The Department of Counseling educates students for employment in school and community mental health and human service settings. At the doctoral level, students are trained as counselor educators in faculty positions in higher education and in leadership positions in the counseling profession. Counselors are practitioners, consultants, and coordinators who assist in problem solving, decision-making, and personal growth and development in individual, family, school, and/or career issues. Counselors receive training in the eight core areas identified by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs:

• Professional counseling orientation and ethical practice,
• Social and cultural identities and experiences,
• Lifespan development,
• Career development,
• Counseling practice and relationships,
• Group counseling and group work,
• Assessment and diagnostic processes, and
• Research and program evaluation.

At the masters level, we offer a School Counseling M.A. and a Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.A. Both options require additional specialty courses and comprehensive written and oral examinations focused on the student's career track. The more specialist and doctoral degrees develop depth, supervisory, pedagogy, research, and leadership skills in these areas.

The M.A., Ed.S., Ed.D., and Ph.D. are offered in Counselor Education. The M.A. and Ph.D. programs are accredited by CACREP. The School Counseling M.A. program is also accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education.

Admission to Counseling

Applicants for this program should contact the Department of Counseling for specific admission information. Applications are accepted once per year and admission is competitive.

Certification Requirements

The Counselor Education M.A. concentration in School Counseling leads to Montana Class 6 Specialist licensure with a K-12 school counseling endorsement. The Counselor Education M.A. concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares graduates for licensure candidacy as Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPC) in the state of Montana and fulfills at least 700 hours of the clinical hour requirement toward licensure.