Mission: The mission of the Counselor Education (*) program at the University of Houston- Victoria is to educate, train and mentor students from diverse backgrounds to earn a master’s degree in Professional School Counseling or Clinical Mental Health Counseling.  UHV students are primarily drawn from urban and rural areas surrounding Victoria and the Greater Houston region. The UHV Counselor Education faculty members expect our students to engage in academic and experiential learning, and to develop a strong professional identity and multicultural sensitivity. The faculty members are committed to promoting the development of student competence in the provision of counseling, professional advocacy, and community outreach. The Professional School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs require 60 semester hours of course work to satisfy the Texas LPC educational requirements for licensure.

The Master of Education programs in both Professional School Counseling (formerly School Counseling) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (formerly Community Counseling) at the University of Houston-Victoria were accredited in July 2010 and reaccredited in 2018 by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

What is CACREP Accreditation?

The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes specialized accrediting bodies that examine professional preparation programs with institutions of higher learning. CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs) is a specialized accrediting body that grants accredited status to graduate-level programs in the professional counseling field.

CACREP was formed in 1981 in cooperation with the American Counseling Association (ACA) to promote the advancement of quality in counselor education programs. For a program to receive accreditation, it hosts a CACREP survey team of counselor educators who review the program to see that it meets national standards in eight core areas of counseling: human growth and development, social/cultural foundations, the helping relationship, group dynamics/counseling, career development, appraisal, research, and professional orientation/issues. In addition to the core areas, the team reviews additional standards of instruction and supervised clinical experiences for the counseling specialty training offered by that program.

In addition, students graduating from a CACREP accredited program qualify to take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and National Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NCMHC) Exam, used by states for LPC licensure. Advantages of attending CACREP accredited programs include: the highest counselor training standards, exclusive job opportunities, licensure portability (ability to move to other states), and doctoral program admission preference.

Why is CACREP Accreditation important for students?

Students have many options when it comes to choosing where to pursue an advanced degree. Selecting to enroll in a CACREP accredited program ensures students will receive quality instruction and clinical experiences in various contexts from a distinct professional identity as a counselor.

In addition, students graduating from a CACREP accredited program qualify to take the National Counselor Exam, used by most states for LPC licensure. For students pursuing a doctoral degree, graduation from a CACREP accredited program will meet application preferences in doctoral programs in counseling and counselor education.

Comprehensive Examinations for Counselor Education students

Students in Professional School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health programs must pass a comprehensive examination on the content of their courses. All comprehensive exams are pass/fail. The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) is used for the CE’s comprehensive exit exam. The purpose of this exam is to assess the student’s knowledge of counseling to ensure minimum competence in the field. The CPCE also provides collective feedback that can be used in developing and adapting the program curriculum. The CPCE is not a licensure exam. These programs have developed a multiple choice exam which reflect the eight content areas which form the foundation of the counseling courses, and administered via the computer.

Students must register to take the comprehensive examination the semester before they plan to graduate. Students must receive a favorable disposition (i.e., pass) on the comprehensive exam in order to be eligible to graduate.

Students may retake their comprehensive examination the semester immediately following their first failed attempt. Students may take their comprehensive examination up to 3 times before being required to take additional coursework.

Students are given the opportunity to take the National Counselor Exam (NCE) before graduation. The NCE is a 200 items multiple choice examination designed to assess knowledge and skills determined to be important for providing effective counseling services. Passing the NCE is a requirement for licensure in Texas and many states. Students are responsible for the cost of this exam. Students do not have to take the NCE to graduate. This is not the comprehensive exam.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to the Counselor Education Program must first satisfy requirements for admission to University of Houston - Victoria graduate studies as described in the Admissions section of the catalog.

Send the following to the Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment:

1. Completed application for graduate admission
2. Official transcripts of all coursework completed and baccalaureate or higher degrees conferred, sent directly from each institution to UHV.
3. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller’s Analogies Test (MAT) directly from the testing center to UHV.

1. Completed on-line application for graduate admission at ApplyTexas.
2. Official transcripts of all non-UHV coursework and degrees conferred sent directly to: University of Houston Victoria, Attn: Admissions & Student Recruitment, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St., Victoria, TX 77901. You can also have the transcripts emailed to admissions@uhv.edu.
3. A 1-2 page essay that states the applicant’s reasons for applying to the program and the applicant’s short and long term professional goals.
4. The essay should include what you think are your particular strengths as a counselor, and any other information that would be helpful in evaluating your potential. Submit the essay to the School of Education via email at EduCertAnalyst@uhv.edu. You should include your full name and UHV student ID (which you will receive a few days after you complete the ApplyTexas application) on the essay and in the subject line of the email. You should also include in the body of the email an explanation for what you are submitting so they can match it with your admissions file.
5. Submission of three different recommendation forms to University of Houston Victoria, Attn: School of Education, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St., Victoria, TX 77901. You can also have the forms emailed to EduCertAnalyst@uhv.edu. Only submit recommendations via the Recommendation Form for Graduate Counselor Education Program
   1. All recommendations must come from professional, non-family, sources.
6. Register, take, and send Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores to UHV’s Office of Admissions and Records (this requirement is waived if you already have a master’s or professional degree). In order to be fully considered, applicants must have a Graduate Admissions Index of 980 or above.
7. Completion of a Graduate counselor education criminal background check form sent to Austin, TX.
8. A program interview with UHV graduate faculty in counselor education.

1. to assess those personal qualities useful for graduate and eventual professional work as a counselor;
2. to clarify questions that the committee may have about your admissions materials;
3. determine whether your professional goals are in alignment with the objectives of the program; and
4. to share more information about the program with you.

UHV-Counselor Education Evaluation, Remediation, and Retention Policy

The Counselor Education faculty members participate in an ongoing review of student progress in order to make decisions about student retention in the program. This review process helps to ensure that students, a) are completing program requirements successfully and making reasonable progress toward graduation, and b) have achieved an adequate level of professional and personal development in keeping with their future role as professional counselors. Faculty recourse to student’s failure to meet the academic or professional expectations may be either remediation or removal from the program. More detailed information is available from the faculty advisor or in the Counselor Education Student Handbook.

Program Options:

The Professional School Counseling option prepares students for mental health counseling with children and adolescents in school settings, Pre-Kinder to 12th grade, for the TExES exam and the Texas School Counselor certificate.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling option prepares students for counseling positions in various community agencies such as mental health centers, private counseling agencies, drug abuse centers, veterans centers, integrated behavior health facilities, centers for counseling the elderly, child protective services, family counseling centers, business and industry. (Formerly called “Community Counseling”.)

Only 60 hour course credit programs meet the academic specification for Texas licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).