Southern Adventist University (TN) Online Counseling Programs
Southern Adventist University offers several online counseling options through its School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling, including the MS in clinical mental health counseling, the MS in school counseling, the MS dual emphasis in clinical mental health and school counseling, the post masters certificate in clinical mental health counseling, and the post masters certificate in school counseling.
These counseling programs are built for students who want strong academic preparation, supervised practice, and flexible study options. Southern uses a LiveFlex format that combines live scheduled class meetings with flexible independent learning, allowing students to complete synchronous class sessions once a week while also handling asynchronous coursework on their own schedule. The program also welcomes students from different backgrounds and beliefs, while grounding its training in Christian values, service, and professional counseling practice.
The core counseling curriculum gives students a shared foundation in professional counseling knowledge and skills before they move into their emphasis area. Core courses include advanced lifespan development; drugs and addictions; ethics and legal aspects of counseling; theories and techniques of counseling; multicultural issues in counseling; spirituality and religious diversity in counseling; and crisis and trauma counseling. Students also complete a clinical practicum, research and evaluation work, and seminar requirements as part of this common preparation.
The MS in clinical mental health counseling is designed for students who want to work in substance abuse treatment facilities, clinical mental health counseling centers, private practice, or similar settings. This program requires 60 credits and includes 700 hours of clinical work with real clients or patients. Along with the shared core courses, students complete emphasis courses such as foundations of clinical mental health counseling; adult psychopathology, marriage, couple, and family counseling; clinical mental health counseling practicum; and clinical mental health counseling clinical internship.
Students in the clinical mental health counseling master’s program can also choose a specialization option. One option is the clinical mental health specialization, which includes behavioral health and wellness counseling and advanced clinical diagnosis and treatment planning. The other option is the marriage, couple, and family counseling specialization, which includes sexuality issues in counseling; parenting and generational influences; and marriage, couple, and family counseling.
The MS in school counseling is designed to prepare graduates to work as counselors in elementary and secondary schools. This program requires 60 credits of coursework with clinical experiences. Important school counseling courses include foundations of school counseling; school counseling interventions for exceptional children; legal aspects of education for school counselors; parenting and generational influences; administration of school counseling services; school counseling clinical practicum; and school counseling internship. The program prepares students for the Praxis II exam and for school counselor certification in Tennessee.
The MS dual emphasis in clinical mental health and school counseling is meant for students who want broader career opportunities in both school and mental health settings. Students are trained to support children and families in schools while also learning to provide counseling services to individuals and groups in clinics and other environments. This dual emphasis takes only one additional semester beyond the clinical mental health counseling program and can make graduates eligible to pursue separate licenses in both clinical mental health counseling and school counseling.
The post-master’s certificate in clinical mental health counseling is for students who already hold a master’s degree in counseling and want added preparation in this area. The certificate includes a minimum of 19 required credits. Courses include adult psychopathology; foundations of clinical mental health counseling; advanced clinical diagnosis and treatment planning; clinical practicum; child and adolescent psychopathology; and clinical mental health counseling clinical internship.
The post-master’s certificate in school counseling is also intended for students who already hold a master’s degree in counseling. The certificate includes a minimum of 18 credits. Courses include foundations of school counseling; school counseling interventions for exceptional children; legal aspects of education for school counselors; administration of school counseling services; school counseling clinical practicum; and school counseling internship. Students who want Tennessee school counselor certification must also complete the required coursework and pass the designated Praxis II exam.
Admission to the master’s counseling programs requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited program, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a qualifying graduate GPA, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, a current resume, a background check, a criminal record statement, a personality test, an interview with faculty, and admission approval from the Counseling Program Council.
International students whose language of education is not English must also submit TOEFL or Duolingo scores. Admission to the post-master’s certificate programs requires a previously earned master’s degree in counseling, preferably from a CACREP-accredited program, along with completion of the same admission requirements used for the MS programs.
Southern Adventist University is located in Collegedale, Tennessee. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA). Both MS in counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The school counseling program is also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the State of Tennessee School Counseling licensure program. Notably, the school counseling program is also approved by the Tennessee State Board of Education.
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MS Dual in Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling
MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
MS in School Counseling
Post-Masters Certificate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Post-Masters Certificate in School Counseling
4881 Taylor CirCollegedale, Tennessee
Program Essentials
Master's Degree
Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Counseling: School Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
66
Fall, Winter
Complete in as few as 3 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
No state restrictions
Program Tuition
66
$795.00
$52,470.00
$795.00
$52,470.00
Program Essentials
Master's Degree
Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
60
Fall, Winter
Complete in as few as 2.5 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
No state restrictions
Program Tuition
60
$795.00
$47,700.00
$795.00
$47,700.00
Program Essentials
Master's Degree
Counseling: School Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
60
Fall, Winter
Complete in as few as 2.5 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
No state restrictions
Program Tuition
60
$795.00
$47,700.00
$795.00
$47,700.00
Program Essentials
Post-Master's Certificate
Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
21
Fall, Winter
Complete in as few as 1-2 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
No state restrictions
Program Tuition
21
$795.00
$16,695.00
$795.00
$16,695.00
Program Essentials
Post-Master's Certificate
Counseling: School Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
18
Fall, Winter
Complete in as few as 1-1.5 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
No state restrictions
Program Tuition
18
$795.00
$14,310.00
$795.00
$14,310.00
Tuition is calculated based on credits, at the published tuition rate. Rates may change, so please check here for the latest tuition information. For programs with variable tuition rates, we use the rates for part-time students. “Resident” and “non-resident” refer to the student’s school-recognized state residency status. Tuition number represents the cost of tuition for the entire program, not per semester or year. Estimated total tuition does not include additional fees.
Farheen Gani
WriterFarheen Gani has researched degree programs and salaries in counseling since 2020. She has written about topics such as genetic counselor salaries and family and human development bachelor’s degrees. She writes about healthcare, technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.