Counseling, M.S.

Accreditation

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

Credentials Deadlines

Individuals interested in applying for admission should apply to the Graduate School and also apply to the appropriate program in the Department of Behavioral Sciences.

Enrollment is limited and candidates for admission will be required to complete an application packet.

Applicants wishing to be considered for admission to the Counseling programs must have all application materials on file on the following dates: November 15 – for admission to the Spring Semester, and March 31 – admission to Summer or Fall Semester

Program Admission

Admission to the Counseling program is at the discretion of the Program Admissions Committee of the Counseling Program. In addition to the university requirements for admission to the Graduate School at ULM, applicants for admission to the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling will meet one of the following criteria:

1. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 overall; or
2. A minimum combined score of 900 on the GRE General Test (Verbal plus Quantitative); or
3. A total of at least 1900 points based upon the formula-400 times the undergraduate grade-point average on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course work plus the combined GRE General Test score (Verbal plus Quantitative).

Program Requirements

Requirements for a major: The Counseling Program offers three concentrations/specialty areas: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Gerocounseling. For Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling, requirements include a 48-semester hour required core plus a minimum of 12 semester hours of specialty course work in either Clinical Mental Health or School Counseling. Requirements for the Gerocounseling concentration include a 30-hour counseling core plus 18 hours of Gerontology courses. Internship must include 600 hours of clinical work documented by the Clinical Director.

NOTE: The professional code of ethics requires that retention in this program depends on the student’s personal and professional development as well as academic performance. The student will be asked to submit periodic assignments for assessment in this regard. Please consult the Department of Behavioral Sciences for further information. Admission to the program is very limited and only highly qualified candidates will be admitted based on available slots in accordance with CACREP’s student-to-faculty guidelines.

Graduate Courses

Note: To receive graduate credit for a 4000-level course designated ‘For Undergraduate and Graduates,’ a student must be in graduate admission status at the time credit is earned in the course. Credit earned in undergraduate admission status cannot be changed to graduate credit.