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Required Degree
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The educational requirements for LPC and LCPC licensure are the same: - You must have at least a master's degree.
According to the Administrative Code (Counselor Licensure Rules) the required education shall be:
Certification of completion of a master's degree program or a doctoral degree program in counseling, psychology, or rehabilitation counseling from a college, university or school that is a regionally accredited institution of higher education and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or certification of education and an official transcript from a similar master's degree program or doctoral degree program. - View our list of Illinois Degree Programs Here
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| | NEW 60 Credit Degree Requirement
| According the the updated administrative code, the degree requirement is increasing from 48 credits to 60 credits for applicants starting July 1, 2026. To learn more about this change click here.
| | | | Online Degrees
| | Several universities offer online degrees. Online clinical counseling and/or clinical psychology degrees are acceptable. | | |
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Accreditation
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All master's degree and doctoral programs in professional counseling or
rehabilitation counseling that are accredited by the Council for Accreditation
of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the Council on
Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and doctoral programs in psychology approved by
the American Psychological Association and the Council for the National Registry
of Health Service Providers are approved programs. | 
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CACREP Accreditation
| | Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
If you graduate(d) from a CACREP
accredited degree program, your degree will automatically fulfill the education
requirement for LPC and/or LCPC licensure.
This means that the list of required classes does not apply if you graduate from a CACREP degree program.
- It is important to know that CACREP
certifies degree programs and not universities. Just because one degree
program at a university is CACREP accredited does not mean that all
degree programs from that university will be.
If you are not sure if your program was CACREP accredited when you graduated you can look it up: CACREP Programs | 
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| | Required Classes (Non-CACREP Programs Only)You do not have to graduate from a CACREP degree program.
The program must be at least 2 academic years in length and
require an individual to graduate from a program with a minimum
of 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours (applying before July 1, 2026)
or 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours (applying after July 1, 2026)
with a minimum
of one course ("course" is defined as a minimum of 3 semester hours or
4.5 quarter hours equivalent) in each of the 13 core areas. There are 13 required courses you must take if you do not graduate from a CACREP Accredited program:
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Course Deficiency
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The applicants with missing courses have a pathway to complete them:
- Individuals applying for licensure who are deficient in any of the content areas set forth in subsection (a)(5) may complete any content area deficiencies in a graduate counseling, rehabilitation counseling, psychology, or similar degree program. No student designed courses, self- study courses, independent study courses, workshops, or continuing education courses may be used to satisfy the core courses. The applicant will be required to submit proof to the Division that the applicant has passed such a course(s). The proof shall include syllabi, course descriptions and official transcript.
- Persons graduation from a program that requires more than 38 hours but less than 48 semester hours may take additional classes post-degree in a regionally accredited counseling program that issues degrees acceptable for licensure under this Part, or as approved by the Board. Programs that require less than 39 hours of education to receive a degree shall not be acceptable for the purposes of licensure.
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Social Work/Psychologists License
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Section 1375.135 Clinical Professional Counselor Licenses for Clinical Psychologists and Clinical Social Workers
An
individual who holds an active license as a clinical psychologist in
Illinois pursuant to the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act [225 ILCS
15] or as a clinical social worker pursuant to the Clinical Social Work
and Social Practice Act [225 ILCS 20] shall be issued a license as a
clinical professional counselor without examination as provided in
Section 45(d) of the Act upon payment of the fee required in Section
60(a) of the Act.
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If You Have Any Questions or Concerns:Please contact us at: |
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Illinois Counseling Association
