Counseling M.A. Graduate Program

FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

APPLY ONLINE for the M.A. in Counseling

The Counseling program is designed to prepare ethical, culturally competent counselors to provide professional counseling services in various clinical settings. The faculty-approved settings where students have served their internships include mental health centers, state hospitals and training schools, facilities for clients with dual diagnoses, as well as multipurpose mental health agencies.

Graduation Requirements

Completion of 60 credit hours of counseling courses,
supervised Practicum and Internship experience, and
passing a comprehensive exam

More information can be found in the program handbook on Student Handbook

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Length of the program: Can take 3 to 5 years depending on the number of credits the students complete per semester.
Delivery method: Online
Cost of the program: This can be found through the Business Office

Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Malvika Behl at mbehl@wtamu.edu with any questions.

Admission Requirements

Formal admittance to the counseling program requires:

A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning
2.75 Undergraduate GPA (last 60 hours)
WTAMU Graduate School: https://wtamu.force.com
Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions
Two (2) letters of recommendation - professional/academic: to be requested and submitted through your WT applicant portal
Upload the following to your WT applicant portal:
- Departmental Application
- Resume
NO GRE required

APPLY HERE

Admission Deadline

The deadlines for the M.A. Counseling is as follows:

August 1 for fall admission
December 1 for spring admission
May 1 for summer admission

Graduate School Deadline

Counseling Coursework

Course rotations are given to students at the time of admission.

60 credit hours

FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Student Program Handbook

Practicum/Internship handbook

COMPS Sign up FORM

Practicum/Internship application

Practice COMPS sign-up form

How to register for courses

Where can I get the books?

Student testimonials for COMPS

Student 1:

"From the beginning, I knew this was a requirement, and I was nervous about it. So in all of my classes, I wrote down notes or really researched and studied the books as I went because I am a nervous test-taker. So before I started studying I wanted to see where I was at. I took a practice CPCE Exam and got 84 out of 160 correct prior to studying because of the way I think I approached my classes. That exam was out of the Study Guide written by Helwig. Then I read through that book and studied/took notes on that. After I read through that, I took the test again. Any questions I missed I went back and found the correct answer and why. Then I also purchased the Encyclopedia of Counseling by Howard Rosenthal and read through that twice. I also downloaded the Quizlet app and found CPCE preps already made. I studied those anytime I would catch myself mindlessly scrolling on social media. Or if we went on a trip in the car, I was swiping through those.

I started studying around September/October, and my test was on January 4th. I also used my Christmas break to really cram anything else in and took studying up a notch. I also utilized Dr. Behl's Practice COMPS and would research the questions if I struggled with them.

Overall, I think how thoroughly I worked through my classes gave me a good base. Then I studied randomly as I had time for a few months and then really focused in about two weeks before."

Student 2:

"As far as my study plan, I studied for about 21 days, an average of two hours per weekday and three to four hours each weekend day. Having been in education a long time, three weeks may not be long enough for some, but three months is probably too long. Abstract facts that you aren't using every day don't hang out that long. I think the biggest thing that I did was draw from my teaching days, and I took notes. Writing notes with pen and paper creates new neural pathways to the information, as opposed to just seeing or hearing the information. I have so many pages of notes. If I did not know it, I took notes on it. For some of the more difficult concepts, I rewrote the notes a few days before the test. I used the paid version of Pocket Prep (behavioral health app). When I didn't know the answer, I used the expanded explanation and took notes. I also used the purple book, as well as the Dr. Pam Turner videos on YouTube. Concepts that I felt I had down pretty well, such as ethics and the counseling relationship, I did a brief overview once and left it alone. In the areas where I really struggled, I made sure that I consumed the information in more than one format. However, I think just as important as studying was the approach to the test. I had read in several places that it is a reading test. You have to be sure that you are answering what the question is asking. Read every available answer before choosing one. There were many that there was more than one "right" answer, but one was better than another. Also, on ones that I did not know, there were always two answers that had nothing to do with the topic being questioned. A fifty/fifty shot is better than one in four. Lastly, for flagged questions, re-read them to make sure you understood the question, but if you read it the same way during the review as you did during the initial test, do not change your answer. Gut reactions are always more likely to be right. There is definitely a lot of knowledge and information needed to do well on this test, but good test-taking and reading skills went a long way toward passing this test, as well."

Program Faculty

Additional Questions

Texas Professional Counselor Licensing Information

Features of the West Texas A& M University’s Counselor Education Program include being conveniently located in downtown Amarillo, at the WTAMU Amarillo Center, and having access to state-of-the-art teaching and supervision facilities. Faculty offices are located on the 3rd floor.

If you would like to make an appointment to discuss your options in the field of counseling, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Malvika Behl- mbehl@wtamu.edu.