Counseling, M.A.

The Master of Arts in Counseling is designed to equip a student to sit for the state board exams as a school counselor and/or licensed professional counselor. The two tracks differ in the area of internships and practicums and whether they are done in a school or community setting.

Admission Requirements (In Addition to Those Listed for All Graduate Students)

Students must have either completed an undergraduate statistics or a quantitative research methods course, or passed the CLEP or DANTES statistics test, or taken the statistics tutorial before registering for CNSL 5302 (Research Methods and Data Analysis). CNSL 5302 is required of all students; the tutorial does not replace it but simply prepares students for CNSL 5302 .

Transfer Credit

Degree candidates for the M. A. in Counseling may satisfy a maximum of 18 graduate semester hours with approved courses transferred from another institution. However, for a student transferring from another Wayland degree program to the M.A. in counseling, a maximum of 12 hours will be allowed in transfer. To transfer credit from other institutions, a student must submit an official transcript of the courses to be considered and may be required to submit a catalog description of the course from the institution where the course was taken. The appropriate academic dean must approve transfer credit.

Advisories

Students in the school counseling program must be certified and have taught for a minimum of two years before they will qualify for the school counselor exam in Texas. They must pass this exam to be certified. Different rules, policies and laws may apply to students at campuses in other states.

All site supervisors for internships and practicums in school counseling should be certified school counselors. Site supervisors for community counselors should be one or more of the following: licensed professional counselors, Master’s-level clinical social workers, marriage and family counselors, rehabilitation counselors, or psychologists with several years of clinical and counseling experience.

Students wishing to become licensed professional counselors in Texas and Oklahoma are required to pass the state board exam and then to complete 3000 hours of supervised counseling after graduation. Different regulations may apply in other states. School counselors who also want to sit for the LPC exam should do their practicum and internship experiences in both school and community settings. Before beginning a practicum or internship in either a school or community setting, all students must have had the ethics course, have a minimum of 24 graduate hours in counseling, and have purchased their malpractice insurance. All questions about the practicum or internship requirement should be referred to one of the counseling faculty.

Attention Alaska and Arizona Students: In addition to the 49-hour M.A. in Counseling degree, students in Arizona must take the following courses to meet state requirements prior to applying to take the licensure examination:

Additional three hours in CNSL 5361 - Internship in Counseling
Additional three hours in CNSL 5362 - Advanced Internship in Counseling
Additional six hours of state board acceptable coursework such as physiological psychology, human sexuality, psychopharmacology, or related areas.

The Arizona state board requires a total of 700 hours of practicum/internship experience during the course of the degree. These hours will be divided among the practicum, internship, and advanced internship courses.

Attention Hawaii Students: Students in the Hawaii program need a total of 400 supervised hours of direct and indirect client contact in the practicum/internship experience to complete the degree. These hours will be divided among the practicum, internship, and advanced internship courses. The site supervision must be provided by a licensed professional in mental health counseling, psychology, clinical social work, advanced practice registered nurse with a specialty in mental health, a psychiatrist, or a marriage and family therapist.

Attention Oklahoma students: To be licensed as a counselor in Oklahoma, students will need to complete the 49-hour M.A. in counseling degree, take additional counseling coursework to total 60 graduate hours, pass the National Counselor Examination, pass the Oklahoma Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Examination, and complete the number of supervised hours of counseling that the state requires.

CNSL 5309 - Psychopharmacology - is an option for all students in HI, NM, and TX–can substitute it for CNSL 5317 - Topics in Working with Children: Counseling, Play Therapy, and the Exceptional Child - if the student believes it would be more beneficial. None of these states requires a child therapy course for a license.

CNSL 5319 - Human Sexuality: Assessment and Treatment Issues - is an option for all students in TX and HI and can substitute for CNSL 5308 - Substance Abuse: Assessment and Treatment if they want to do that. NM students MUST have CNSL 5308 and cannot substitute another class for it; a course in substance abuse and treatment is a licensure requirement in NM.

Degree Requirements

The Masters in counseling requires 49 hours. State requirements in Alaska, Arizona, and Oklahoma mandate additional graduate level courses in counseling to total at least 60 hours. (See additional advisories section for these courses.) A comprehensive examination is required before completion of the degree and prior to the student’s sitting for the LPC test.