Curriculum
Ed.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Degree Requirements
Total Hours: 60
Practicum: Required
Comprehensive: 4 hour Proctored Exam
Thesis: None
Length of the Program
Full-time students complete the program in three years, including at least one summer. Part-time study is also available. Students have five years from acceptance to complete the program. (See SOE Policy: Time Limit for Completion of Degree Requirements)
Curriculum Plan
Completion of the Ed.S. degree program requires 60 semester hours of graduate study focused in two major areas: (1) counseling core and (2) specialty area. This includes 1000 clock hours of practicum and internship experience (taken for nine semester hours of credit). Students must also take and pass one four-hour written comprehensive examination during their final semester of study.
Continuous Enrollments
Specialist students in Clinical Mental Health Counseling are required to maintain the status of continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. (See SOE Policy: Academic Standing - Continuous Registration)
A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the Graduate School’s Associate Dean.
Undergraduate Prerequisites
Students should present transcript evidence of successful completion ("B" or better) of the course listed below, or its equivalent. Ideally students will have completed this course prior to the start of the program.
- Introductory Statistics course
Counseling Core (27 semester hours)
- CPSY 420 Counseling Skills
- CPSY 421 Professional Issues
- CPSY 423 Theories of Counseling
- CPSY 424 Career Development and Counseling
- CPSY 425 Assessment in Counseling
- CPSY 426 Group Counseling
- CPSY 433 Multicultural Counseling
- CPSY 454 Human Development
- RMTD 406 Program Evaluation
Specialty Area (21 semester hours)
- CPSY 427 Introduction to Clinical Mental Counseling
- CPSY 437 Substance Abuse Counseling
- CPSY 444 Family Therapy
- CPSY 528 Diagnostic Appraisal and Treatment Planning
- CPSY 532 Advanced Theories of Psychotherapy
- CPSY 535 Seminar in Supervision and Consultation
- CPSY 435 Prevention and Outreach
Clinical Experiences (9 semester hours)
- CPSY 440 Practicum in Counseling (3 semester hours)
- CPSY 441 Internship in Counseling (6 semester hours)
Comprehensive Assessment
Comprehensive proctored examination is required (four-hour exam). See handbook for details.
Comprehensive examination application deadlines:
- Spring Exam - December 1
See School of Education Academic Calendar for comprehensive exam dates
Degree Conferral
While the commencement ceremony is every May, degrees can be conferred May, August, and December. Students must apply for graduation/degree conferral. Students should apply for graduation in the semester they anticipate completing all degree requirements. Failure to meet application deadlines may result in a delay of the conferral of the degree to the following semester. Applications for Degree Conferral are due:
- August 1 for December conferral
- December 1 for May conferral
- February 1 for August conferral
Please note the degree conferral application is valid for only one semester. If the degree is not conferred for the semester requested, a new application is required for a subsequent semester.