Counseling vs. Psychology Degrees: Master's-Level Counselor or Doctoral Psychologist?

Counseling and psychology overlap in what clients see (talk therapy, assessment, support through hard times), but in the United States they are separate professions. Each has its own accreditor, licensing board, exams and typical degree level. The short version: a professional counselor is usually licensed after a master's degree, while a licensed psychologist is usually licensed after a doctorate. The names make it easy to confuse the two, especially "counseling psychology," which is a psychology specialty and not a counselor-preparation program.

Two professions, two degree levels

CACREP, the accreditor for counselor preparation, calls the master's degree "the entry degree for practice as a Professional Counselor" and says that working as a Licensed Professional Counselor requires one. Most counselor-preparation master's programs list around 60 credits. In our directory (October 2026), 156 of 198 master's programs list exactly 60 (methodology).

Psychology licensure is built around the doctorate. In Texas, for example, the requirements for a licensed psychologist include:

• a doctoral degree in psychology
• passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and a jurisprudence exam
• at least 1,750 hours of supervised experience in a formal internship within the doctoral program
• at least 1,750 hours of supervised experience after the doctorate is conferred

By comparison, the Texas route to a full LPC requires a qualifying graduate degree, a national counselor exam (the NCE or NCMHCE) and at least 3,000 hours of supervised experience. Other states set different numbers, so use these only as an illustration of how the two paths are structured.

Different accreditors

CACREP accredits master's and doctoral programs "solely in the Counseling profession." Its specialties include clinical mental health, school, addiction, rehabilitation, and marriage, couple and family counseling at the master's level, and counselor education and supervision at the doctoral level.

APA's Commission on Accreditation is the main programmatic accreditor for professional psychology. It accredits master's and doctoral programs in clinical, counseling and school psychology, along with internships and postdoctoral residencies. APA's own counts show how doctoral-centered the field is: 440 accredited doctoral programs and 6 accredited master's programs.

CACREP also mentions a third accreditor, MPCAC, which accredits master's programs in psychology and counseling. CACREP's point is that the accreditor matters for licensing. Graduates of CACREP-accredited programs meet the educational requirements in most states, and CACREP lists Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida as states that require graduation from a CACREP-accredited program for counselor licensure. Check your state board before you choose a program accredited by anyone else.

Counseling psychology is a related field, not counselor preparation

Counseling psychology is a specialty of psychology, and the programs below are doctorates that prepare psychologists. Marquette, for example, describes its doctoral program as "based on a scientist-practitioner model for training professional psychologists" and fully accredited by the APA. The University of North Texas likewise states that its Counseling Psychology doctoral program is accredited by the APA.

Some universities house both professions in one department. That is why you will see names like "Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology." The degrees inside that department still lead to different licenses. We list counseling psychology doctorates as related programs, separate from counselor preparation. In our directory (October 2026), 227 of the 235 listed programs are counselor-preparation programs.

The reverse also holds. A doctorate in counseling does not make you a psychologist. Montclair State's PhD in Counseling states that it "is not designed for licensure as a psychologist."

Exams and day-to-day scope

The exams follow the professions. Counselors usually take NBCC exams. NBCC describes the National Counselor Examination as "a requirement for counselor licensure in many states," and Texas accepts either the NCE or the NCMHCE for LPC licensure. Psychologists take the EPPP.

The training structures differ too. As the Texas example shows, psychologist licensure involves long supervised internships before and after the doctorate. Counselor preparation is organized around a supervised practicum and internship inside the master's. Under the 2024 CACREP Standards, that means at least 100 practicum hours and a 600-hour internship.

A master's-level path in psychology exists in some states

The line is not perfectly clean. Some states license master's-level psychology practitioners under titles distinct from "psychologist." Texas offers a Licensed Psychological Associate license. It requires a graduate degree in psychology of at least 60 semester credit hours, six credit hours of supervised practicum or internship under a licensed psychologist, and passing the EPPP. Independent practice requires a further 3,000 hours of supervised postgraduate experience. Titles and rules like this are state-specific. If you see a master's in psychology advertised as a path to clinical work, check exactly which license it leads to, and in which state.

Doctoral options inside counseling

If you want a doctorate but plan to stay in the counseling profession, the counseling route is a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision. CACREP describes these doctorates as preparing graduates to work as counselor educators, supervisors, researchers and practitioners, with internships totaling at least 600 hours. CACREP notes that most applicants already hold a counseling master's and have worked as counselors. In our directory (October 2026), all 26 doctoral programs are PhDs, such as William & Mary's Ph.D. in Counselor Education. See all doctoral counseling programs.

How to decide

Questions that usually settle it:

• How long do you want to train before practicing? Counselor licensure typically follows a master's plus postgraduate supervision. Psychologist licensure typically follows a doctorate with internship and postdoctoral hours.
• Which training model appeals to you? APA-accredited counseling psychology doctorates such as Marquette's describe a scientist-practitioner model. Counseling master's programs center on a specialty, such as school or clinical mental health counseling, and a supervised internship in that setting.
• Which license does the program actually lead to, in your state? Read the program's licensure disclosure and your state board's rules. A program's name ("counseling," "counseling psychology," "clinical psychology") is not enough.

If counseling fits, start with master's programs in counseling and the specialties they offer, and see Can You Study Counseling Without a Psychology Degree? if your undergraduate major is different.