Higher Education & Student Affairs/Professional Clinical Counseling (HESA/PCC)
If you enjoy counseling students as much as you like clinical work, consider the Master of Arts in Counseling, with a specialization in Higher Education & Student Affairs/Professional Clinical Counseling — formerly College Student Services/Professional Clinical Counseling.
Upon graduation, you will be able to pursue a PCC internship. Once you complete the required clinical experience, you can apply for California’s Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) PCC license exam.
Required courses:
The 40 units of core courses, plus 29 units of courses below:
- COUN 239: Psychological Perspectives of Gender (2 units): Introduction to psychology of gender, with emphasis on psycho-social effects of genderization of women and men from an ecosystemic, multicultural, and feminist perspective. Attention is paid to gender-specific issues pertinent to mental health and well-being.
- COUN 242: Foundations of Higher Education and Student Services (Pre/coreqs: COUN 230 & 500) (3 units)
- COUN 243: Social Justice in Higher Education: Theory, Practice & Research
- (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 233, 242, 248, 520 & 521; pre/coreq: COUN 522) (3 units)
- COUN 245: Psychopathology (Prerequisite: COUN 520; pre/coreq: COUN 230) (3 units)
- COUN 252: Advanced Clinical Practice (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 248, 500, 520 & 521) (3 units)
- COUN 255: Community Mental Health Counseling (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 248, 500, 521 & 522) (3 units)
- COUN 303: Family Violence: Assessment & Treatment: (1 unit)
- COUN 308: Addictions, Dual Diagnoses and Recovery-Oriented Treatment (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 233, 237, 245, 248, 520, 521 & 522; pre/coreq: COUN 522) (1 unit)
- COUN 314: Psychopharmacology (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 245 & 520) (3 units)
- COUN 566: Counseling Older Adults & Their Families (Prerequisites: COUN 230, 248, 520 & 521) (1 unit)
- COUN 530: Counseling Field Experience (Prerequisites: COUN 222, 230, 233, 240, 245, 248, 500, 520, 521 & 522; pre/coreq for fall semester: COUN 232, 242, 523; pre/coreq for spring semester: COUN 234, 237, 243, 252, 255, 308, 314 & 566) (6 units)
Cohort plans of study
Tailored field placements
After you complete the requirements to start a field placement, our coordinators will work closely with you to find the setting that interests you most. Some options include:
- College campus organizations
- Counseling centers
- Academic advising offices
- Center for Latina/Latino students
- Women resource centers
- Transition programs, such as nonprofits that support students from high school through the first two years of college
Frequently Asked Questions
600 hours, of which 280 hours must be face-to-face.
Yes, you will work with a clinician who has been licensed for a minimum of two years and has been approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. You will also receive supervision in your CD seminar class and from your CD Counseling Skills Supervisor.