Skip Section Navigation
    Why Earn a School Counseling Certificate?

    Earning a School Counseling Certificate is an important step for professionals who already hold a Master’s degree in counseling from a CACREP-accredited program and want to expand their career options. For those seeking a Texas School Counseling Endorsement/Deficiency Plan, the School Counseling Certification track provides a streamlined pathway toward becoming a certified school counselor in Texas.

    Through this program, students complete all required coursework to meet state educational standards for school counseling. By the time coursework is finished, candidates must pass the TExES Counselor Exam to receive their Texas school counselor certification. Because certification requirements vary by state, individuals planning to practice school counseling outside of Texas should contact the appropriate state agency to verify their specific requirements.

    Before enrolling in the first COUN (counseling) course, each student must have a completed Certification Deficiency Worksheet with the counseling office. This ensures that the program is tailored to address any remaining educational requirements needed for certification. Ultimately, this track helps qualified counseling professionals develop the skills, competencies, and knowledge required to support student success in EC–12 educational settings.

     

    Requirements
    • Applicants must hold a completed master’s degree in counseling from a CACREP‑accredited program.
      Due to CACREP accreditation standards, the UNT Counseling Program cannot offer an alternative pathway into the counseling profession that reduces or replaces required coursework.
    • Applicants who earned their master’s degree from another university may be required to complete additional graduate coursework at UNT. Depending on prior coursework applicants may need to apply to the UNT Counseling master’s program and complete a minimum of 12 credit hours before progressing with licensure deficiency coursework.

    To begin the deficiency review process, applicants must submit the following items to COE-Counseling@unt.edu:

     

    The outcome of this deficiency analysis will determine whether the applicant is eligible to complete their required deficiency work at UNT.

      • If eligible, the application process varies depending on the number of credit hours required.  The counseling program office will provide further information upon completion of the review process.

     

    •  

    For more information, please reach out to the counseling program front office:

    coe-counseling@unt.edu

    (940) 565-2910