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Counseling Programs Ranks Among Nation's Best

Pope Counseling
ULM

BestMastersPrograms.org has ranked the University of Louisiana atMonroe’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 publicly 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).

Jay calls himself a "media producer" in a world of diversification. Jay earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio/TV/Film Production from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and worked in video, feature film and television production for over 10 years before joining KEDM full time.
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