University of Mississippi

School counselors work with students who experience violence and abuse at home, bullying at school and a wide range of other problems on and off campus. The University of Mississippi offers a Master of Education in School Counseling for students interested in helping those students after finishing their degrees.

Established in 1848, the University of Mississippi opened with fewer than 100 students, but quickly grew as it was the only public institution of higher learning in the state at the time. It later opened one of the only law schools in the south. The university experienced a number of changes over the years and found itself at the center of a major controversy in the 1960s when it denied admission to an African American student. UM later bounced back from that controversy and now has a diverse student body of more than 20,000 online and traditional students.

The school ranked highly among other colleges across the country. Forbes ranked UM as the 278th best university in the country, but it ranked within the top 150 on rankings done by Washington Monthly and U.S. News and World Report. Forbes also ranked the school in its top 20 list of colleges in the country that are the best value for students.

University of Mississippi Accreditation Details

Every major college and university in the country has accreditation. Accreditation comes from both regional and national agencies that perform routine inspections on campus every few years and meet with students and faculty members. The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or CCSACS, awarded general accreditation to the university, which allows the school to offer bachelor, master and doctoral degrees. This accreditation also applies to its online and Internet degree programs.

The School of Education, which is responsible for the University of Mississippi's school counseling program, has separate accreditation. The Mississippi Department of Education granted accreditation to the university for both its undergraduate and graduate programs. It also has accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Also known as NCATE, the organization ensures that the university fully prepares students for working in classrooms and schools across the country. The School of Education at UM is also part of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Membership in this organization gives students the opportunity to join other professional organizations and apply for internships and student teaching experiences across the state. Its online program also has accreditation from the same education organizations.

University of Mississippi Application Requirements

The University of Mississippi has several application requirements that students must meet or exceed before applying for admission. Students must complete a specific number of courses in the following disciplines:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies

 
All students must show on their transcripts that they completed four English courses and at least three courses from each of the other disciplines. Students must have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher in those courses as well and a GPA of 2.5 or higher in their other courses. The school also requires that students receive a score of 16 or higher on the ACT or a minimum of 760 in both the reading and mathematics sections of the SAT. The University of Mississippi also has other requirements in place that lets students apply for admission with a lower GPA if they received a higher score on a standardized test.

The application process consists of four separate requirements:

• Completion of the UM application
• A transcript that shows six semesters of classes
• Official test scores from the ACT or SAT
• A copy of the classes the student took during his or her last year in high school

 
Both online students and students applying for admission to the campus from out of state must complete the same steps.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The University of Mississippi charges separate tuition rates for students attending classes in person and those taking online courses. Each department in the university that offers online courses has the right to set its own tuition rates. The School of Education charges nearly $450 per credit hour, which equates to just over $1,300 for a traditional three credit hour course. Students typically take nine credit hours of course each semester as a full time student. Ole Miss Online adds two separate fees to each credit hour. Students must pay a $75 technology fee and a $50 fee for capital improvements for each credit hour worth of classes they take.

Both the University of Mississippi and Ole Miss Online offers financial aid for students. Students must complete and submit the FAFSA to the federal government and request a copy sent to the campus. Both grants and loans are available to online students. The amount that an online student can borrow depends on how far the student is in his or her studies. Private student loans, also known as alternative student loans, are also available. Students and their parents can apply for these loans to cover the cost of a new computer, tuition or any other costs students incur while in the program.

Online Degree Available

The School of Education at the University of Mississippi offers several Master of Education programs for graduate students through Ole Miss Online. Students enrolling in the program must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Those who drop below a 2.7 will find themselves placed on academic probation and may lose their spots in the program. All applicants must go through an interview process. Students applying for the online program can complete the interview over the phone.

Completion of the program typically takes five semesters, but students taking fewer courses each semester may spend two years or more in the program. The 30 credit hour program asks students to take some general and basic courses on research, clinical procedures, diagnosing students and curriculum development before taking courses on school counseling. Those courses teach students the basics of working with students, getting students to open up to them and how to identify the signs of abuse and other problems that students face. Once students complete the Master of Education in School Counseling at the University of Mississippi through its Ole Miss Online option, they can apply for a license or certification in their state and begin working as a licensed school counselor.