May 18, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog

Counseling, MEd, Clinical Mental Health

Location(s): Online


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The Master of Education with a degree in Counseling at Sul Ross State University has prepared graduates for many years to serve in the counseling profession. The Sul Ross Counselor Education Program takes great pride in thoroughly preparing students to be successful in their chosen field of study. Our instructors and professors are all Licensed Professional Counselors or LPC-Supervisors and three are Texas Certified School Counselors. Combined, there is over 131 years of graduate teaching experience. Our counselor education program graduates receive a Master of Education degree with a major in counseling. The program has been recognized as the sixth most-affordable in the United States. The counseling program is offered on two SRSU campuses. The first is Alpine and the second is International. While the two campuses’ core counseling courses are the same, electives are different. Look over the courses listed below for more information.

There are two tracks in the Clinical Mental Health Counselor program, which prepares students to become Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC). The first is a 60-hour master’s degree in education with a major in Counseling and a second track, LPC-cert, will help those with a master’s in counseling and are certified school counselors or those with a master’s degree in psychology who desire to become LPCs.

For the LPC-cert only, the LPC TAC Codes state:

(a) Persons applying for licensure must have a graduate degree in counseling or a counseling-related field of:

  (1) at least 48 semester hours of coursework in a counseling-related field for applicants who began the qualifying program before August 1, 2017; and

  (2) at least 60 semester hours of coursework in a counseling-related field for applicants who began the qualifying program on or after August 1, 2017. The hours required (48 or 60) are a minimum as long as you have the required coursework.

The courses that students who are school counselors need to complete are:

5322 Behavior Management

6345 Family Counseling

7320 Ethical and Legal Issues in Counseling

6341 Psychopathology and Psychopharmacology

6342 Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction Counseling

7316B Practicum (to complete 300 hours minimum)

Our program is designed to develop knowledge and skills needed to act as facilitators of change and growth for culturally diverse individuals, groups, and organizations, and to prepare them to work as professional counselors in a variety of settings, including:

  • Public and private schools
  • Colleges and universities
  • Mental health agencies
  • Community agencies
  • Private practice

Classes are offered in a convenient on-line and weekend virtual format. Students may join the program at the beginning of any term, and follow a cohort model where the course sequences follow a foundational, intermediate, and advanced course format. In the cohort model. students enroll in two courses each fall and spring semesters, and two in the summer.

The process for gaining admission is on this link at ApplyTexas: https://www.applytexas.org/Select the correct  campus (Alpine or SRSU International) and counseling track you want, as selecting the wrong track can delay your starting classes. You will also need to complete a program application that will be presented to you by graduate studies. Complete information regarding admissions, courses, and requirements may be found in the current University Catalog and on the Education website.

Contact
Ronda Hayes, MEd, CSC, LPC-Supervisor
Counselor Education Program Coordinator
rhayes@sulross.edu
432.837.8170

Program Requirements


The 60-hour Clinical Mental Health (CMH) track is a program that has adopted CACREP Standards, aligning with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors TAC Codes. This alignment ensures that our program leads to the individual becoming  a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), providing a solid foundation for a successful career in counseling. This program is designed to develop the knowledge and skills needed to act as facilitators of change and growth for culturally diverse individuals, groups, and organizations, and to prepare them to work as professional counselors in various settings.  

Sul Ross is also a participating university with the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), so graduating students can take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) in their final semester of coursework, as required by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council’s (BHEC) Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors as part of the LPC Associate application.

By completing the 60-credit hour counseling program at Sul Ross State University, students are eligible to begin the licensing process towards becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. This license is managed by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756-3183, (512) 834-6658.

After completion of academic and clinical experience, graduates can begin the pathway to LPC licensure. Graduates from the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Sul Ross must complete the application process with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors to become an LPC Associate. The pathway toward licensure requires the completion of 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work under the supervision of an LPC Supervisor.

Major Required Courses: 60 Credit Hours


Total Hours: 60


Required hours: 60

 

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