Program: Career and College Counseling Graduate Certificate - University of Memphis

Jul 03, 2025

2025-2026 GRADUATE CATALOG

The College and Career Counseling Post-Baccalaureate certificate program is an online and field based program focused on developing technical skills and expertise to effectively prepare students to transition from high school to college or from high school to vocational programs. Courses are designed to offer insight into every facet of career and college planning, including the usage of assessment data, the college application and admissions process, financial aid panning, career counseling, and working with special populations.

The program is committed to addressing contemporary issues influencing the field, by building awareness of social justice issues in the college going process and utilizing student achievement data as a lever to design programs that strategically target the achievement gap. Knowledge and technical expertise are enhanced by a comprehensive field experience that places students in area high schools and colleges, affording extensive opportunities to consolidate learning, and build professional competency.

Graduate Certificate

Admission to program

Students currently admitted to a graduate program at the U of M or other university in the social or behavioral sciences, or students already holding a graduate degree in the social or behavioral sciences, may apply for admission to the Graduate Certification Program in Career and College Counseling.
Non-degree seeking students who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher who meet the University of Memphis’s graduate school requirements. Students must apply to both the certification program and graduate school as a non-degree seeking student.

Application Process

In state student must submit copy of their Tennessee Bureau of Investigations background check. http://www.memphis.edu/tep/pdfs/TBI-BackgroundCheck.pdf
Out of state students must submit proof of a commensurate state endorsed background check.
If you are eligible to apply for the certification program
- Complete the certification application
- Submit two letters of recommendation from a current or previous employers, and or previous university instructor
- Student GRE scores
- A sealed copy of official student transcripts
- Copy of background check
- A letter describing the reasons why the student is applying for the certification programs that discusses how the program supports students prior interests and experience and future career goals.
For students with no graduate program experience, a minimum undergraduate grade point of average of 2. 7 5 is recommended for admission at the undergraduate level.

Program Requirements

The online program is designed to be completed in one year across four semesters: Summer I & II, Fall and Spring. The classes are designed to build student’s knowledge base incrementally and it is recommended that courses are taken in the following sequence

General Education including transfer of 19 hour pre-major paths

Major Field Core:

COUN 7824 -COUN 8824 College Admission Counseling (3 hours) Summer I
COUN 7825 -COUN 8825 Strategies for College and Career Counseling in K-12 Settings (3 hours) Summer II
COUN 7826 -COUN 8826 School Counseling to Close the Achievement Gap (3 hours) Fall
COUN 7827 -COUN 8827 Capstone Course in College and Career Counseling (3 hours) OR
COUN 7760-COUN 8760 School Counseling Internship (3 hours) Spring

Note:

Students concurrently enrolled in the Masters program or working toward school counseling licensure can substitute this capstone course for a Secondary Practicum or Internship class. Students electing this option can expect to spend time in a high school and college setting working alongside the college counselors, academic advisors, and career counselors.