South Dakota State University · School of Counseling, Human Development and Family Science

Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) – Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization

Awarded degree: Master of Science in counseling and human resource development specializing in clinical mental health counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master'sMS CACREP

Overview

A 60-credit M.S. in counseling and human resource development specializing in clinical mental health counseling, offered at the Brookings main campus and Rapid City, with a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship.

Official program name: Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) – Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization
Awarded degree: Master of Science in counseling and human resource development specializing in clinical mental health counseling
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Counseling specialty: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Source: sdstate.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: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: South Dakota State University — School of Counseling, Human Development and Family Science
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Brookings, SD
Required credits: Thesis: 60 Non-Thesis: 60
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: 3 years (estimated)
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms: Fall, Spring
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Offered at the Brookings main campus and at Rapid City (University Center-Rapid City).

Why this program is listed

Master's degree in counseling and human resource development, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization.

Source: sdstate.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: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule: Not verified
Study intensity: Not published

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: Required100 hours. Minimum of 100 practicum hours, including at least 30 of individual or family counseling and 10 of group counseling
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Internship: Required600 hours. Minimum of 600 internship hours, including 240 clock hours of direct service
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Placement arrangements and supervision

Placement arrangement: Students secure their own placement sitesStudents secure their own practicum and internship sites.
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Supervision: Average of one hour per week of individual or triadic site supervision and 1.5 hours of group supervision (synchronous class sessions)
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

How practicum and internship placements work

Curriculum

Comprehensive examination

Comprehensive examination required
Source: sdstate.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”.

Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 2.75 — Minimum GPA to apply is 2.75; 3.0 or higher desired
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement, one page
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two references from a previous professor or employer, each with a one-page letter of recommendation
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredResume
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview: RequiredHighly rated applicants are invited to an admissions group interview with a writing prompt and survey
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Background check: RequiredState and federal background check after a successful interview, paid by the applicant
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Required$40 — $40 general graduate school application fee
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredTranscript
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement: RequiredDisclosure statement
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: sdstate.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.

Application deadline
Dec. 15 (Fall admission) · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
Oct. 15 (Spring admission) · for Spring
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed

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 Cost Per Credit Hour, ResidentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$358.40	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$21,504 = 60 credits × $358.40 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: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate Cost Per Credit Hour, NonresidentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$689.15	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$41,349 = 60 credits × $689.15 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: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Online and Off-Campus Centers Tuition Rates, GraduateFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$495.70	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$29,742 = 60 credits × $495.70 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: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $41,349 (60 credits × $689.15 per credit)

Comparison basis: Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate Cost Per Credit Hour, Nonresident, 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Other published fees

General Activity Fee (on-campus credit hours): $53 per creditMandatory
Source: sdstate.edu · verified October 12, 2026

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 AssistantshipCompetitive
Nine-month stipend and tuition reduction equal to two-thirds of the in-state graduate rate; 10 hours per week · Duration: nine months
Eligibility: Open only to CHRD students; in most cases must be able to work on the main campus; applications due April 1
Source: sdstate.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

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — 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 5, 2015 · current cycle ends October 31, 2033 · listed by the accreditor as onlineSource: cacrep.org · verified October 11, 2026

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

SDSU is unable to enroll students physically located in a state where the licensure program does not meet or is not yet determined to meet educational requirements. Official pageSource: sdstate.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.

LicensureThe programs are designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure in South Dakota; students intending licensure elsewhere should review state requirements. Official disclosureSource: sdstate.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.

DAPIP — HLC 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
sdstate.edu/admissions/tuition-fees — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/center-online-professional-education/professional-licensure-certification — Official disclosure page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/counseling-human-resource-development — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-clinical-mental-health-counse — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/school-counseling-human-development-family-science/counseling-human-resource-development — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/school-counseling-human-development-family-science/counseling-human-resource-development — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/file-archive/2025-09/CHRD%20Internship%20Handbook%202024.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/file-archive/2025-09/CHRD%20Practicum%20Handbook%202024.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/file-archive/2025-12/CHRD%20Student%20Policy%20Manual%202025.pdf — Official program 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 required100 practicum + 600 internship hours
Study intensity
Study intensity not published
Length
3 years (estimated) · Thesis: 60 Non-Thesis: 60
Tuition
$358.40 per creditResident (in-state) — Graduate Cost Per Credit Hour, Resident, 2026-2027
Next deadline
No upcoming verified date
Location
Brookings, SD

Official program page How to apply

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CounselingSchools.net is independent and not affiliated with South Dakota 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.