Master of Education in School Counseling
Grow your career and help students as you expand your role with a Master of Education in School Counseling. The MEd in School Counseling at Sam Houston State University is a well respected program in the field. It is nationally accredited through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP), and is designed specifically for students who want to work toward certification as a school counselor in Texas. It is a 60-hour program infused with a real-world, applicable curriculum designed to empower students to meet the demands of today's school counselor.
The MEd program is designed to comply with existing Texas Education Agency standards for professional school counseling certification. This program meets academic requirements for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license in Texas. Additionally, students interested in play therapy can add on a Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy. All students must take the comprehensive examination during the Supervised Practicum (COUN 6376). Students must be enrolled in the university when taking the comprehensive examination and when applying for graduation.
Click here to learn about the value of selecting a CACREP accredited program
Applications to the Master of Education in Counseling are accepted for Fall and Spring. See program landing page for submission deadlines. Applicants must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
- Graduate Application
- Application fee
- Pay the $35 Texas Education Accountability System for Educator Preparation Programs Fee (paid to the TEA as required by TAC 229.9.7) if seeking Texas School Counselor certification
- Official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions applicant attended
- GPA of 3.0 in the most recent degree conferred or in the last 60 semester credit hours
- Official GRE General Test scores if the applicant's GPA is less than 2.5
- Three References:
- at least two reference forms provided by former or current employers or professors
- one reference form a professional acquaintance, but cannot be a family member or an applicant's personal medical or behavioral health provider
- Personal Statement
- Teacher Service Record*
- Valid Teacher Certificate
*Note: In the State of Texas, applicants must have two years of teaching experience as a certified teacher before they can be eligible for certification as a school counselor. These two years may be completed while working on your school counseling degree.
The Counselor Education master's admissions committee will consider all applications through a holistic review process. After reviewing the pool of applicants, the master's admissions committee will recommend the top candidates for interview process. Applicants invited for the interview will be given specific guidelines for the process.
GRE revised General Test Score Bands to be used for Admission to an Educator Preparation Program under the 10% Exception Rule in 19 TAC §227.10(a)(3)(D) Under these circumstances, the GRE may not be waived.
| Self-reported Undergraduate GPA | GRE Verbal Reasoning1 | GRE Quantitative Reasoning1 | GRE Analytical Writing2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| B (2.7 GPA) | 143-157 | 140-155 | 3.0-4.5 |
1 GRE Verbal and Quantitative scores are reported on a 130 to 170 scale.
2 GRE Analytical Writing scores are reported on a 0 to 6 scale in half-point increments.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Education in School Counseling | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| COUN 5011 | Counseling Profession & Ethics | 3 |
| COUN 5333 | Schl Cnslng: Consltn,Coor,Coun | 3 |
| COUN 5334 | Effective Human Behavior | 3 |
| COUN 5336 | Adv Behavior Pharmacology | 3 |
| COUN 5364 | Theories Of Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5370 | Career Cnsling Across Lifespan | 3 |
| COUN 5379 | Methods Of Research | 3 |
| COUN 5385 | Pre-Practicum:Tcnq Of Counslng | 3 |
| COUN 5391 | Chld & Adolescent Counseling 1 | 3 |
| COUN 5392 | Cross Cultural Issues In Cne | 3 |
| COUN 5397 | Human Grwth & Dev Acrs Lfspan | 3 |
| COUN 6332 | Theories: Mar, Cple & Fam Coun | 3 |
| COUN 6335 | Schl Cnslg:Ldrshp,Advcy,Accoun | 3 |
| COUN 6350 | Coun Ethics: Mgmt, Law, Prac | 3 |
| COUN 6363 | Assessment Guid. & Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 6364 | Counseling For Addictions | 3 |
| COUN 6374 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 6376 | Supervised Prac In Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 6386 | Internship (First Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or COUN 6387 | School Counseling Internship | |
| COUN 6386 | Internship (Second Consecutive Semester) 2 | 3 |
| or COUN 6387 | School Counseling Internship | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
| 1 | COUN 5399 Play Therapy Basics may be taken in place of COUN 5391 Child and Adolescent Counseling. |
| 2 | COUN 6386 or COUN 6387 is taken twice for a minimum of six hours. |
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers. Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.
The MEd in School Counseling is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:
- Higher-order thinking.
- Oral and written communication.
- Professional conduct and ethical behavior.
- Multicultural and diversity competencies.
- Self-awareness of inter/intrapersonal relationships.
- Ability to apply counseling and development knowledge to professional practice.
