Master of Arts in Professional Counseling/Master of Arts in Student Ministry

DUAL DEGREE

The purpose of the dual Master of Arts in Professional Counseling and Master of Arts in Student Ministry degree program is to provide Christ-centered graduate-level education to prepare servant leaders for the practical ministry of professional counseling and student ministry leadership by integrating a counseling foundation with a Christian worldview and a strong foundation in ministry and discipleship with teenagers, college students, and their families. 

The Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling prepares graduates to become Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCS) in the State of  Texas.  Becoming an  LPC  allows graduates to render counseling services in a  variety of settings such as community counseling centers,  drug and alcohol treatment facilities,  college and university counseling centers,  Christian counseling centers, private psychiatric hospitals, domestic violence shelters, churches, rehabilitation centers, and private practice. The burgeoning interest in professional counseling and the growing disillusionment with a "morally neutral" approach to counseling indicates the need for a graduate program that will apply biblical presuppositions as the starting points and goals in a counseling approach. Presently, all classes leading to the MA in Professional Counseling degree are taught in the evening and on the weekend.

ADMISSION

In order to pursue a Dual Master’s Degree program, the applicant must apply to, meet the existing admission requirements for, and be accepted into each of the master’s degrees which comprise the dual degree program.

Note: Church Membership Requirement (for admission into the EDD in Educational Leadership—all concentrations, PHD in Leadership Studies’ Ministry Concentration, Master’s Ministry Degrees, and Advanced Ministry Certificate Programs): Within the last 12 months, the applicant must have been an active member of a Christian church that holds Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who holds solely the Old Testament and the New Testament as sacred Scripture.

MA IN PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING PREREQUISITES

(Continuance in the program past the first 18 hours is pending successful completion of these prerequisites.)

• General Psychology (or Introduction to Psychology)

• Statistics

• Two upper-level Psychology courses

MA IN STUDENT MINISTRY PREREQUISITES      

• Old Testament Survey

• New Testament Survey

Prerequisites may be met with equivalent courses from another institution or from a passing grade on the GSOM Old Testament and New Testament equivalency exams and do not count toward degree completion.

ADMISSION PROCESS

Applicants to the Master of Professional Counseling program will submit all required application forms to the graduate office. Application files will be forwarded to the MAPC Admissions committee for review. The MAPC committee will schedule personal interviews with applicants. The committee will consider each applicant’s (1) relevance of career goals, (2) aptitude for graduate-level study, (3) potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and (4) respect for cultural differences. Committee recommendations will be sent to the university’s graduate admissions committee for final admission decisions.

ORIENTATION OF NEW STUDENTS

At the beginning of each semester (fall, spring, summer), new students will attend a student orientation scheduled by the MAPC director. At the orientation, the program director will (1) distribute and review the MAPC Student Handbook, (2) discuss students’ ethical and professional obligations and personal growth expectations as counselors-in-training, and (3) review eligibility requirements for LPC licensure in the state of Texas.

The orientation will also include a review of the MAPC Counseling Agreement Contract. By signing this agreement, new students are stating their willingness to be evaluated on nine characteristics deemed necessary for the development of an ethical and competent counselor. These characteristics are implied from the expectations of professional and personal competence and responsibility and are as follows: openness, flexibility, positiveness, cooperativeness, willingness to use and accept feedback, awareness of impact on others, ability to deal with conflict, ability to accept personal responsibility, and ability to express feelings effectively and appropriately. In addition, the student's signature on the contract expresses agreement to attend eight counseling sessions during the first two semesters in the MA in Professional Counseling Program. No student will be allowed to register for practicum until all sessions are complete.

MASTER OF ARTS IN PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING PRACTICUM/INTERNSHIP

The Practicum/Internship experience consists of three courses, COUN 6317 Practicum, COUN 6318 Internship I (S-L), and COUN 6319 Internship II (S-L), completed sequentially. The Practicum/Internship is the culmination of the MA in Professional Counseling degree program and is intended to provide practical experience for students as they make plans to enter the counseling profession. The 3 (three) courses include supervised delivery of direct counseling services in an approved agency or institution. Students are evaluated on a wide range of personal and professional criteria which includes analysis of video-recorded counseling sessions and seminar discussions of counseling theories, methods, and techniques. (S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Students should attempt to enroll in the 3 (three) Practicum/Internship courses sequentially. In order to progress through the 3 (three) courses, a grade of “B” or higher must be earned. In the event of any grade below a “B,” the course will have to be repeated until at least a “B” is earned. The student is responsible for any remedial work that may be suggested by the faculty in order to successfully complete the Practicum/Internship course.

Students are not automatically eligible to enroll in Practicum/Internship as they matriculate through the MA in Professional Counseling program. In order to proceed to Practicum, students must apply to candidacy for Practicum. To be eligible, students must complete the following steps:

• Student must have completed the 8 required personal counseling sessions.

• Student must have completed the 12 hours of undergraduate prerequisite courses.

• Student must have a current GPA of 3.0 or above.

• Students must apply for candidacy to the Practicum/Internship.

• Students must pass the Comprehensive Counseling Assessment (CCA).

• Students must have completed the following courses (30 hours):

Student must secure a Practicum site before enrolling in Practicum. If the student chooses another site for internship, the student must secure an internship site before enrolling in Internship I.

To apply for candidacy, students will contact the program director and requires approval to proceed to Practicum. The program director will conduct a faculty review of the student’s progress in the program and will determine if the student has performed in a satisfactory manner in the program to that point. If approved by the faculty review, the student will take the Comprehensive Counseling Assessment, an exam which measures knowledge attainment from the 10 required courses. Upon passing the exam, the student will be granted candidacy for the Practicum.

If the student fails the Comprehensive Counseling Assessment on the first attempt, the student will meet with the Program Director to review the student’s scores, identify the content areas with the lowest scores, and together they will design a remediation plan to prepare the student to re-take the exam. The student must re-take the exam no less than 15 days and no more than 30 days after the first attempt. If the student failed the second attempt, the student will meet with the program director to identify the two lowest content area scores on the exam and will be required to retake the courses corresponding to those content areas. Upon completion of the two courses, the student will be allowed one final attempt to pass the exam. A student who fails the exam for the third time will not be allowed to continue in the program.

MA IN PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING REQUIRED CURRICULUM - 60-61 hours (excluding prerequisites)

MA IN STUDENT MINISTRY REQUIRED CURRICULUM - 27 hours (excluding prerequisites)

(S-L)=Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.