The University of Alabama · Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling (Counselor Education Program)

School Counseling, MA

Awarded degree: Master of Arts in School Counseling

School Counseling

Master'sMA CACREP

Overview

A 60-credit M.A. in School Counseling on the Tuscaloosa campus for Pre-K-12 settings. Students complete a 100-clock-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship, pass a comprehensive exam and the appropriate Praxis assessment.

Official program name: School Counseling, MA
Awarded degree: Master of Arts in School Counseling
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Counseling specialty: School Counseling
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Professional purpose: School counselor preparationThe institution states the program prepares students for school counselor certification or licensure, which state education agencies grant. It is not clinical counselor licensure.
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: The University of Alabama — Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling (Counselor Education Program)
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Required credits: 60 credit hours
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Start terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Master's degree in school counseling.

Source: catalog.ua.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: education.ua.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. Supervised practicum of 100 clock hours (BCE 516)
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Internship: Required600 hours. Internship of at least 600 hours, at least 240 in direct contact with clients or students
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Placement arrangements and supervision

Placement arrangement: Students and the program arrange placements togetherStudents make preliminary contacts with prospective sites; placements are approved/arranged by the Coordinator of Clinical Experiences
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Supervision: University supervision for school counseling students is provided on campus
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026

How practicum and internship placements work

Curriculum

Comprehensive examination

Master's comprehensive examination in the final semester, completed as a Comprehensive Project
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other

Passing scores on a comprehensive exam and the appropriate Praxis assessment(s) are required; Praxis before internship
Source: catalog.ua.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 3 — Cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (GRE route for applicants below 3.0)
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredStatement of Purpose
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — At least two letters of recommendation (three preferred)
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredCV/Resume
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview: RequiredInterview with the Admission Committee, typically in a group format
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required — minimum 300Not required; applicants with a GPA below 3.0 may submit a combined verbal and quantitative score of 300 or higher for consideration.
Source: catalog.ua.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
February 15 · for Fall
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Priority deadline
October 15 · for Spring
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed
Priority deadline
February 15 · for Summer
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: catalog.ua.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, full-time (9-15 hours), residentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$5,959	per semester · 2026-2027Source: studentaccounts.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Nonresident (out-of-state) — Graduate, full-time (9-15 hours), nonresidentFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level	$17,962	per semester · 2026-2027Source: studentaccounts.ua.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.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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: School Counseling · Degree: M.A.Accredited since September 1, 1980 · current cycle ends October 31, 2028Source: cacrep.org · verified October 11, 2026

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

The state of Alabama is a member of NC-SARA and the University is an approved NC-SARA institution. Official pageSource: online.ua.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.

School counselor certificationAll graduate degrees affiliated with training in School Counseling are certified by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). Official disclosureSource: education.ua.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School counselor certificationSPE 500 is an ALSDE requirement for certification. Official disclosureSource: catalog.ua.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.ua.edu/graduate/education/educational-studies-psychology-research-methodology-counseling/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
catalog.ua.edu/graduate/education/educational-studies-psychology-research-methodology-counseling/sch — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
education.ua.edu/academics/departments/educational-studies-in-psychology-research-methodology-and-co — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
online.ua.edu/about-us/state-authorization/ — Official disclosure page, 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
studentaccounts.ua.edu/tuition-rates/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
CACREP Directory of accredited programs (CSV export downloaded 2026-10-11) — Accreditor directory, verified October 11, 2026

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Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level, specialty and format family, programs in Alabama first. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Auburn University

Master of Education (M.Ed.) - School Counseling

Awarded degree: Master of Education, Counselor Education – School Counseling Option (Certification)

School Counseling

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On campusFull-time or part-time

On-campus classes; practicum and internship requiredPlacement support stated

Length not published · 60 credits

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Ohio University

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Athens, OH

Format not verifiedStudy intensity not published

Format not verified100 practicum + 1,200 internship hours (as published)

Within 2-3 years

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South Dakota State University

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Awarded degree: Master of Science in counseling and human resource development specializing in school counseling

School Counseling

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On campusStudy intensity not published

On-campus classes; practicum and internship required100 practicum + 600 internship hours (as published)

3 years (estimated) · 60 credits

$358.40 per credit · Resident (in-state) — Graduate Cost Per Credit Hour, Resident · 2026-2027Est. total tuition $41,349 (60 credits × $689.15 per credit; fees excluded)

No upcoming verified deadline

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