Mental Health Counseling, MS (online)
**If you are applying to the online version of a program, please be aware that your start term should be summer (e.g. Summer 2012). If you put start term fall (e.g. Fall 2012) on your application, you will be taking summer courses as a non-degree student which means you will not be eligible for financial aid until the fall semester. You cannot amend your application after submitting it. Thank you.
Thank you for your interest in our online Mental Health Counseling program at UMass Boston! We are very eager to hear from you!
The following information describes the program.
The Department of Counseling and School Psychology is offering a Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling (MHC) online. This is an academically challenging yet rewarding program that will prepare you for a career in Mental Health Counseling. It is a 60-credit master’s program which meets the academic requirements for licensure in the state of Massachusetts as a Mental Health Counselor for those who complete an approved field placement in the U.S. under appropriate supervision. (There are additional post graduate clinical experience requirements for licensure.)
The online MHC program begins in the summer and continues in the fall and spring semesters. Our online courses run using both synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods. For the synchronous meetings, we hold weekly one hour to one and a half hour classes in which students have the opportunity to verbally participate in an online classroom with their peers and professor. Typically, synchronous meetings are held from 5pm EST onward during the week. In terms of the asynchronous classes, we use Blackboard in which faculty post course-related information. Continuing Education has set the online classes to run for a total of 13 weeks.(In some circumstances when the instructional material requires more time, one or two sessions may be added or the live online sessions may be extended.)
Program Information: Master’s of Science in Mental Health Counseling (60 credits)
• The University of Massachusetts Boston is regionally accredited through NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges). To ensure superior quality, the online program is modeled after the on-campus program, offering many of the same instructors teaching the courses.
• The online program in mental health counseling follows a cohort model and is completed in two years, full-time. The program begins in the summer with one online course and two face-to-face courses, which are completed over a two-week period at UMass Dartmouth (although you are always enrolled as a student at UMass Boston). The rest of the program is completed online with your cohort. A plan of study is listed below.
• The MS online program in mental health counseling meets the Massachusetts educational requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor (LMHC). Additional post-graduate supervised employment hours within the field are required for licensure. For licensure requirements in other states, we recommend checking the state’s Board of Registration and Licensure website or contacting them directly.
• Upon completion of the program a student will receive the same degree as any on-campus student.
Admissions: Deadline to apply is January 2nd.
• An applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree or have completed a bachelor’s degree by the time of entrance to the program. For those applicants who did not major in psychology, at least 5 undergraduate courses in the social sciences are required, such as psychology, sociology and anthropology courses. More admissions details can be found at http://www.umb.edu/academics/cehd/counseling/grad/mental_health_counseling/admissions1/
• The applications can be completed online or downloaded at http://www.umb.edu/admissions/grad/apply/
•3.0 is the minimum GPA required.
• An online interview will be conducted as part of the admissions process once your complete application is received and reviewed.
• The program requires a 100-hour practicum in approved placement sites. A 900 hour internship, divided evenly between two semesters, is also required. It consists of supervised field experiences in public and non-profit mental health treatment facilities.
• We recommend that the student candidates check with their local board and present our program to them to make sure that they are eligible for licensure in their own states. Our graduates, fortunately, have been largely successful in obtaining licensure from their local boards; however, they may have to go through an administrative process to do so. To be 100% certain, we strongly recommend that you check with your local board as such regulation is subject to change.
Important information about the in-person summer component:
1. Your application to the program should indicate that your enrollment semester is summer.
2. In the summer, the online cohort students take two courses and complete them in two intensive weeks at the UMass Dartmouth campus. There will be 7 hours and 30 minutes of class every weekday. These two weeks are normally held in mid-June and is a required component of the online Mental Health Counseling program. If you are accepted to the program, you will receive more information about these two weeks via email from the online Graduate Program Director Esmaeil Mahdavi (esmaeil.mahdavi@umb.edu).
3. During these two weeks in the summer, students have the choice to live on campus in apartment-style dormitories (the vast majority of students have chosen to live on campus).
TRANSFERRING COURSES: An applicant can only transfer two 3-credit courses for a total of 6 credits into our program. Thus, you can take up two classes as a non-degree student before being admitted to the program. These credits will transfer over if you are accepted. Please note that taking and passing these courses does not guarantee admission to the program. The way to sign up for courses as a non-degree student is to contact Kevin Ziomek at kevin.ziomek@umb.edu.
TYPICAL PLAN OF STUDY:
First summer semester
COU 614 Counseling Theory and Practice I (in person at UMass Dartmouth)
COU 616 Group Counseling (in person at UMass Dartmouth)
COU 606 Ethical Standards and Professional Issues in Counseling (*completed online)
(Please note: Remaining courses are completed on-line)
First fall semester
COU 601Research and Evaluation in Psychology
COU 608 Abnormal Psychology
COU 653 Diversity in Counseling (new name for Cross-Cultural Counseling course)
First spring
COU 615 Counseling Theory and Practice II
COU Elective
COU 672 Substance Abuse and the Family OR COU 670 Substance Abuse and Modern Society
COU 688 Practicum
Second summer semester
COU Elective
COU 613 Vocational Development & Career Information
COU 620 Clinical Application of Human Development
Second fall semester
COU 605 Vocational, Educational & Psych. Assessment
COU 674 Psychopharmacology
COU 698 Internship
Second spring semester
COU Elective
698 Internship
Suggested electives:
1.) COU 617 Child & Adolescent Counseling
2.) COU 622 Family Therapy Theories
3.) Your choice
FINANCIAL AID AND COST RELATED INFORMATION http://www.umb.edu/bursar/tuition_and_fees/
Frequently Asked Questions:
1.) Can you mail me information about the program? The Department decided to go “green” so it is no longer mailing information to prospective students. For more information, please visit the Department’s website at http://www.umb.edu/academics/cehd/counseling/.
2.) How many credits can I transfer to your program? We can only accept 6 credits. Furthermore, the courses transferring into to our program must be 3-credits each.
3.) When is the application deadline? The deadline is January 2nd, 2012. You can complete an application at http://www.umb.edu/admissions/grad/apply/. Please remember to indicate summer as the enrollment semester for the online program. In order to review your application, UMass Boston needs to receive official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions that you attended. Please mail all application materials directly to:
The Office of Graduate Admissions
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125-3393
4.) How long does it take to complete your program? Most full-time students complete our program in 2 years. It will depend if you enroll as a part-time or full-time student.
5.) Do you have a minimum GRE score? We do not have a minimum GRE score. The professors will consider many factors when reviewing your application. Nevertheless, do your best on the GREs. You do NOT need to submit your GRE score if you have a Master's degree in a related field from an accredited American university.
6.) Who do I contact if I have more questions about the on-line Mental Health Counseling program? You can email Dan Torres at csp.admissions@umb.edu or Professor Esmaeil Mahdavi at esmaeil.mahdavi@umb.edu .
7.) Who do I contact if I want to enroll in a class at UMass Boston as a non-degree student? Please email Kevin Ziomek at kevin.ziomek@umb.edu or call him at 617-287-7233.
8.) If I don’t live in Massachusetts, will this degree give me licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in the state I’m living in? We recommend that the student candidates check with their local board and present our program to them to make sure that they are eligible for licensure in their state. Our graduates, fortunately, have been largely successful in obtaining licensure; however, they may have to go through an administrative process to do so. To be 100% certain, we strongly recommend that you check with your local board as such regulation is subject to change.
We look forward to reviewing your application. Thank you for applying to UMass Boston!
