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Counselor Education: M.Ed. - Master of Education

The M.Ed. in counselor education program prepares students to become licensed counselors in K-12 schools and clinical mental health agencies, and institutions. Graduates are leaders, advocates and collaborators in respective work settings and communities.

At a Glance

Program Results

M.Ed. - Master of Education

Counselor Education

Career Outcomes

  • School counseling specialization: Work as a licensed school counselor in educational settings supporting the mental health and academic development of students and school communities.
  • Clinical mental health specialization: Work as a licensed clinical mental health professional supporting the mental health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities. Work in organizations, agencies, institutions, private practice, and hospitals. 

Program Type

  • Full Time

Location

  • In-Person

Estimated Length

2 years

Application Deadline

January 15 (to start next fall)

Credits

61

About This Program

Join a cohort-based learning community led by nationally recognized leaders in counselor education. Our faculty are deeply committed to preparing school and clinical mental health counselors who can meet the evolving needs of individuals and communities across various settings. As a student in our program, you’ll benefit from personalized supervision, collaborative learning, and rigorous preparation that equips you to think critically, engage thoughtfully, and respond effectively to the personal, social, and institutional factors shaping people’s lives.

The program is a two-year, in-person program located in Charlottesville, VA. Summer courses are required between your first and second year of the program. 

Students will select one of two specializations: 

  • School counseling; or
  • Clinical mental health counseling

The mission of the M.Ed. in counselor education program is to prepare counselors who are responsive to factors that impact well-being and are equipped to support the mental health, career, and developmental needs of individuals across counseling settings. 

The M.Ed. in counselor education program aims to prepare graduates who can: 

  • Demonstrate an awareness of self and one’s impact on the counseling process.
  • Apply the foundations of counseling – ethics, wellness, and career – to individuals, groups, and within systems.
  • Apply developmentally appropriate and responsive counseling interventions aligned with individuals’ identities and contexts.
  • Provide trauma-informed mental health and crisis intervention services.
  • Critically assess how individuals’ contexts influence well-being and respond through thoughtful collaboration and advocacy at the individual, local, and systemic level.

New Specialty Area!

The M.Ed. in counselor education program is pleased to offer a second specialty area. In addition to the existing school counseling specialty area, we now offer a clinical mental health counseling specialty area.

Program Overview

Admission Requirements

Visit our Graduate Admission page for the full admission process including information on application fees. 

Applicants can only apply to one specialty area (clinical mental health counseling OR school counseling) per admissions period. 

Admission requirements that apply specifically to this program include:

  • Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions 
  • Resume or CV outlining education, work experience, and relevant volunteer/service roles 
  • Two Letters of Recommendation 
  • Counselor Education Goal Statement
    • Describe your reasons for applying to the Counselor Education program, your future career plans, and other aspects of your background which may aid the admission committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. (1-2 pages)
  • Counselor Education Specialty Area Statement
    • What personal, academic, or professional experiences have shaped your decision to pursue a specialty in school counseling or clinical mental health counseling? Please describe how these experiences are connected to your commitment to becoming a counselor rooted in social justice, equity, and advocacy. (500 word limit)

All of the required documents above are to be uploaded when filling out and submitting the online UVA School of Education and Human Development graduate application form. 

GRE scores are not required as part of the application.

Participation in our online interview day: applicants will be notified if they have been selected for an online interview. Interview days are typically held for a half-day in February. 

Graduate Admission

Application for admission is made to the School of Education and Human Development Office of Admission & Enrollment. For more information about the graduate admission process, please visit our Graduate Admission page.

Graduate Admission

School Counseling Specialty Area

The school counseling specialty area is CACREP-accredited and prepares you to become a licensed school counselor in K-12 schools. You will learn to be a leader and advocate for all students, including addressing barriers to students’ academic achievement, postsecondary readiness, and mental wellness.

In addition to meeting the program objectives of the counselor education program, as a graduate of the school counseling specialty area, you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the skills you have learned to lead and advocate for change, including addressing barriers to students’ academic success, post-secondary readiness and mental health.
  • Respond to school and students' mental health and educational needs with developmentally appropriate, responsive counseling skills and interventions.
  • Design, implement, and evaluate components of a comprehensive school counseling program.
  • Promote student achievement, college access and career readiness for all students.
  • Demonstrate strategies to facilitate students’ academic and post-secondary skills.
  • Create collaborative relationships with educational partners.

What is unique about the school counseling specialty area?

The school counseling specialty area is designed to meet the Virginia Department of Education’s requirements for school counselor licensure and also satisfy the coursework needed for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) eligibility through the Virginia Department of Health Professions. Therefore, upon graduation, students in this specialty area can be both a school counselor and/or a clinical mental health counselor in an agency, organization, or institution.

School Mental Health Leadership Emphasis (SMHL): In addition, students who choose to complete the SMHL emphasis will complete an asynchronous summer course (free), be placed in a local high-need school division for their practicum or internship, and demonstrate an interest in working in Virginia post-graduation. More information about the SMHL emphasis will be provided during interview day and upon admission.

School Counseling Practicum & Internship 

Field-based practicum (100 hours occurring in the spring of the first year) and internship (600 hours spanning the fall and spring of your second year) placements are built into the curriculum. In alignment with the Virginia school counseling licensure requirements, students enrolled in the school counseling specialty area are required to complete clinical experiences in both elementary (K-6th grades) and secondary (6-12th grades) school settings. The diversity in Charlottesville and the surrounding school systems provides excellent learning opportunities in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

In May 2025, the average 10-month salary for a school counselor in the U.S. was $71,430”. (Bureau of Labor & Statistics)

Graduate Admission

Application for admission is made to the School of Education and Human Development Office of Admission & Enrollment. For more information about the graduate admission process, please visit our Graduate Admission page.

Graduate Admission

Clinical Mental Health Specialty Area

The clinical mental health counseling specialty prepares you to become a licensed clinical mental health professional in agencies and institutions. You will learn to be a professional counselor who addresses the mental health and wellness of individuals, groups, and families across various contexts.

In addition to meeting the program objectives of the counselor education program, as a graduate of the clinical mental health specialty area you will be able to:

  • Develop and implement case conceptualizations and treatment plans grounded in clinical theory, diagnosis, and sociocultural contexts.
  • Implement counseling strategies that respects clients’ intersectional identities.
  • Develop and implement comprehensive therapeutic interventions for clients presenting with acute and ongoing trauma responses, suicidality and/or psychological disorders.
  • Coordinate care through collaboration with interdisciplinary providers and community systems to support client mental health and wellness.
  • Advocate for clients, mental health counseling professional, and the counseling profession by focusing on legislation, policy, and regulations related to clinical mental health counseling.

What is unique about the clinical mental health counseling specialty area?

The clinical mental health counseling specialty area is designed to meet the Virginia Department of Health Professions' requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) eligibility, preparing graduates to work in agencies, institutions, and various clinical settings with a strong emphasis on trauma-informed care and systems-focused clinical practice. As a recently re-established program admitting its first cohort in Fall 2026, the specialty incorporates current evidence-based practices and contemporary approaches to clinical mental health counseling.

Note: Given that it is newly re-established, the CMHC specialty area is not yet accredited by CACREP. However, the program intends to pursue CACREP accreditation via CACREP’s 18-month to two-year process.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum & Internship 

Field-based practicum (100 hours occurring in the spring of the first year) and internship (600 hours spanning the fall and spring of your second year) placements are built into the curriculum. Students enrolled in the clinical mental health counseling specialty area are required to complete clinical experiences in clinical mental health settings as a clinical mental health counselor. These settings may include community and private agencies, college counseling centers, hospitals, private practices, schools, and other settings. Students are expected to learn to work with clients across the lifespan. 

In May 2025, the average 12-month salary for a clinical mental health counselor was $64,440 (Bureau of Labor & Statistics)

Graduate Admission

Application for admission is made to the School of Education and Human Development Office of Admission & Enrollment. For more information about the graduate admission process, please visit our Graduate Admission page.

Graduate Admission

Coursework

To learn more about specific courses taken as part of the completion of this degree, visit the Graduate Record website. The Graduate Record represents the official repository for academic program requirements.

Beginning in the Fall 2026, M.Ed. in counselor education students take the following 61 credits:

Fall Semester - 1st Year (16 credits)
Both specialty areas take:
Professional Orientation & Ethics
Theories & Techniques of Counseling
Essential Counseling Skills
Essential Counseling Skills Lab
Lifespan Human Development
School Counseling Specialty Area:
Intro to School Counseling		Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialty Area:
Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Spring Semester – 1st Year (15 credits) 
Both specialty areas take:
Introduction to Career Interventions
Group Counseling Procedures
Counseling in Social Contexts
Psychopathology
Practicum
Summer – First Year (6 credits) 
Both specialty areas take:
Crisis, Trauma & Grief
School Counseling Specialty Area:
Advanced School Counseling		Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialty Area:
Advanced Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Fall Semester – 2nd Year (12 credits)
Both specialty areas take:
Research in Counseling
Addiction Counseling
Internship in Counseling (6 credits)
Spring Semester – 2nd Year (12 credits)
Both specialty areas take:
Appraisal & Assessment in Counseling
Family Therapy: Theory & Techniques
Internship in Counseling (6 credits)

 

Transferring Credits
You can transfer up to 6 credits of graduate-level courses taken at another university. The courses must be equivalent to courses offered in our program. Your faculty advisor reviews the syllabus and transcript to decide whether a course is equivalent. Course credits may be considered for transfer that are (1) credits from a recognized graduate school completed within the preceding five years, (2) of at least B grade, and (3) directly related to the student’s graduate program and approved by the student’s advisor. Practice-based courses such as Essential Counseling Skills, Practicum and Internship cannot be transferred.

Additional Degree Requirements

The following field experience requirements are embedded within the practicum and internship courses listed above:

  • Complete a 100-hour practicum that includes a minimum of 40 hours of direct service with clients or students
  • Complete a two-semester, 600-hour internship that includes a minimum of 240 hours of direct service with clients or students

Students must also pass a multiple-choice comprehensive examination in the spring of the second year.

Counselor Education Coursework

Information on courses that are part of the M.Ed. in counselor education curriculum can be found on the UVA Graduate Record website.

Curriculum

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions about general admission requirements such as transcripts can be found on the graduate admission page. Program-specific FAQs not addressed on the graduate admission page can be found in this section. If you have additional questions please reach out to the program director.

Yes. Many students hold part-time jobs throughout their time in the program. Please note that both specialty areas include daytime courses and daytime field placements throughout their program of study, which might impact the jobs in which students can work. 

Yes, in both specialty areas, students are required to complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship. Detailed information on practicums and internships can be found in the tabs for your specialty area of choice under program overview.

Yes. The school counseling curriculum aligns with the Virginia Department of Education licensure for school counseling. Moreover, the curriculum for the school counseling and the clinical mental health specialty areas fulfills the academic and experiential requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia under the Department of Health Professions: Board of Counseling.

Graduates of both specialty areas will need to follow the instructions provided by the state board of counseling in which they hope to be licensed in order to be fully licensed as a licensed professional counselor. In Virginia, graduates seeking an LPC will need to:

  • Apply through the Virginia Board of Counseling
  • Complete supervised post-master’s clinical hours (currently 3400 hours in Virginia)
  • Pass either the National Counseling Exam or National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (currently, both count toward LPC credentials in Virginia)

*Note: If you are out of state, we recommend checking your individual state licensing board for reciprocity and additional requirements.

Not without additional certification in Virginia. A Licensed Professional Counselor cannot work as a licensed school counselor in public K–12 schools without completing an approved school counseling program and meeting the requirements for licensure under the Virginia Department of Education.

Once enrolled in a specialty area, students cannot request to change their specialty area until they have completed one full semester in the program. If students switch their specialty area they will need to extend their time in the program by at least one year.

Current tuition rates can be found on the School of Education and Human Development website's tuition and fees page. Rates differ for in-state and out-of-state students.

Students are encouraged to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for financial aid. There are some student awards available for enrolled students from School of Education and Human Development Foundation. This information can be found on our fellowships, scholarships & awards page.

In the School of Education and Human Development, opportunities are not called assistantships for master’s level students. For master’s students, we have what we call student worker positions. In the counselor education program, we give students the opportunity to work as a grader for faculty members who teach undergraduate courses, work as a student researcher to support faculty, work as program assistants for the counselor education program and other programs within the school's Department of Human Services, in other positions offered within and outside of the program. Many of these positions are offered as work study positions, yet students who are not eligible for work study are still able to obtain many of our student worker positions. There are a few positions (e.g., America Reads tutoring services) that students will need to qualify for work study in order to participate. Students are free to work in positions offered outside of the program if they discover those position on their own.  

Yes. We offer virtual information sessions and are happy to meet with you if you visit Grounds in person. Please check our website's events page for upcoming virtual information sessions.

No, our students have a variety of undergraduate majors and minors.

We place all of the students at their practicum and internship sites in the school counseling specialty area. Students enrolled in the clinical mental health counseling specialty area may need to go through an application and interview process to obtain a placement. We have numerous partnerships with school divisions and clinical mental health sites in Virginia, yet we attempt to place students near Charlottesville, VA and the surrounding counties, unless students prefer to be placed elsewhere. 

Having a car is highly recommended, as public transportation is limited. Charlottesville is small, and our students complete field placements in many surrounding counties that are off public transportation routes. Students who plan to use public transportation should be prepared to add time to their commute. 

UVA has limited graduate housing. Please visit the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs for more information. 

Yes, of course. We provide students with strong support in resume building, networking, and job searches. 

Accreditation

The School Counseling specialty area in the Counselor Education Program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This accreditation affirms that the program meets nationally recognized standards for counselor preparation and supports graduates' readiness for professional practice. The school counseling curriculum aligns with the Virginia Department of Education licensure regulations for school counseling and fulfills the academic requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia under the Department of Health Professions: Board of Counseling.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialty area has been recently re-established, and the program fully intends to pursue CACREP accreditation for this specialization, an 18-month to two-year process. While this specialty is not yet accredited, its curriculum and clinical training fulfills the requirements for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia under the Department of Health Professions: Board of Counseling.

Full accreditation documentation, including information on graduate outcomes and annual reports, can be found on the CACREP Annual Reporting Measures page of the school’s Office of Assessment. 
 

M.Ed. in Counselor Education News

All School News
Ludi Avaguan portrait photo.
Student Experience

Class of 2026: Ludi Avagyan

Inspired by the students she worked as an adviser with UVA's AdviseVA program, Ludi Avagyan is pursuing a career as a school counselor, graduating in May with a Master of Education degree.

Program Faculty

All Program Faculty
Blaire Cholewa Profile Photo

Blaire E. Cholewa

  • Associate Professor
Amanda G Flora

Amanda G. Flora

  • Associate Professor
Natoya Haskins Profile Photo

Natoya Hill Haskins

  • Professor
  • Counselor Education Program Director
Elisabeth A. Pleszkoch

Elisabeth A. Pleszkoch

  • Assistant Professor
Julia Taylor

Julia Taylor

  • Associate Professor
Derick J. Williams

Derick J. Williams

  • Associate Professor of Education

Contact Us

Disclosures

As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)). Although California does not participate in SARA, it allows students to enroll in out-of-state programs.

Upon completion of the M.Ed. in Counselor Education program at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state. Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).