Counselor Education

It is the goal of the Counseling Program to serve the needs of the San Antonio community by developing highly skilled school and clinical mental health counselors. The Department of Counseling, Health & Kinesiology offers a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Master of Arts in Counseling & Guidance: School Counseling and Master of Arts – Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling.

Course syllabi and vital statistics are available for review in the department office.

Financial Aid and Tuition and Fees information.

New Degree
On May 20, 2021, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved a new Bachelor of Science in Human Services degree within the Department of Counseling, Health, and Kinesiology. This degree is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. It provides employment opportunities in a variety of areas. Please stay tuned for exciting updates.

Who Should Apply?
Individuals with a bachelor’s degree and an interest in developing the skills necessary to be effective mental health professionals should apply. 

Program Details
The Master of Arts degree (M.A) in Counseling and Guidance: School Counseling requires 60 credit hours of counseling coursework. This degree is designed to satisfy academic requirements for School Counselor Certification in the State of Texas. 

The Master of Arts degree (M.A) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling requires 60 credit hours of counseling coursework. This degree is designed to satisfy the 60 –hour Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) academic requirements in the State of Texas.

The Master of Arts degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling is designed for students wanting to specialize in work with various family units. The degree plan requires 60 hours of counseling coursework and is designed to satisfy the 60-hour Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) academic requirements in the State of Texas.

Normal course loads consist of 6-9 hours per semester. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students must pass a comprehensive examination, administered during the final semester of coursework, as part of the requirements for graduation with the Master of Arts degree.

Fitness to Practice
Admission to the program does not guarantee fitness to remain in the program. Only those students who meet program standards will be allowed to continue in the program. Students pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Counseling & Guidance must meet fitness-to-practice standards that are assessed by faculty throughout the program. These standards include a  demonstration of emotional and mental fitness in their interaction with others as well as conformance with codes of professional counseling associations and of the state of Texas. Students who fail to demonstrate fitness or conformance to appropriate codes may be asked to enter into a remediation plan in order to remain in the program. If a remediation plan is developed, students must demonstrate satisfactory remediation prior to being allowed to proceed toward graduation. In rare cases, a student‘s ability to practice may exceed remediation and a recommendation for removal from the program is possible.

Core Coursework includes:

• Human Growth and Development
• Counseling Diverse Populations
• Counseling Techniques
• Group Counseling
• Career Counseling
• Assessment
• Research in Counseling
• Professional Orientation/Ethics
• Practicum
• Abnormal Human Behavior

Application Process and Admission Requirements

1. Complete an application for admission through GradCAS, including the non-refundable $50 application fee.  Students must be awarded a baccalaureate degree from a  regionally-accredited institution before admission into a graduate program can occur.  Degrees received must be posted on the transcript of the awarding institution.
2. Submit all official transcripts (Undergraduate and Graduate Coursework) from every prior college/university attended. Only transcripts printed within the preceding 12 months will be accepted and must not be over one year old from the print date. 
3. Applicants must have an overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or have an average of 3.0 on the last 60 hours taken of undergraduate course work.
4. Provide a statement of purpose.  The statement of purpose will need to be a 3-page essay on a word document that includes responses to the following questions:
   1. Which of the three Counseling tracks do you wish to pursue: Clinical Mental Health, School Counseling, Marriage Couple and Family Counseling?
   2. What in your background has prepared you for a future in the field of counseling? Please explain. 
   3. Identify your career objectives and your rationale for wanting to pursue a Masters’ Degree in Counseling at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.

The essay can be uploaded in GradCAS.

5. Interview with Counseling Faculty.

6. International students must have a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL Internet-based test, 213 on the TOEFL computer-based, 550 on the TOEFL paper-based test, or 6 on the IELTS.

For questions about the application process or admission requirements, please contact GraduateAdmissions@tamusa.edu.

For certification information, please visit the Educator CAFE website.

For information not found on this page or if you would like additional information about the Counseling Programs at A&M-SA, please contact The Department of Counseling, Health and Kinesiology at (210) 784-2521.