DCOUN-MS - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MS
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Note
The MS degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours, including completion of all MS requirements and a passing score on the written comprehensive examination administered during student enrollment in COUN 5720 or COUN 5721. All degree programs must be planned in consultation with the student’s advisor, and students must earn grades of A or B on all degree plan course work. Students are required to file a degree plan during their first term/semester of graduate study. The master’s degree program requires an internship, COUN 5720 /COUN 5721, in lieu of a thesis. The internship should be the last enrollment in the master’s program. Placement for the internship is selected in cooperation with the supervisor and must be approved by the program.
The master’s comprehensive examination will be the national Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), a service of the Center for Credentialing Education (an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors). The CPCE covers the following 8 areas: 1) Human Growth and Development; 2) Social and Cultural Foundations; 3) Helping Relationships; 4) Group Work; 5) Career and Lifestyle Development; 6) Appraisal; 7) Research and Program Evaluation; and 8) Professional Orientation and Ethics.
To prepare for the CPCE exam, students need to study the same way they would for the National Counselor Exam (NCE) sponsored by the National Board for Certified Counselors (see NBCC website for a list of study guides for NCE examination).
At the end of the first field internship, students can take the Computer Based exam online by registering through this link: https://www.cce-global.org/assessmentsandexaminations/cpce.
School Counseling Track
UNT Dallas students pursuing the Clinical Mental Health major who aspire to earn a certification in school counseling can apply for admission (for the purpose of the Texas Education Agency (TEA)) to the certification program directly with the Counseling Programs Chair. Eligibility for consideration requires the following:
Minimum GPA – 3.0
School Counseling Certificate Application
Apply for TEA Number
Interview
Upon acceptance into the School Counseling track, students will be required to complete two track-specific courses, COUN 5461 – Professional School Counseling and COUN 5341 – Advanced School Counseling, and complete one of their internships in a school setting. Students must meet with the Counseling Program Chair for advising. To become a Certified School Counselor in Texas, students must complete 160 hours of supervised direct counseling experience. Students must also pass the State of Texas School Counseling exam.
Additionally, students are required to select one course from the two courses listed below, thus increasing the total required credit hours for the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with School Counseling Certification Track to 63 required credit hours.
Students completing the entire sequence of coursework will meet the educational requirements for the Texas State License in Professional Counseling and Texas Education Agency for School Counseling Certification. Students who wish to become licensed professional counselors in Texas must have specified supervised experiences, and students who wish to be certified school counselors must take the TExES School Counselor certification exam.
Total hours to complete degree: 60 semester credit hours