Counseling, MS

Admission Requirements

In addition to the general application and admission requirements  of the Graduate School, admission to the MS degree program in Counseling requires:

• Submission of satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Official GRE scores must be sent directly from the test administrator to the Graduate School.
• A resume of counseling related work or volunteer experiences.
• A 500-750 word writing sample responding to the following prompt:
  • The Counseling Program at UL maintains the following as its mission statement: “The mission of the Department of Counseling at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is to develop Professional Counselors who embody ethical practice, respect for diversity, and a strong professional identity by integrating, theory, research, and practice into a competency-based curriculum, for service to K-12 schools and in various mental health settings.”
  1. How do your personal career goals relate to the Mission?
  2. Given that “respect for diversity” is integral to our mission, how do your previous experiences, interests, and worldview support your potential for success in building interpersonal relationships with culturally different individuals?
  3. The choice to become a professional counselor sets in motion a number of consequences that have the potential to affect multiple aspects of your life. Among these are your relationships, financial situation, lifestyle, family life, and self-image; therefore, self-care for counselors is an important skill set. In what ways are you helping yourself prepare for those potential changes and a heavy workload?

Once the application is submitted, applicants may be invited to interview with the admissions committee. Invited applicants will meet individually and in groups with a panel of interviewers. The interviewers will be faculty members from the MS in Counseling program, and occasionally community professionals. The interview session will last approximately two hours and interview questions are not shared in advance but generally address the applicant’s experience, goals, and communication skills.

Students are admitted once per year, to the fall semester.

There are no specific undergraduate majors required to enroll in the MS in Counseling program but typical majors include psychology, sociology, child and family studies, and education.

Degree Requirements

Students accepted into the M.S. in Counseling program must complete a core educational requirement of 30 credit hours. In addition to these required core courses, students must choose a concentration in School Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or a dual concentration which meets the requirements of both School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling - and complete the required core and concentration coursework.

In addition to the core and concentration coursework, all students must complete 3 credits in a practicum and 6-9 credits in an internship with placement specific to the concentration. Additional electives are taken to gain expertise and reach the total number of hours required for the degree. All students are required to pass a comprehensive examination. Students seeking a concentration in School Counseling are required to complete the Praxis School Counseling exam. There is no thesis option.

A total of 60 credits is required for the School Counseling concentration. A total of 60 credits is required for the Mental Health Counseling concentration and a total of 72 credits is required for the dual concentration.

Core Courses

All students must complete the following 30 credit hours of required core coursework:

• COUN 500 - Orientation to Ethical, Professional, and Legal Issues in Counseling Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 501 - Methods of Inquiry in Counseling Research Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 502 - Theories of Counseling Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 504 - Theories and Techniques of Appraisals for Counselors Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 505 - Helping Relationships Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 506 - Multicultural Counseling Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 507 - Lifestyle and Career Development Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 509 - Group Processes Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 524 - Counseling and Development Across the Lifespan Credit Hours: 3
• COUN 521 - Advanced Seminar in Counseling Credit Hours: 3

Concentration Coursework

In addition to the required core coursework above, students must choose a concentration and complete the courses as described below for each. Additionally, each student must complete a 100 hour Practicum and a 600 hour Internship in an appropriate setting.

Residence Requirement

A student must satisfy residence requirements by successfully completing a minimum of 18 semester hours of degree program credit on the campus of UL Lafayette.