The counselor education program qualifies students for different licenses depending on the requirements fulfilled. There are two licenses available with a master's degree in counselor education. One is a license as a school counselor, which is received from the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction. Graduates of the M.S. in counselor education who have fulfilled requirements for school counselor license are eligible to apply for an "M" license. Graduates of the Ed.S. program who fulfill requirements for school counselor license are eligible to apply for an "S" level license.

The other license availble to graduates of the counselor education program is the LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), which is governed by the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors.

I. Full master's degree program for students with an undergraduate degree or with a non-counseling master's degree. The counselor education program requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of graduate course work in prescribed areas leading to the master's degree. Students without an initial license or appropriate school experience must complete an extended internship. Successful completion of the program, including electives appropriate for school counseling, and a passing score on the Praxis School Guidance and Counseling Specialty Exam are needed to qualify for a school counselor license.

II.  Students who already possess a Masters degree in either Community/Agency Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling or School counseling should contact their local office of the Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC – http://www.ralc.ccs.k12.nc.us/) who will review their transcript. The Department of Counselor and Adult Education is pleased to offer three of the courses that RALC often requires, which include the following:

          COAD 6402  Career Counseling & Development
          COAD 6406  Counseling in Schools
          COAD 6409  The Helping Relationship

These courses are typically offered online in the Spring, Summer, and Fall of each year (one course per term). Once you receive your plan of study from RALC, you would need to apply to East Carolina University Graduate School as a non-degree student.

For more information about this process, please click on the following link for a more detailed explanation:

http://www.ralc.ccs.k12.nc.us
 

A bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1994 created a Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors. The counselor education master's program qualifies students with 48 semester hours to sit for the licensing examination (NCE, National Counselor Examination). Application must be made to the North Carolina LPC Board. For information call (919) 661-0820 or www.ncblpc.org.