Master of Arts in Counseling online degree
Skills: Students who graduate with a Master of Arts in Counseling will:
- Utilize their personal development to facilitate work with others.
- Demonstrate a concern for the spiritual and psychological needs of others and an appreciation for the uniqueness of people.
- Integrate interpersonal qualities, theoretical understandings, professional and ethical guidelines with competency-based practices that translate into effective counseling relationships.
- Demonstrate competency in the following areas:
- Human growth and development; counseling theory and techniques; group dynamics; processing and counseling; appraisal of individuals; research and evaluation; professional, legal and ethical responsibilities; social and cultural foundations; lifestyle and career development; diagnosis (DSM), treatment planning, clinical psychopathology, personality and abnormal behavior; evaluation of mental and emotional disorders; methods of prevention, intervention, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders.
- Demonstrate an effective integration of theology, psychology and counseling within a biblical context.
- Be skilled in the necessary specialization areas and understand the professional settings in which they are employed.
Quality and Convenience: The Master of Arts in Counseling degree is designed to prepare professional counselors to be properly credentialed by the state in which they practice and remain in compliance with national training standards. The Master of Arts in Counseling degree fulfills the requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in Ohio and provides certification as a National Certified Counselor.
Students may take six courses for a total of 18 hours toward the Master of Arts in Counseling degree. The full degree requires 28 courses for a total of 84 hours (75 hours for students who have completed an undergraduate degree that fulfills certain prerequisites.)
Growth potential: The Master of Arts in Counseling at CCU has a history of preparing students for careers in ministry, clinical counseling and teaching. Several graduates have been accepted into prestigious PhD programs across the country where they will continue their professional training. Many others have demonstrated success in a variety of professional clinical counseling settings.
Job opportunities: The projected job growth rate for counselors between 2006 and 2016 has been identified at 21%. The anticipated need for marriage and family therapists, drug and behavioral disorder counselors, and mental health counselors has been listed as +30% (Counseling Today, Sept. 2008, p. 4). CCU graduates frequently begin their careers with salaries at more than $35,000.
Program Description: Since its inception in 1992, the Master of Arts in Counseling program has taught counselors strong Christian philosophical foundations and excellent skills, allowing them to lead Christian counseling in churches, agencies and counseling centers.
Three aspects of the program illustrate its strengths:
- Graduates acquire a knowledge base that enables them to interact with other health professionals in a qualified manner. CCU graduates pass the National Counselors Exam on their first attempt at a rate that is among the highest in the nation.
- Graduates attain skill sets that embody the techniques and principles of professional counseling. CCU's training program includes practical and internship oversight that is equal to, or above, national standards as established by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
- The personal growth and development of students is a priority at CCU. Interaction with professors is also of great importance.
