Counseling and
Educational Development
Program Accreditation
All degree-seeking programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP is the accrediting body for the counseling profession, recognized by the Council of Post Secondary Accreditation (COPA) and its successor, the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Counseling programs at UNCG were among the first in the nation to be accredited by CACREP. Initial accreditation was achieved in 1981. Program accreditation has been maintained consistently since then.
Currently, CACREP has conferred accreditation to the following program areas in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at UNCG:
- School Counseling (MS)
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS)
- Couple and Family Counseling (MS/EdS)
- College Counseling/Student Development in Higher Education (MS)
- Counseling and Counselor Education (PhD and EdD)
Counseling Credentials
Graduates of the UNCG counseling program are eligible for one or more state and national credentials.
Because all degree programs are CACREP-approved, all fully enrolled students can take the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE) during their last semester of the program. The NCE is the first step toward becoming a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in North Carolina. In addition, the post-master's experience requirement for the NCC credential is waived, and internship hours count toward the experience requirement for the LPC credential.
The NCC credential is a prerequisite for several specialty certifications offered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), including school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, addictions counseling, and clinical supervision.
School counseling graduates are eligible for the S state school counseling license in North Carolina.
Students have successfully applied their programs toward several other specialized credentials available at the state and national level, including marriage and family certifications.