Counselor Education Program

Thank you for accessing the Counseling Program website.  We're glad you're here!  While we strive to provide the most current and up-to-date information, we know you will have some unanswered questions.  Please feel free to contact any faculty member, our graduate assistants at couoffice@eku.edu, or the program coordinator Dr. James McGinn (email is best), james.mcginn@eku.edu. 

Who We Are

The Counselor Education Program at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is both anchored by and in support of the counseling profession – a profession founded on holistic and humanistic principles that has evolved over the decades to meet a changing society and address its needs. The profession has its origin in the areas of counseling psychology, school guidance, and vocational rehabilitation counseling, and despite being a profession among many under the contemporary umbrella of the mental health field, professional counselors maintain distinction in their philosophy and approach to client treatment that is at the heart of EKU’s Counselor Education Program.

What to Expect

• A program designed to be completed in about 3 years for clinical mental health counseling and 2 to 3 years for school counseling.
• A 60-credit Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree, and a 36-credit or 60-credit School Counseling degree. 
• A predominantly online program with some courses requiring some in-person instruction. 
• Courses with curriculum that includes counseling, advocacy/leadership, and research.
• Clinical/fieldwork courses to practice skills and prepare for future careers.
• Personalized mentoring and guidance by faculty to help students make the most of their training experience.

Program Accreditation

Accreditation in the United States is a voluntary process overseen by non-governmental entities, such as institutional agencies or professional associations. These entities establish criteria and procedures for evaluating the quality and rigor of education provided by institutions and/or academic programs.

EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, educational specialist, and doctorate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Eastern Kentucky University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org). 

EKU’s Counselor Education program has been accredited by CACREP since 2001. CACREP, the leader in the monitoring of Counselor Education programs for decades, sets and enforces those professional standards deemed necessary to adequately prepare professional counselors to serve the public effectively and safely. These standards address the structure of the institution/program, its faculty, and the curriculum and practices delivered to/enforced with its students. CACREP accreditation has also been increasingly used as the standard by which professionals are able to be credentialed for practice by their state or other governing entity. Students and graduates of EKU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree track will meet Kentucky’s state requirements for initial licensure immediately upon degree conferral. Students and graduates of EKU’s School Counseling degree track will have a much easier time pursuing clinical licensure in their futures – should they decide to – having graduated from a CACREP-accredit program. More information about CACREP and its standards may be found here. 

The Counselor Education’s School Counseling degree track is further accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). CAEP ensures that professionals have the necessary competency and skill to work with students in the PK-12 educational setting based on their discipline/specialty. More information about CAEP and its standards may be found here. 

Ready to apply?  Click HERE