Master of Arts in Counseling

The Master of Arts in Counseling program is designed to produce well-qualified, healthy clinical counselors and/or marriage and family therapists who understand how to facilitate emotional healing and spiritual transformation. Emphasizing a practitioner approach, the program prepares students for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification.

The program is designed to meet the license requirements for most states, and will equip students to sit for either the National Counselor's Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), and for continuing studies at the doctoral level. Generally, students enter the program in the fall semester and complete the program over a three-year period, although a two-year process is possible under certain circumstances.

A practicum experience and 600 hours of internship training are included in the course requirements. In addition to our LPC track, with its six concentration choices, the MA in Counseling program offers a LMFT track. This track prepares students for Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) certification. Students will be equipped to sit for the National American Marriage & Family Therapy Examination (AMFTRB). For those students who wish to be dual licensed, the MA in Counseling program offers a Dual LPC & LMFT Licensure track, which only requires two additional courses to our LMFT track.

The purpose of the MA in Counseling program is not only to prepare students to be licensed professionals in the mental health field, but also to be effective leaders who integrate counseling research and skills with biblical truth in corporate, private, cross cultural, Christian and secular settings. The program is designed for persons with at least 15 semester hours of undergraduate work in psychology. Throughout the program, students develop their foundation of Biblical understanding through seminary-level coursework, small group experiences, evangelism and missions training, and chapel participation. Into this biblical framework, students integrate their psychological studies, examining research, theory and clinical application in light of revealed truth.

Clinical skills are developed through class and lab exercise, preparing students with treatment models designed for individuals, couples, families, and groups. Practicum and internship experiences allow students to implement and sharpen the skills they are learning. The goal of this program is to develop students to be effective clinicians, mature leaders, and agents of spiritual transformation and health.

Prerequisites:  Introduction to Psychology or General Psychology and Human Growth & Development.

Master of Arts in Counseling Core Courses

Licensure Tracks

Select ONE of the following licensure tracks: