The Division of Counseling & Family Therapy is housed on the fourth floor of Marillac Hall on the South Campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis.  Information about degrees, course offerings, important deadlines, and related matters may be obtained in the Division office at 469 Marillac Hall or by telephoning 314.516.5782.  Admission into these programs are competitive.

Areas of emphasis for the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling & Family Therapy are Elementary School Counseling, Secondary School Counseling, or Community Counseling.  The M.Ed. programs in Community Counseling, School Counseling, and Community Counseling with an emphasis in Career Counseling are all accredited by the Council for the Accredication of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).  We are one of only three programs in the State of Missouri that is CACREP accredited and the only program in the St. Louis metropolitan region and the University of Missouri system that is CACREP accredited.  Further, our M.Ed. in Community Counseling with a specialization in Career Counseling is only 1 of 9 programs in the USA to be awarded CACREP accreditation.

Students wishing to receive Missouri certification in Elementary School Counseling or Secondary School Counseling must complete all required courses in addition to holding teaching certificates valid in Missouri.  If you do not hold a teaching certificate, there are alternate methods to School Counseling certification.   Consult your advisor.   We no longer offer the "school psychological examiner" certification.

Students who have an area of emphasis in Community Counseling can elect to have a specialization in one of several areas including career counseling, marriage/couple/family counseling, addictions counseling, rehabilitation counseling, mental health counseling, college counseling, and other areas of counseling.

All graduates of either the School Counseling or Community Counseling areas are generally eligible to pursue their licensing as a professional  counselor through the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors (1.573.751.0018).  Please consult that Committee for the most current requirements for licensing.  Further, our graduates are generally eligible to pursue board certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors (1.336.547.0607).  Please consult NBCC for the most current requirements for board certification.  Finally, graduates of our Community Counseling program with a specialization in Marriage/Couple/Family Counseling are generally eligible for licensing as a marriage and family therapist through the Missouri Committee for Marriage and Family Therapists (1.573.751.0018).  Please consult that Committee for the most current requirements for licensing. 

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in counseling requires both a comprehensive examination and 48 semester units of  coursework.   Students are eligible to take that examination after completing 36 units in their degree program.  There is a special fee to take the exam.  Comprehensive examinations are given twice a year.

Endorsement Policy:

Upon successful completion of all the counseling program requirements including demonstration of the requisite knowledge and competencies, students will receive endorsement from the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy to practice counseling in their area of specialization.