Program Overview

Master of Education in Counseling

The LSU Counselor Education program is tailored for college-educated individuals seeking a graduate degree. Our program is designed to prepare students to address the mental health needs of clients, both in Louisiana and nationally.

Program Overview

We pride ourselves on a curriculum that emphasizes evidence-based practices, advocacy, social justice, and wellness across the lifespan. Our Master of Education in Counseling program offers two concentrations: clinical mental health counseling and school counseling, providing you with specialized knowledge and skills for different professional paths within the counseling field.

Application Deadline

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling — January 30, 2026
• School Counseling — Rolling Admission (to be considered for the Fall 2026 semester, please submit by January 30, 2026)

Interview Date

March 6, 2026

What You'll Learn

As a graduate of this 60-hour program, you will be well-prepared to make a positive impact on individuals, couples, and families. You'll play a vital role in enhancing life adjustment, fostering personal growth and wellness, and expanding competencies in coping with environmental demands across the lifespan.

Our Mission

The LSU Counselor Education program prepares students to meet the mental health needs of clients in Louisiana and nationally through a focus on evidence-based practices, advocacy, and social justice, and wellness across the lifespan.

Objectives of the Program

To prepare our students with experiential and didactic learning opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of an effective professional counselor, upon completion of our program students will be prepared to:

• Practice according to the codes of ethics, legal precedents, theoretical foundations, and professional standards of the counseling profession;
• Provide counseling services and advocacy in a multicultural society;
• Work effectively with individuals, couples, families, and groups across the lifespan to improve their mental health and well-being;
• Demonstrate excellent helping, communication, conflict resolution, consultation, and other intrapersonal and interpersonal skills;
• Select and use assessment tools, research methods, and evaluations ethically to enhance counseling effectiveness;
• Demonstrate a professional counselor identity appropriate to their chosen career path.

Our Strengths

• Excellent student-faculty ratio
• Nationally accredited program through CACREP
• Hands-on clinical training
• Training in individual, group, couples, and family counseling
• Training in career and college readiness counseling
• Emphasis on skills for working with clients from across cultural backgrounds
• Strong grounding in counseling best practices
• Opportunities for specialized training in: girls' and women's mental health, crisis and trauma, grief and loss
• Nationally recognized faculty

Concentrations

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The LSU Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program provides professional-level training to graduate students interested in working in community agency and mental health settings. The program is designed to prepare students to become Licensed Professional Counselors in the state of Louisiana.

School Counseling

The LSU School Counseling Program recruits and trains self-motivated counselors who are educational leaders and serve as advocates for all students in elementary, middle, and secondary schools.

Admission Requirements

• Admission to the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School.
• Admission requirements are a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a score of 297 on the GRE (verbal plus quantitative).
• The completion of an undergraduate degree at a four-year accredited institution.

Application Procedure

Application to the Counselor Education program begins with an application to the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School.

Comprehensive Examinations

Degree requirements include successful completion of the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE).

Faculty Advisors

Students will be assigned a major advisor and two committee members upon admission to the program.

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available for full-time students, which require 20 hours of work per week.

Professional Development

In addition to meeting academic requirements, students are expected to develop a professional orientation, generally defined as internalized attitudes, perspectives, and personal commitment to the standards, ideals, and identity of a profession.

Certificate of Education Specialist | EdS

The Certificate of Education Specialist (EdS) with an Area of Focus in Counseling provides advanced counseling training for those who have already earned a Master's degree in School or Clinical Mental Health Counseling.