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). The School Counseling program is also accredited by CAEP/NCATE.

Credentials Deadlines

Individuals interested in applying for admission should apply to the Graduate School and apply to the appropriate Counseling program in the School of Health Professions.

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

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 for admission to Summer or Fall Semester.

Program Admission

Admission to the Counseling program is at the discretion of the Counseling Program Admissions Committee. In addition to the university requirements for admission to the Graduate School at ULM, applicants for admission to either the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School 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 290 on the new GRE General Test (Verbal plus Quantitative); or
3. A total of at least 1490 points based upon this 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).
4. Students applying for the program who already possess a master’s or doctoral degree are exempt from the GRE requirement.

Program Requirements

Requirements for a major: Counseling studies offers two concentrations/specialty: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling.  For Clinical 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, totaling 60 semester hours. A thesis is optional. Students earning a C in any of the following skills courses: COUN 5065 (Methods), COUN 5011 (Advanced Techniques), COUN 6067 (Group) and COUN 5065 (Practicum) must retake the course, earning a B or higher. Students may not earn more than 2 Cs during their time of study or face dismissal from the program. 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 Counseling Programs Director at 318-342-1246 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.