Academic Catalog 2025-2026 
    
    Dec 05, 2025  
Academic Catalog 2025-2026

Accel B.A. Psychology + M.A. Clin Counseling degre

Accelerated B.A./B.S. Psychology + M.A. Clinical Counseling



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The B.A./B.S. Psychology + M.A. Clinical Counseling is a 172-hour accelerated program that combines undergraduate and graduate coursework, reducing time to completion through an integrated, academically rigorous, and cost-effective curriculum. This structure avoids duplicated courses and maximizes academic and experiential learning opportunities.

Additional Information regarding accelerated degree programs can be found under DEGREE INFORMATION .

Program Overview

  • Full-time students transition from bachelor-level coursework to master-level coursework after completing at least 90 undergraduate credit hours. Time to completion is based on a student beginning with no transfer hours and completing 30 - 32 credit hours per year.
  • A maximum of 12 graduate hours can be shared between the bachelor’s and master’s degree. Graduate courses may also be taken concurrently during the final undergraduate term if needed for financial aid purposes.

Graduate Coursework and Requirements

  • Shared graduate courses are integrated into the bachelor’s degree.
  • In their fifth year and sixth years, students will complete their graduate counseling curriculum, including the comprehensive exam.
  • Certain counseling courses require face-to-face attendance, with classes meeting on Friday nights and Saturdays for three weekends during the 8 week sessions at designated campuses. The following classes require face-to-face attendance: CNSL 5304 , CNSL 5305 , CNSL 5313 , CNSL 5314 , CNSL 5360 , CNSL 5361 , and CNSL 5362 .

To remain in good standing for accelerated program, students must:

  • Achieve a grade of C or better in all major coursework
  • Achieve a grade of B or better in all graduate coursework
  • Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

B.A./B.S. Psychology


Psychology - 35 hrs


The major with a B.A./B.S. degree requires a minimum of 35 credit hours, of which at least 27 must be upper-level. *Three hours may be included in the general education core curriculum in the B.A. degree. # Up to seven hours may be in the general education core for the B.S. degree.

M.A. Clinical Counseling


The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling is designed to equip a student to sit for the state board exams as licensed professional counselor or licensed  mental health counselor in Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma, or Texas. Students in other states where Wayland has a counseling program may also pursue the M.A. in Clinical Counseling if it better fits their career needs. In TEXAS ONLY, a student may elect to qualify for the exams for both the LPC and school counseling.

Advisories

Evaluations of students:  Successful completion of the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program is based on the demonstration of effectiveness in academic, professional, and personal areas as they relate to the counseling profession.  The faculty has both a professional responsibility and a moral obligation to evaluate all students throughout the training program for professional competence in academic course work; for weaknesses in required practical skills; for behaviors which are unethical, illegal, or unprofessional; and/or for dispositions deemed inappropriate for a professional counselor.  The evaluative process provides students with information related to their progress to enable them to take advantage of strengths and to remediate weaknesses in their academic, professional, and personal development.  The evaluative process provides faculty with information about student progress and suitability or unsuitability as counselors which will facilitate decisions in the best interests of students and the profession they are preparing to enter.

School counseling:  Wayland is authorized to certify school counselors ONLY in Texas. Students must hold a valid classroom teaching certification before applying to Wayland’s school counselor education program. Once admitted to Wayland’s school counselor education program, students must enroll in CNSL 5110 during their first session of enrollment in order to apply and be admitted to Wayland’s Education Preparation Program (EPP) for School Counselor Certification. The Application for Admission to the EPP, and all supporting documentation, should be filed with the education coordinator at the student’s respective campus prior to the second session of enrollment. A fee of $55 will be charged to all students admitted to the education program to cover fees charged by the Texas Education Agency. Students in the school counseling program must: be certified to teach in the State of Texas; have taught full-time for a minimum of two years; complete CNSL 5110 and all subsequent trainings and requirements during their first session of enrollment; and, pass the school counseling practice exam before they will be eligible to take  CNSL 5363 - Practicum in School Counseling. Once students have completed all of their degree requirements, and the requirements outlined by Wayland’s Don A. Williams School of Education, they will be recommended to the state for certification.

Practicum requirements for school counseling students (TX only): The Texas State Board for Educator Certification requires a practicum (CNSL 5363) in a school setting with mandatory evaluation visits by the university’s school counselor supervisor. Students seeking school counseling certification will take  CNSL 5363 - Practicum in School Counseling in order to fulfill the requisite practicum hours and should also take  CNSL 5321 - Introduction to School Counseling as part of their degree. Texas students seeking LPC licensure and School Counseling Certification simultaneously will replace CNSL 5361 - Internship in Counseling with one CNSL 5363 - Practicum in School Counseling course and should refer to the TX-LPC/SC degree plan for a complete list of required coursework. Site supervisors for practicums in school counseling must be certified school counselors.

Practicum/internship requirements in all states for all counseling students:  Prior to registering for a practicum, students MUST have completed a minimum of 24 credit hours in the counseling program, have credit for ethics (CNSL 5307), have purchased their malpractice insurance, and have a signed site agreement with the agency in which they will undertake the practicum.  Successful completion of  CNSL 5360 - Practicum in Counseling is required before a student may register for the internship (CNSL 5361), and successful completion of the internship is required before a student can register for the advanced internship (CNSL 5362).  All site supervisors for the practicum and internships for community counseling should be one or more of the following:  licensed professional counselors, Masters level clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, rehabilitation counselors, or psychologists with several years of clinical and counseling experience.  Wayland’s counseling degree requires a minimum of 300 clock hours of supervised practice distributed over the practicum and internship courses. Arizona students will need a minimum of 700 clock hours of supervised field experience, with a minimum of 320 direct hours. Arizona students should complete 100 hours (40 direct) in CNSL 5360, 135 hours (60 direct) in CNSL 5361, and 165 hours (80 direct) in CNSL 5362 and then repeat CNSL 5361 and CNSL 5362 to acquire the hours required for their state license. Hawaii students will need a minimum of 300 direct hours within the supervised field experience.

Licensure or certification by the state:  Upon completion of the M.A. in Clinical Counseling, ALL students seeking a license or school counselor certification must pass the state-required test.  No university can license or certify a counselor.  That is in all cases a prerogative of the individual state, which might or might not have a reciprocal agreement with any other state.  Every state requires additional hours of supervised counseling in addition to an ethics test and whatever exam the state uses as its licensing tool.

All questions concerning licensure and certification requirements should be addressed to the counseling program coordinator on each campus that offers this degree and/or the official “State by State Counselor Guide” at http://www.counselor-license.com/.

Course Requirements - 60 hrs


The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling requires a minimum of 60 hours. A comprehensive examination is required before completion of the degree and prior to the student’s sitting for the LPC test.

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