With a masters in school counseling from UT Martin, you will have the proper skill set to support teachers and other school personnel as well as parents in addressing the needs of students related to academics, career preparation and personal growth. The 100% online program has earned accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) as an advanced degree program within the Department of Educational Studies. Whether you are completing the endorsement track or the full degree track, you will be eligible to earn Tennessee licensure as a school counselor.
The School Counseling concentration has been approved by the State of Tennessee's Department of Education to prepare and endorse students for licensure as school counselors. Both the full degree program and the endorsement program have Tennessee approval. In addition, the School Counseling program has earned accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Council for Accreditation for Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP) as an advanced degree program within the Department of Educational Studies. Students completing either the endorsement track or the full degree track will be eligible to earn Tennessee licensure as a school counselor. Students who reside in another state are then able to transfer this license to their home state, following the specific guidelines of the state board that administers school counseling licensure in that home state. Use this link to review how our program requirements match school counseling licensure in each state: School Counseling Licensure
Fall enrollment : February 20
Spring enrollment: October 8
The Counseling Program Admission Committee adheres to the 2024 CACREP Standards in its admission procedure. Specifically, Section 1.J.:
Entry-level admission decision recommendations are made by the counselor education program and include consideration of each applicant’s
To assist the Committee in making these decisions, applicants are required to complete the following process:
An online application must be submitted and the following materials will be required in the online application prior to committee review by the Counseling Admissions Board.
The Admission Committee will review each application packet and determine whether the applicant has met initial requirements to be considered for admission. The applicant will be contacted in order to schedule a virtual interview with a committee member. After the interview the Admission Committee will make a final determination of acceptance and the applicant will be notified.
Admission is dependent upon submission of these documents and a positive review by the Counseling Admission Committee. All supplemental materials listed above must be submitted to the College of Education, Health, and Behavioral Sciences Graduate Programs. Materials should be emailed to cehbsgp@ut.utm.edu; transcripts should be sent to Graduate Studies.
Office of Graduate Studies
227 Administration Building
Martin, TN 38238
The mission of the University of Tennessee at Martin's Master of Science in Education with a major in counseling is to prepare socially ethical and competent professionals in clinical mental health and school settings. We aspire to develop counselors who are technically skilled, personally aware, empathic, and accepting of the cultural and social differences of their clients or students.
The UTM Counselor Education Model is designed to develop counselors who are enhancers of human development and believe counselors should know how to improve learning through the use of a wide variety of materials including human and technological resources. Therefore, embedded within and intertwined among components of the conceptual framework are the commitments to diverse learners and the use of technology as an additional communication tools to enhance student learning.
The Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP) has identified eight common core curricular areas that are required of all counselor training programs. After completing the graduate degree, our students should be prepared to enter the counseling profession confident in their ability to meet the standards of their chosen professional specialization. The following broad student learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the eight common core areas:
Students will demonstrate sufficient knowledge of content within the eight common core curricular areas (professional orientation and ethical practice, social and cultural diversity, human growth and development, career development, helping relationships, group work, assessment, and research and program development).
Students will demonstrate effective counseling skills in their coursework and during their field experiences.
Students will adhere to the ethical code of their counseling professional association when completing coursework and field experiences.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of their specialty area (clinical mental health counseling or school counseling).
Each academic year the Counseling Program develops an Annual Report that complies with CACREP Standards. The report documents important data for both the Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling specialty areas.
“I have loved my time in the Masters of School Counseling program through he University of Tennessee at Martin. The professors make it the best! They are personally invest in your educational journey and help you transition into your career so easily. ”
