Mississippi State University · Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations

Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.)

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Counselor Education with Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master'sMS CACREP

Overview

A 60-hour M.S. in Counselor Education with a clinical mental health counseling concentration offered on the Starkville campus, including a practicum, a 600-clock-hour internship and a comprehensive examination.

Official program name: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.)
Awarded degree: Master of Science in Counselor Education with Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Counseling specialty: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Professional purpose: Clinical counselor preparationThe institution states the program prepares students for professional counselor licensure. Licensure itself also requires post-degree supervised experience, an examination and a state application.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: Mississippi State University — Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Mississippi State, MS
Required credits: sixty (60) graduate hours
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Full-time students complete the program in two years, including summers (full-time)
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Master's degree in counselor education, clinical mental health counseling concentration.

Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list counseling bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees whose official program is counselor preparation in a named specialty, and — separately labelled — counseling psychology. Generic psychology, education, social work and standalone MFT degrees are excluded. Eligibility rules

Format and campus attendance

How coursework is delivered and whether you must come to campus for it. Practicum and internship are a separate requirement, shown in the next section. “Fully online coursework” appears only when the school says no campus attendance is required.

Academic delivery: On campusClasses meet in person on campus.
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not published

Campus requirements as published

Orientation Required
New Student Orientation in August before the fall semester; all new students are required to attend (place announced beforehand).
once
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Practicum, internship and placements

Supervised fieldwork in a clinical, community or school setting, as the school publishes it. For online programs this happens in person, usually near where you live — whatever the coursework format.

Practicum: RequiredCOE 8053/8150 Practicum (catalog: requires a 100/600-clock hour practicum).
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Internship: Required600 hours. COE 8730/8740 Internship, 600 clock hours.
Source: catalog.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Placement arrangements and supervision

Not published on the pages we checked. Ask who finds the practicum site, whether sites in your area are approved and how supervision works.

How practicum and internship placements work

Curriculum

Comprehensive examination

Program comprehensive examination.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBachelor's degree from a fully accredited four-year institution.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Minimum GPA 3.00 (4.00 scale).
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredResume.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: OptionalScores may be submitted but are not required.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Priority deadline
Rolling admission · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
Resident (in-state) — Graduate, Resident, total tuition and required fees per credit hour (1-8 hours), StarkvilleFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$616.40	per credit · Fall 2026 or Spring Includes feesEstimated tuition$36,984 = 60 credits × $616.40 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: controller.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate, Non-Resident, total per credit hour (1-8 hours), StarkvilleFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$1,671.65	per credit · Fall 2026 or Spring Includes feesEstimated tuition$100,299 = 60 credits × $1,671.65 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: controller.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Resident (in-state) — Graduate, Resident, per semester (9 or more hours), StarkvilleFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$5,547.50	per semester · Fall 2026 or Spring Includes feesSource: controller.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate, Non-Resident, per semester (9 or more hours), StarkvilleFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$15,043	per semester · Fall 2026 or Spring Includes feesSource: controller.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $100,299 (60 credits × $1,671.65 per credit)

Comparison basis: Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate, Non-Resident, total per credit hour (1-8 hours), Starkville, Fall 2026 or Spring . Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the school publishes them. Competitive scholarships and assistantships are not guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Counseling tuition and scholarships

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Graduate assistantships (university-wide) AssistantshipCompetitive
may receive tuition reimbursement and a stipend; 20 hours per week
Eligibility: Full-time graduate students in the program are eligible to apply
Source: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Institutional accreditation covers the whole school; programmatic accreditation (CACREP) covers only the specialty and degree it lists. Enrollment restrictions for online students are a separate question.

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)Status: Accredited · Specialty: Clinical Mental Health Counseling · Degree: M.S.Accredited since July 11, 2012 · current cycle ends October 31, 2030 · listed by the accreditor as onlineSource: cacrep.org · verified October 11, 2026

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

MSU participates in SARA (approved July 27, 2016); SARA approval does not extend to programs that lead to professional licensure. Official pageSource: online.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Licensure and professional disclosures

What the school publishes about professional licensure or certification. Meeting a state's educational requirements is only one part of licensure: examinations, post-degree supervised experience, background checks and a board application follow. This directory does not decide whether you qualify.

LicensureDesigned to fulfill the academic requirements for licensure as a Professional Counselor in Mississippi; graduates eligible to apply for the Mississippi PLPC credential. Official disclosureSource: chef.msstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

CACREP accreditation does not guarantee licensure in every state, and school counselor certification is not the same as clinical counselor licensure. LPC, LMHC and other state titles · School counselor credentials

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.

catalog.msstate.edu/graduate/colleges-degree-programs/education/counseling-education-psychology/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
CACREP Directory of accredited programs (CSV export downloaded 2026-10-11) — Accreditor directory, verified October 11, 2026
chef.msstate.edu/programs/grad/community — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
chef.msstate.edu/sites/www.cep.msstate.edu/files/inline-files/Word%20-%20COE%20Graduate%20Student%20 — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
controller.msstate.edu/accountservices/tuition/starkville-campus — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
online.msstate.edu/state-authorization — Official disclosure page, verified October 12, 2026

Something out of date? Request a correction · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Key facts

Degree
MS · Master'sClinical counselor preparation
Specialty
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
CACREP
Accredited (matched in the CACREP directory)
Delivery
On campus
Campus attendance
On-campus classes
Practical training
On-campus classes; practicum and internship required600 internship hours
Study intensity
Study intensity not published
Length
Full-time students complete the program in two years, including summers (full-time) · sixty (60) graduate hours
Tuition
$616.40 per creditResident (in-state) — Graduate, Resident, total tuition and required fees per credit hour (1-8 hours), Starkville, Fall 2026 or Spring
Next deadline
Rolling admission
Location
Mississippi State, MS

Official program page How to apply

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CounselingSchools.net is independent and not affiliated with Mississippi State University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs, deadlines and licensure eligibility with the school and your state board.