allows you to specialize in one area for your master’s degree, and then add on an additional specialization at the end. Speak with your advisor to express interest and learn about the approval process.
Admission Requirements
At Bona’s, our mission is to see you succeed. To be considered for enrollment in this program, you must meet the following requirements:
- A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA (will consider applicants with a 2.75 and above)
- Transcripts from all institutions attended
- Online application
- Personal statement
- Two professional letters of recommendation
- Interview
Why SBU?
Flexible
100% online coursework. You can log into your MySBU online learning platform from anywhere, at any time.
Competitive Tuition Rates
Scholarships, grants and work programs are also available. Speak to Admissions to see if you qualify!
Easy Enrollment Process
No application fee, three start terms per year, and no GRE or GMAT required.
A Flexible Program
to Fit Your Life
Since 2013, St. Bonaventure has offered graduate degree programs in a dynamic environment created for the online learner. This approach to academic excellence is guided by the university’s ongoing, on-campus commitment to quality education for its students since its inception in 1858.
In particular, online students can:
- Tailor degrees based on educational background, work experience and goals.
- Receive one-on-one attention from faculty members who focus on you as an individual.
- Contact faculty by email, video, and telephone throughout your courses.
- Master new skills and concepts through readings, scenario-based projects, videos and other methods.
- Leverage virtual professional development opportunities from our career center to support your future career success.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our program, like many others, prepares you to meet all the requirements of a licensed counselor - it sets you up for success when you take your professional counselor exam afterward. Our graduates have consistently high pass rates on the exam, and we credit this outstanding result to a focused curriculum, internship placement assistance, and dedicated support from faculty and advisors.
Both the Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling consist of 60 credit hours. The courses run one at a time and are seven weeks in duration.
This is a 100% highly interactive online course, so no travel to our campus in New York is required. Our courses are virtual, with the majority being asynchronous. We do offer some live sessions to help enhance the learning experience. Several classes during the program require regular weekly synchronous participation, such as group counseling, practicum, and internship.
Download a detailed guide with the entire curriculum, tuition details and more - simply fill out the above form.
Not long ago, the term “guidance counselor” was commonly used to describe counselors within school settings. But now, the appropriate term is “school counselor.” While there are still some schools that use “guidance counselor,” the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) views the title as outdated and recommends “school counselor.”
TOP 8
St. Bonaventure University is ranked by the U.S. News & World Report 2025 as the #8 Best Value School in the North.
15:1
The online programs average a 15:1 faculty to student ratio.
30%
As a military-friendly college, St. Bonaventure University offers a 30% tuition discount to all active military.