This is a 60-credit master’s that can be completed in two years with full-time study. Full-time study means three sessions a year (15 weeks each) with two terms (7 weeks each) in each session. Part-time study involves taking two courses per session (one per term), completing the degree in four years. All classes meet once a week for 90 minutes of synchronous class time. The group counseling class meets twice a week, but during a term, there is only one class. This second meeting time is when students engage in their group counseling experience. This zero-credit and no-cost experience is a requirement of CACREP.
Students will complete a supervised counseling practicum experience that totals a minimum of 100 hours over a full academic term (14 weeks). During this practicum, students will complete a minimum of 40 hours of direct service with actual clients. Students are required to complete 10 hours of independent or co-facilitating a counseling or psychoeducational group during either their practicum or their internship. Students are also required to complete a total of 300 hours during Internship 1, with a minimum of 120 of those hours being direct. Students are required to complete a total of 300 additional hours during Internship 2, with a minimum of 120 of those hours being direct. Students must maintain their regular schedule with clients during university breaks and between semesters. To facilitate this, if the transition from practicum to internship, or internship 1 to internship 2, occurs over winter break, the internship term will begin the week after the practicum ends, rather than following the traditional academic schedule. During practicum and internship, students will participate in group supervision with a faculty member on a regular schedule that averages 1.5 hours a week. Students will also need to participate in individual or triadic supervision for a minimum of 1 hour per week with their approved site supervisor.