Best Online Master's in Counseling

In addition to a bachelor's degree, certain pre-requisite classes are often an entrance requirement for a master's in counseling degree. This requirement may vary depending on the school, but usually a certain amount of undergraduate credits in behavioral sciences, such as psychology and statistics, will be required. It's ultimately up to the department to decide what classes will satisfy this requirement.

Prospective students will typically need to submit a completed graduate school application and an application fee, which will vary from school to school. The fee generally ranges from $30-$50 and can be deferred until after financial aid is determined if need be. Some master's in counseling degree programs will have strict application deadlines, and others will accept them at any time during the year.

For an online master's degree, most schools will require transcripts of all undergraduate work, including any degrees earned. Depending on the school, unofficial transcripts may be acceptable for admittance purposes, and official transcripts may need to be sent later from the registrar's office upon acceptance. The transcripts usually must include the school's logo, the student's cumulative GPA, a list of completed courses and the degree earned.

Some graduate schools may require that test scores be submitted, such as the GRE, SAT/ACT or MAT. Depending on the school, test results may be acceptable in place of the required GPA if the student has not met the required GPA minimum, but has a high enough score on one of these tests.

Students pursuing an online master's in counseling degree will most likely need to submit two to three letters of recommendation. These are generally letters from professional references like former professors or employers. The letters should typically vouch for the student's motivation and ability to complete the coursework required to become a counselor and should highlight the applicant's character, ethics, maturity level, dedication and ability to help others.

A professional résumé may be required for an online master's in counseling degree applicant. This should typically include related job experience, extracurricular activities and any clinical experience as an undergraduate.

Applicants may be required to submit a personal statement and/or a letter of intent. Students generally write about their interest in earning the master's in counseling degree, how their background has prepared them for the program, how they plan to succeed in completing the program and their future goals as a counselor. In addition, students may also be required to write an essay. The topics will vary and are usually set by the school department. Examples of things to write about include why the student thinks he or she is a good fit in the field of counseling, professional interests and goals, autobiographical information and related experience.

Students will typically become oriented to the counseling profession and learn about specialized areas of counseling with introduction classes. Students may also start thinking about elective classes as well as areas of specialization to move into in their second year.

Students will often become familiar with assessment techniques in counseling. Assessing, diagnosing and treating are fundamental skills that students generally become familiar with in the first year and may later get hands-on practice with in the third year. Students will typically learn about the history and theory behind the counseling profession and how these apply to current methods.

Students will often learn about professional ethics and issues that arise in the counseling profession and how to deal with these issues when faced with these types of challenges further into the program during their practicum, internship and later in their professional career.

Students will typically learn techniques to gather information. Psychological testing and methods of research and statistics are often covered in the second year that may be used in real world counseling during their third year and in their professional careers as counselors.

In the second year, students usually begin planning out their thesis or independent study project. Typically, with an online master's in counseling program, students are given a non-thesis option since they may be earning their degree in a different location than the school. Along with beginning work on this project, students usually deepen areas of interest and specialization that they will focus on for their project as well as for their careers down the road.

Some online master's in counseling programs are designed so students will choose an area of specialization in their second year. Depending on the program, students will either continue into the third year studying in a more general capacity or they will choose and begin their focus on an area of specialization like marriage and family counseling, substance abuse or career counseling. At this point, students may also research potential internships that coincide with their area of interest.

Students usually have been working on their independent study projects or thesis, which usually involve extensive research and time commitments, and will begin finalizing the remaining components. Students will typically work on this project along with fulfilling their practicum and internship hours.

Students will typically need to complete a number of practicum hours and secure an internship to meet their program's Internship requirements. A certain amount of hours is generally required for both of these courses, and students will usually satisfy these hours working full-time in real world situations. Students will often work with clients under direct supervision of professional clinical counselors and faculty.

A passing grade on a comprehensive exam is often required for all online master's in counseling students in order to graduate. This test is usually taken during the last semester after completion of all required coursework. Most programs use the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE), which is primarily multiple choice.

During the third year, students will typically prepare for graduation, credentials and licensure requirements. Once students have met the graduation requirements, they will usually be ready to obtain the proper credentials and licensing to become professional counselors. Students will need to research any national and state certification requirements applicable to them as licensure requirements may vary.

Students must have completed the required coursework and required credits in an allotted amount of time. Depending on the school, online master's in counseling students typically are given five to seven years to complete the program. In addition, maintaining above a certain GPA throughout the program may also be a graduation requirement.

Completion and approval of an independent study or thesis project is often required. Online master's in counseling students are usually given an option of a non-thesis program, which can take the form of an independent study project or research project under supervision of a student advisor.

Students typically must have completed all required fieldwork, practicum and internship hours, usually totaling 1,200 hours, at an approved facility with proper supervision and must have all necessary related documents turned in. Some states may mandate more hours for licensure.

Students often must take a comprehensive exam with a passing score to graduate. Most schools use the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE). Online students may need to travel to the school to take the comprehensive exam or may need to find an accredited school in their state that offers it.

This is essentially the basis of what counselors do, and many of the core classes in an online master's in counseling program will typically contribute to students learning these skills. Courses like clinical diagnosis, treatment planning and personality testing will often introduce students to clinical assessment, diagnosis techniques and treatment planning. The required practicum and internship hours may provide the hands-on experience necessary for students to practice and hone these skills they can later apply to their own practice.

These are all tools counselors often use to be effective in providing counseling, treatment and resolution to clients seeking help. Theories of counseling and statistics and research methods are examples of courses that can teach students how to gather information, theories and techniques that they can apply to their counseling practice.

This is an important skill to have as students will often work with a diverse client base during their practicum and internship and later as professional counselors. Classes such as multicultural counseling and community and agency counseling are examples of courses that often contribute to students learning this skill.

It is of utmost importance that students and professional counselors follow ethical standards and guidelines in counseling and are familiar with ethical and legal issues and procedures in counseling. Online master's in counseling students will typically become familiar with a code of ethics for counselors and learn about ethical issues and professional challenges counselors may face in classes like ethical and legal issues in counseling.