Education & Accreditation

Education Requirements

Obtaining professional counselor licensure requires a master’s degree in counseling or a related field, which includes an internship and practicum, and pre-requisite coursework of between 48-60 credits. All states require that counseling graduate programs be accredited, either by a counseling-specific accrediting organization or by a regional graduate education accrediting body.

Accreditation

The ) is an independent agency, recognized by the , which accredits master’s degree programs in mental health counseling and other counseling specialties. Many states require that licensure applicants’ counseling graduate degrees include a curriculum based on the CACREP model, even if full accreditation by CACREP is not required. CACREP- accredited counseling programs require coursework in eight and a supervised .

States requiring a CACREP-accredited master’s degree include (beginning July 1, 2025), , , and .

, a -recognized accrediting organization, accredits counseling and psychology master’s degree programs, located in regionally accredited colleges and universities in the United States, that educate students in the science-based practice of counseling and psychological services.

Regional Accrediting Organizations

(MSCHE): Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

(NEASC): Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

(NWCCU): Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington

(SACS): Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia

(WASC): American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Trust Territory of the Pacific

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