North Dakota licenses counselors at three levels: Licensed Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). The NCE comes first; the LPCC adds the NCMHCE. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Two NBCC exams in North Dakota. The LAPC (and so the LPC) requires the NCE, the exam Counselor Ticket is written to. The clinical LPCC requires the NCMHCE, a case-study exam our guide does not cover.
Check with your board. Counselor Ticket is a study aid. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), the American Counseling Association (ACA), CACREP or any state counseling board; NCE and NCMHCE are NBCC's marks, used here only to name the exams. Laws on confidentiality, duty to warn, reporting and licensing differ by state; follow your state's law, your agency and your supervisor.
North Dakota at a glance
License
Exam
What it takes
LAPC (Licensed Associate Professional Counselor)
NCE
A 60-semester-hour counseling master's with the core coursework, a 700-hour practicum and internship, a two-year Plan of Supervision. $150.
LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)
NCE (already passed)
100 hours of supervision (60 individual, face-to-face) and 400 hours of client counseling during the two-year LAPC.
LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor)
NCMHCE
An LPC, two years (3,000 hours) of post-master's supervised clinical experience, 100 hours of supervision by an LPCC.
North Dakota, step by step
North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners
Degree (97-02-01-02): a master's in counseling of at least 60 semester credits (required since July 1, 2017) with the ten core areas, including at least 100 practicum hours and a 600-hour internship.
Testing: apply to the board first; if you have not passed the NCE, the board approves you to test and sends the NBCC registration form. Approval is good for one year, and you may test twice in a year.
LAPC: the application with three references, a two-year Plan of Supervision, an Intent to Practice statement and a passing NCE score. The LAPC must meet the LPC requirements within the two years.
LPC:100 hours of direct supervision (at least 60 individual, face-to-face) and 400 hours of client counseling contact during the LAPC, plus your supervisor's signed recommendation.
LPCC: hold the LPC, have abnormal psychology, psychopathology and clinical skills coursework, complete 3,000 hours of post-master's supervised clinical experience with 100 hours of supervision by an LPCC, and pass the NCMHCE.
The steps that hold nearly everywhere: a counseling master's degree (usually 60 semester hours, often CACREP-accredited), your board's approval, an NBCC exam, about two years of supervised experience, then the full license. The NCE has 200 questions (160 scored) in 3 hours 45 minutes; the NCMHCE is 11 clinical case studies in the same time; either can be retaken after 30 days (NBCC/CCE candidate handbooks). The full walk-through: How to get your counseling license.