Master's in Counseling Requirements

On-Campus M.A. Counseling Program

Admission Requirements

On-Campus M.A. Counseling Program

The on-campus Master of Arts in Counseling Program is an in-person experience where students must complete 60 credits, at the UND campus, in order to complete the degree. There are four emphasis areas in the online Program: Addictions, Child and Adolescent Counseling, Community Mental Health, Rehabilitation. Students will select one emphasis area to be the focus of their program of study.

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

1. A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university (or be in a combined program).
2. Twenty semester credits of coursework in the behavioral sciences at the undergraduate level, which must include theories of personality, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and statistics. Additional courses in psychology and sociology may be applied toward this prerequisite. Courses in other social science disciplines where the focus is on the description or explanation of individual or group behavior may be accepted in fulfillment of this prerequisite at the discretion of the department. Applicants must submit this information on the "Supplemental Application Form and Undergraduate Coursework Summary."
3. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A= 4.00).
4. Favorable recommendations and the admission committee’s perception of the “best fit” based on the applicant’s personal statement.
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

Combined Admission Requirements

This program allows students to designate two three-credit graduate courses to count for both degrees. These courses would be COUN 514 Rehabilitation Counseling: Assessment and Evaluation  and COUN 519 Career Counseling.

In addition to the admission requirements for the Counseling Master’s program, a completed application must include the following:

1. A plan of study must be filed which demonstrates when course requirements will be taken to meet the requirements or the major or minor in Rehabilitation and Human Services and the MA in Counseling is required as part of the application process to this Combined Degree program.  Individuals who are obtaining the BS degree in RHS are not required to complete RHS 997 - Internship in Rehabilitation, but are required to complete Coun 588 - Rehabilitation Counseling Internship.  With this exception, all other requirements of the RHS major or minor and the Coun MA degree must be met.  

2. Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   Part I - Essential Studies Requirements
   Part II - College of EHD Requirements
   Part III - Core Curriculum for RHS Majors (except RHS 497)
   Part IV - Extra-Departmental Requirements for RHS Majors
   Part V - One 10-credit Concentration for RHS Majors
   For RHS Minors - 15 Credits of Required Courses and 5 Credits of Listed Electives

3. Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all undergraduate work.
4. Written statement of interest in Rehabilitation Counseling as a profession.

Degree Requirements

On-Campus M.A. Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Arts degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Counseling Psychology and Community Services programs.

Thesis Option:

1. A minimum of sixty (60) semester credits, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to the Thesis.
2. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.
3. A maximum of 9 semester credit hours may be transferred from another institution.
4. Preparation of a written thesis approved by the faculty advisor and Thesis committee.
5. Comprehensive final examination.
6. Required Core and Emphasis courses.

Non-Thesis Option:

1. A minimum of sixty (60) semester credits, including at least two credits of Independent Study or Scholarly Project.
2. At least one-half of the credits must be at or above the 500-level.
3. A maximum of 9 semester credit hours may be transferred from another institution.
4. Preparation of a written independent study or scholarly project approved by the faculty advisor.
5. Comprehensive final examination.
6. Required Core and Emphasis courses.

Required Core Courses:

Plus One of the Following Emphasis Areas:

*

program prerequisite PPT 410 Drugs Subject to Abuse or equivalent

After successfully completing practicum, students will enroll in an Internship in,COUN 582 Child and Adolescent Counseling Internship COUN 584 Community Counseling Internship, COUN 587 Addictions Counseling Internship or COUN 588 Rehabilitation Counseling Internship, depending on program emphasis, which is a two-semester supervised counseling experience at an external site. Internship will typically be completed during the second year in the program for full-time students. Internship assignments are individually arranged and administered by the program’s Internship Coordinator.

In addition to this practitioner course sequence, students are required to complete a series of research training experiences, culminating in the completion of COUN 997 Independent Study or COUN 995 Scholarly Project an independent research project conducted under the direction of the student’s advisor. Students are encouraged to begin considering and planning their research project early in their program.

After completing the majority of coursework for the degree and advancing to candidacy, students are eligible to sit for the Master’s Comprehensive Examination, which is offered once each fall and spring semester. A passing score on the examination is required for graduation.

Combined Degree Requirements

1. Completion of the undergraduate degree.
2. Completion of at least 60 credits of graduate course work, including:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   COUN 502	Professional Issues in Counseling	1
   COUN 506	Rehabilitation Counseling: Foundations of Ethical and Professional Issues	3
   COUN 507	Life-Span Development in Counseling	3
   COUN 510	Counseling Methods	3
   COUN 514	Rehabilitation Counseling: Assessment and Evaluation	3
   COUN 515	Methods of Research	3
   COUN 518	Group Theory and Process	3
   COUN 519	Career Counseling	3
   COUN 520	Diagnostic and Prevention Strategies in Counseling	3
   COUN 529	Dynamics of Addiction	3
   COUN 530	Theories of Counseling, Personality and Development	3
   COUN 531	Psychology of Women, Gender and Development	3
   COUN 532	Multicultural Counseling	3
   COUN 533	Couples And Family Counseling	3
   COUN 534	Child and Adolescent Counseling	3
   COUN 569	Cognitive Assessment	3
   COUN 580	Counseling Practicum	4

3. Completion of 8 credits of COUN 588 Rehabilitation Counseling Internship.
4. Completion of COUN 995 Scholarly Project (1 cr.), COUN 997 Independent Study (2 cr.) or COUN 998 Thesis (4 cr.).

Online M.A. Counseling Program

Online M.A. Admission Requirements

The online Master of Arts in Counseling Program is a part-time experience where students must complete 60 credits in order to complete the degree. This online Counseling Program will consist of both synchronous and asynchronous components. There are four emphasis areas in the online Program: Addictions, Community Mental Health, Rehabilitation, and School Counseling. Students will select one emphasis area to be the focus of their program of study.

The applicant must meet the School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements as published in the graduate catalog.

1. A four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university (or be in a combined program). Official transcripts are required.
2. Undergraduate level abnormal psychology and developmental psychology courses or substituted with the Foundations in Counseling course (COUN 504) offered online at UND. Applicants must submit this information on the "Supplemental Application Form and Undergraduate Coursework Summary."
3. A cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.75 for all undergraduate work or a GPA of at least 3.0 for the junior and senior years of undergraduate work (based on A= 4.00).
4. Favorable Professional recommendations (no relatives, friends, or non-professional contacts) and the admission committee’s perception of the “best fit” based on the applicant’s personal statement.
5. Satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as published in the graduate catalog.
6. International applicants need to refer to School of Graduate Studies’ current minimum general admission requirements. All international applicants must contact the Counseling Program before applying to the Program.

Online M.A. Degree Requirements

Students seeking the Master of Arts degree at the University of North Dakota must satisfy all general requirements set forth by the School of Graduate Studies as well as particular requirements set forth by the Counseling Psychology and Community Services programs.

Thesis Option:

Thesis options are present for online students who intend to pursue licensure in states or provinces that require it. *Thesis options will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

1. A minimum of sixty (60) semester credits, including the credits granted for the thesis and the research leading to the Thesis.
2. All courses must be above the 500-level at UND.
3. A maximum of 9 semester credit hours may be transferred from another institution.
4. Preparation of a written thesis approved by the faculty advisor and Thesis committee.
5. Passing the comprehensive examination.
6. Faculty approval to move on into Practicum and internship.
7. Required Core and Emphasis courses.

Non-Thesis Option:

1. A minimum of sixty (60) semester credits, including at least two credits of Independent Study.
2. All courses must be above the 500-level at UND.
3. Passing the comprehensive examination.
4. Faculty approval to move on into Practicum and internship.
5. Use the independent study to design study plan and prepare to take the comprehensive examination
6. Required Core and Emphasis courses.

Courses

Required Core Courses:

Plus One of the Following Emphasis Areas:

*

program prerequisite COUN 504 Foundations In Counseling or equivalent (undergraduate Abnormal psychology and undergraduate developmental psychology)

After successfully completing practicum, students will enroll in an Internship in, COUN 584 Community Counseling Internship, COUN 587 Addictions Counseling Internship or COUN 588 Rehabilitation Counseling Internship, COUN 589 School Counseling Internship depending on program emphasis, which is a two-semester supervised counseling experience at an external site. Students, with consultation and approval from the Internship Coordinator/Program Director, will locate and secure an Internship placement site. Students may take 2 to 3 semesters to complete the internship experience. Students must complete all of the requirements for internship course in order to receive a passing grade.

After completing the majority of coursework for the degree and advancing to candidacy, students are eligible to sit for the Master’s Comprehensive Examination, which students will take while enrolled in COUN 997 Independent Study or COUN 995 Scholarly Project under the direction of the student’s advisor. A passing score on the examination is required for graduation.