Accreditation Status
The College of New Jersey’s new Department of Online Counselor Education is in the process of preparing an application to seek accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). It is not possible to apply for accreditation until our first cohort of students enters their Internship semester. This allows the CACREP site visit team to interview students about their educational, clinical, and academic support experiences, as well as interview faculty and site supervisors about their experiences with the program. This means we can not yet submit our application for CACREP accreditation. We anticipate submitting this application in the spring of 2026.
As per CACREP Policies Governing Recognition of Graduates 5.a. – Program Graduate Qualifications for Initial Accreditation, students in a program seeking accreditation shall be considered graduates of a CACREP program if they receive their degree within 18 months prior to when accreditation is conferred, and if the program can verify that the student completed the CACREP program requirements. Currently, CACREP suggests on its website that the review of applications will take 12-18 months to complete. As the first cohort will graduate in August of 2026, this review timeline will allow accreditation to apply to these and future students if CACREP approves the application for accreditation.
License Eligibility
Our online MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program focuses on your future licensure. While we are in the process of seeking accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), our curriculum has been developed to comply with CACREP standards, ensuring that our graduates are well-prepared for licensure in most states.
Most states find students who graduate from CACREP-accredited programs eligible for licensure. Since we are not yet accredited, our graduates must provide their state licensing board with a detailed crosswalk of how our courses meet the academic requirements for licensure. To assist with this process, we have meticulously developed crosswalks for every state in the country except California, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. These crosswalks are available below and guide you and your licensing board in understanding how our program aligns with state-specific requirements.
Crosswalks by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
Application submitted for board review. - Arkansas
- California
The CMHC program does not meet California’s academic criteria for clinical licensure. Please see the PDF document for details. - Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
To be eligible for clinical licensure in Florida, you will be required to take Human Sexuality as an elective. - Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
Nevada licensure will require that students take three courses that are not required components of our program. You can use both electives for these specific courses that may not be offered at TCNJ but can be transferred. Additionally, you will need to take a third elective to meet the licensure requirements; therefore, you must graduate with 63 credits instead of the required 60. - New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
Per state law, NY state students are not eligible to complete their practicum and internship in NY state. Students would need to be able to complete these experiences in another state. - North Carolina
The CMHC program does not meet North Carolina’s academic criteria for clinical licensure. - North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
We are committed to supporting our students through the licensure process and are proud of the quality and rigor of our program. Our goal is to ensure that you have the necessary tools and knowledge to achieve licensure and succeed in your career as a clinical mental health counselor.