Master in
Guidance and Counseling
The Master in Guidance and Counseling program prepares professionals for licensure as Registered Guidance Counselors through a curriculum aligned with the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and CHED Memorandum Order No. 21, Series of 2025. Integrating advanced theory and practical skills, the program equips students to serve diverse demographics across educational, industrial, clinical, and community settings.
Moving beyond traditional approaches, the enhanced curriculum delivers rigorous training in Technical Eclecticism, Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), and high-acuity crisis management (such as Non-Suicidal Self Injurious Behavior de-escalation). It firmly prepares students to navigate the complex inter-professional clinical liaison role and manage organizational risks in strict compliance with RA 11036 (Mental Health Act) and RA 12080 (Basic Education Mental Health Act).
The program culminates in a practice-based, workplace-applicable Capstone and Field-Based Project. Scaffolded across the curriculum through an early research incubator track, this innovative project ensures that students/scholars—grant recipients—can systematically design, pilot, and rigorously evaluate localized mental health interventions to guarantee full graduation within a strict two-year timeframe.
Program Outcomes
By the end of the program, graduates will be able to:
Demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, attitudes, and ethical values of a registered guidance counselor by integrating multi-method assessments, trauma-informed interventions, and high-acuity crisis management (e.g., NSSIB de-escalation) in strict compliance with RA 11036 and RA 12080.
Act as innovators who design, pilot, and evaluate context-responsive guidance programs and processes, utilizing an accelerated, workplace-applicable Capstone Project track to make the counseling profession deeply attuned to contemporary institutional or DepEd needs within a strict two-year timeframe.
Key Competencies Developed
By the end of the program, graduates will be able to develop the following key competencies:
1. High-Acuity Intervention & Legal Compliance
Apply trauma-informed care and technical eclecticism to manage high-acuity crises (e.g., NSSIB), maintain legally sound clinical documentation, and lead inter-professional collaborations in strict compliance with RA 11036 and RA 12080.
2. Advanced Assessment & Case Conceptualization
Administer and interpret multi-method assessment tools to translate complex intake data into accurate case conceptualizations, safely communicating results and ethical recommendations to families and multidisciplinary teams.
3. Evidence-Based Innovation & Capstone Execution
Utilize educational research and data analysis to design, pilot, and rigorously evaluate localized  guidance programs through a structured, workplace-applicable Capstone Project completed within a strict two-year timeframe.
These competencies can be assessed through a variety of methods, including:
- Counseling Theory & Practice
- Case Studies: Detailed case conceptualizations and measurable intervention plans.
- Ethics Journals: Written analyses resolving complex professional and legal dilemmas.
- Crisis Simulations: Evaluated role-plays (OSCEs) responding to high-acuity crisis scenarios.
- Psychological Assessment
- Assessment Reports: Administering test batteries and writing comprehensive psychological
- Feedback Simulations: Role-plays communicating complex results to parents/clients with empathy
- Program Innovation
- Capstone and Field-Based Project: Designing, piloting, and evaluating an innovative workplace intervention within 2 years.
- Proposal Defense: Formal oral defense of the capstone project before an expert panel.
- Multicultural & Collaboration
- Diversity Case Analysis: Modifying intervention strategies to address distinct cultural dynamics.
- Supervisor Evaluations: Fieldwork ratings on inter-professional care coordination.
- Reflective Practice
- Supervision Logs: Reflections on critical practicum incidents and supervisor feedback.
- Outreach Reports: Evaluation of a community mental health or advocacy project
Total Program Units: 34 units
The following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are addressed by this program:
Meet the Faculty
Ma. Paz Manaligod
Faculty
Maria Lourdes Baybay
Faculty
Maria Lourdes Chavez
Faculty
Susan Morillo
Faculty
Celeste Joy Matias
Faculty
Potential Careers
A Master in Guidance and Counseling prepares graduates for a variety of professional roles with a strong emphasis on the education sector and an expanding presence in mental health, corporate wellness community development.
Graduates of this program may pursue the following careers:
I. Educational Sector (Traditional Roles)
- Guidance Counselor (Elementary/High School/Senior High School; College/University Counselor)
- Guidance Program Director/Coordinator
- Student Services Officer/Dean of Student Affairs
II. Corporate and Organizational Settings
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Counselor
- Corporate Wellness Specialist
- Training and Development Specialist.
- Recruitment or Admissions Advisor
III. Clinical, Community, and Government Roles
- Mental Health Counselor/Wellbeing Specialist (Clinics or Telehealth)
- Guidance Counselor/Specialist (Government Agencies)
- Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Program Officer
- Private Practice (Counseling and/or Assessment)
IV. Research and Academia
- Faculty Member/Lecturer; Researcher/Evaluator
CURRICULUM SUMMARY
Courses | Units |
Core Courses | 12 |
1.     MGAC 6001   Advanced Lifespan Development and Neurodivergence 2.     MGAC 6002   Foundations of Guidance and Counseling and Philippine Mental Health Legislation 3.     MECL 6003   Educational Advocacy for Social Innovation 4.     MECL 7701   Research Methods and Data Analysis in Education | |
Specialization Courses | 15 |
1.     MGAC 7301   Integrated Theories and Techniques of Counseling 2.     MGAC 7302   Psychological Testing and Multi-Method Intake Processing     Organization and Management of Guidance Services 3.     MGAC 7304   Career Counseling 4.     MGAC 7305   Group Process and Program Development | |
MC Required Course | 1 |
·        MSAA 6000    Miriam Spirituality and Advocacy | |
Comprehensive Examination | 0 |
·        MGAC 7900    Comprehensive Examination |  |
Capstone and Field-Based Project Courses | 6 |
1.     MGAC 7998       Capstone and Field-Based Project: Proposal  2.     MGAC 7999       Capstone and Field-Based Project: Final Presentation |  |
Total Number of Units | 34 |
