Examining College Admissions Counseling Curricula within School Counselor Preparation Programs

This research study analyzed the curriculum of school counselor preparation programs and programs’ emphasis on preparing counselors to support students in their college admissions and college choice processes. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, including surveys of counselor education department chairs and document analysis of the curricular offerings in all CACREP-accredited school counseling specialty programs. Results indicated only one-third of programs include distinct college admissions counseling courses and substantial variation in college admissions counseling competencies within program curricula. Programs were three times more likely to offer substance abuse and twice as likely to offer marriage and family therapy courses.