Published January 26, 2015
BestMastersPrograms.org has ranked the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s online
masters in counseling program as the number 26 program in the nation on its annual
list.
According to the organization’s website, the rankings are designed to help prospective
students make a choice about where to invest their time and money in earning their
graduate degree.
Schools in this ranking were evaluated based on rankings from publically available
data, including: student-faculty ratio; percentage of faculty holding terminal degrees
in their field; admissions and retention rates; estimated cost; and counseling-specific
accreditation.
“The faculty and staff in the counseling program are honored to receive this recognition,”
said Dr. John-Nelson Pope, counseling program director. “Although many programs listed
in the rankings are larger in terms of students and faculty, we offer our online students
a personalized experience. Students receive instruction and feedback about their course
work from their professors the same day they ask. If an out-of-state or distance student
needs a suitable practicum or internship site and they are unable to find one, we
will assist them.”
Best Masters Programs uses information from the National Center for Education Statistics,
university and college websites, and rankings from respected organizations like U.S.
News and World Report.
The site noted the program’s 100 percent placement rate for its 2013 clinical mental
health graduating cohort.
“The students know we care about them, but we also require from them academic excellence
and commitment to the program,” continued Pope. ”If students living out of state require
a specific course for licensure as a Professional Counselor and we do not offer it,
we will develop one for them. We did this recently when faculty developed a Human
Sexuality course for a student from Florida who needed it for licensure.”
All schools included in the ranking are regionally accredited, which is the highest
form of accreditation.
ULM’s online master’s in counseling has received numerous national rankings of late.
In 2014, the program earned rankings from BestCounselingDegrees.net and OnlineU.org
ULM’s counseling programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling
and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
About BestMastersPrograms.org:
Best Masters Programs is an independent online guide to finding the best traditional
and online master’s degree programs offering rankings and reviews of top master’s
programs in all of the most popular fields, career and salary information for the
most in-demand jobs, and much more.
To learn more about the ranking, visit bestmastersprograms.org/rankings/best-online-masters-in-counseling-programs/
