Admission requirements

Admission to the master’s degree programs in counseling is competitive because available facilities do not permit admission of all qualified applicants.

All required admission materials must be submitted and processed through the UNT Graduate Admissions Office by the application deadlines.  Please visit the Graduate Admissions Website for more information regarding the application process.  Clinical Mental Health Counseling admits students twice a year (Spring and Fall) and School Counseling admits students once a year (Summer).  The application deadlines for Clinical Mental Health Counseling are October 15 for the following Spring, and March 15 for the following Fall.  The application deadline for School Counseling is March 15 for the following Summer.  Applicants will be notified shortly after the application deadline if they’re invited to participate in the interview portion of the application process.

Individuals selected to proceed beyond orientation and interviews will be offered provisional admission pending the Counseling Program’s receipt of a satisfactory Criminal History Background Check (CHBC).

All students granted provisional admission to the master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling are required to enroll in COUN 5710  during the first semester of enrollment in graduate school and must receive a grade of B or higher. Concurrent enrollment in COUN 5680  and COUN 5710  is encouraged. Students must complete COUN 5680  and COUN 5710  with grades of B or higher and submit first semester orientation tasks to be considered for full admission to the program.

All students granted provisional admission to the master’s program in School Counseling are required to enroll in COUN 5680  during the first semester of enrollment in graduate school and must receive a grade of B or higher. Student must enroll in COUN 5710  during their second semester. Students must complete COUN 5680  and COUN 5710  with grades of B or higher and submit first semester orientation tasks to be considered for full admission to the program.

Admission to the counseling program is provisional until the student’s progress is evaluated by the counseling faculty upon completion of COUN 5680  and COUN 5710 . The student’s progress is evaluated on the basis of academic performance, professional development and personal development required for success as a professional counselor. After the initial progress review, the counseling faculty either recommends that the student continue the program or reserves the right to withdraw the student from the program.

Following this initial evaluation, the student will be routinely evaluated on the criteria of academic performance, professional development and personal development to determine if progress is adequate, if remedial work is needed or if the student should be withdrawn from the program.

Program requirements

The MEd degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours, including successful completion of internship COUN 5720 /COUN 5721 , in lieu of a thesis, and a final exit interview. All degree programs must be planned in consultation with the student’s advisor. Students are required to file a degree plan during their first term/semester of graduate study. Students must earn grades of A or B on all degree plan COUN course work. 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 K-12 school counseling concentration meets the educational requirements for certification as a public school counselor in Texas. In addition, for the School Counseling Certification, the State of Texas requires 1) two years of teaching experience in a public or an accredited private school and 2) passing grade on the TExES Counselor Exam. Students enrolled in the K-12 school counseling track who wish to become licensed professional counselors in Texas must complete one additional 3-hour course beyond the 60-hour degree: COUN 5490 . All students who wish to become licensed professional counselors in Texas are required to have specified supervised experiences. Counseling program area heads should be consulted for details.