MS in Counseling (60 hr-Clinical Mental Health Counseling)

The Counseling Program offers a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This 60-hour track prepares graduates to counsel in clinical mental health settings such as mental health centers, private counseling agencies, drug abuse treatment centers, centers for counseling older adults, child protective services, child counseling clinics, family counseling centers, pastoral counseling settings, private practice, and business and industry. Students completing the entire sequence of course work will meet the educational requirements for the Texas State License in Professional Counseling. However, to obtain a License in Professional Counseling, the State of Texas stipulates additional requirements such as passing the national counseling exam and obtaining 3,000 clock hours of supervised clinical experience after the Masters degree has been obtained.  Consult the Texas Department of Health website for details at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/counselor/default.shtm.

Admission Procedures

1. Submit the following to the UNT Dallas Office of Graduate Admissions:
   1. Graduate School Application for Admission - apply online at www.applytexas.org
   2. Official copies of all college transcripts
   3. Official GRE scores from the Educational Testing Service (allow three to four weeks for the test to be received by the Graduate School)
2. Submit additional admission materials to the Department of Counseling and Human Services. All admission to the Counseling Program is provisional, procedures for provisional admission are as follows:

1. All required admission materials must be filed in the program office by the priority dates of May 1st preceding the Fall term/semester, or October 15 preceding the Spring term/semester.
2. Submission of a completed Application for Admission to Master’s Program in Counseling form, three completed Reference Evaluation Forms, a one-page, type-written Writing Sample.  Please contact the UNT Dallas Office of Graduate Admissions for more information.
3. Each applicant is required to participate in an orientation and interview. 

• Fall 2018 deadline and interview dates - (Must have a complete file, including test scores.)
  • May 1st, 2018 (Deadline)
  • May 10th, 2018 (Interview)

Admission Standards

• Applicants must submit the official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores on the verbal, quantitative, and writing sections to the graduate school for admission to the program.  Conditional admission may be granted pending submission of GRE scores prior to registration for the second term of enrollment.
• Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA on the last 60 undergraduate semester hours of work prior to receiving the bachelor's degree, or a 2.8 GPA on all undergraduate work, to be considered for unconditional admission to graduate stdies at UNT Dallas.  Applicants who have already completed a master's degree must have at least a 3.4 GPA on the master's or meet the undergraduate GPA standards.
• Applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree.
• All students granted provisional admission to the master’s program are required to enroll in COUN 5710D during the first term/semester of enrollment in graduate school and must receive a grade of B or higher. Concurrent enrollment in COUN 5680D and COUN 5710D is encouraged. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in these two courses 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 5680D. The student’s progress is evaluated on the basis of the demonstration of adequate subject matter knowledge and the personal and interpersonal skills required for counseling.
• After the 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 knowledge, personal and interpersonal skills and counseling skills to determine if progress is adequate, if remedial work is needed or if the student should be withdrawn from the program. 
• This degree requires a passing score on the comprehensive examination administered during the student’s internship.

Required Courses for MS in Counseling

(60 hour degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling)