Counseling, MA
Introduction
The Master of Arts degree in Counseling program prepares professionals for community/mental health agencies, private practice, and public schools. Students accepted into the Counseling program follow one of two concentration areas. The clinical mental health counseling track follows state licensure requirements for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); the school counseling track follows the requirements for both the LPC and Colorado Department of Education licensure requirements Licensed School Counselor.
Both the clinical mental health and school counselor tracks consist of 63 semester hours. Core courses that are common to all licensure areas of study are followed by courses specific to concentration area. Both specializations require a practicum (150 clock hours) and an internship (600 clock hours). The master’s degree is a three to three and a half-year program with course work for two to two and a half years followed by a 12-16 months of practicum and internship.
The clinical mental health and school counseling tracks are nationally accredited by CACREP, the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Program Requirements
Students in the Counseling program are required to maintain at least a B (3.00) grade point average in all coursework attempted while enrolled. Courses in which grades below a B- (2.7) are received may only be counted toward the degree with faculty permission. Students receiving a C or below in any of the clinical skill building courses: COUN 5100 Techniques of Counseling, COUN 5110 Group Counseling, COUN 5910 Practicum and Individual Supervision, COUN 5930 Internship in Counseling, COUN 6140 Counseling with Children, Adolescents, and their Parents, or COUN 7100 Advanced Theories and Techniques in Psychotherapy, will be required to repeat the course and follow any remediation plan that may be developed to meet the students' specific needs. Students must also take a national comprehensive examination, the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE), after completing all core courses. Students may choose to conduct research and submit a thesis (research conducted under faculty advisement) instead of taking a comprehensive examination.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling Core | ||
| COUN 5010 | Counseling Theories | 3 |
| COUN 5100 | Techniques of Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5110 | Group Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5330 | Counseling Issues and Ethics | 3 |
| COUN 5400 | Career Development | 3 |
| COUN 5810 | Multicultural Counseling Issues for Individuals and Families | 3 |
| LDFS 6200 | Human Development Over the Life Span | 3 |
| RSEM 5110 | Introduction to Measurement | 3 |
| RSEM 5120 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Select one of the following tracks: | 33 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
CPCE Comprehensive Exam to be taken after all Counseling core classes are completed.
Additional Requirements
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COUN 5200 | Strategies of Agency Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5280 | Addictions Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5835 | Gender And Sexual Orientation | 3 |
| COUN 6200 | Trauma Informed Care for Diverse Populations and Co-occurring Disorders | 3 |
| COUN 6250 | Mental Health Diagnosis | 3 |
| COUN 7100 | Advanced Theories and Techniques in Psychotherapy | 3 |
| COUN 5910 | Practicum and Individual Supervision | 3 |
| COUN 5911 | Practicum and Group Supervision | 3 |
| COUN 5930 | Internship in Counseling | 6 |
| Electives 1 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Two Additional Elective Classes (6 semester hours) are required.
School Counselor License (MA)1
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COUN 5280 | Addictions Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5425 | Developing & Implementing a School Counseling Program: ASCA | 3 |
| COUN 5815 | Introduction to School Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 5915 | Practicum in School Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 6140 | Counseling with Children, Adolescents, and their Parents | 3 |
| COUN 6230 | Developmental Counseling in Schools: Prevention & Intervention | 3 |
| COUN 6250 | Mental Health Diagnosis | 3 |
| COUN 5910 | Practicum and Individual Supervision | 3 |
| COUN 5911 | Practicum and Group Supervision | 3 |
| COUN 5930 | Internship in Counseling | 6 |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- 1
100-hour practicum is required in the schools (COUN 5915 Practicum in School Counseling). Three hundred of the 600 hours of internship must be in a concentrated environment. Full-time experience consisting of at least a four-hour block of time each day is required. Students may not do their internship in their primary employment (agency or school setting). For school counseling, three hundred (300) hours of internship are needed at the middle and secondary level for a K-12 program.
The Professional School Counselor Praxis 5422 (159) is required for the Colorado Department of Education license for school counselors. Praxis 5421 (159) is acceptable if passed between 09/16/2026 and 08/31/2023 and accepted by CDE through 08/31/2028.