Counseling and Human Services, MA

MA in Counseling and Human Services – School Counseling

The Department of Counseling and Human Services offers the Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services with an emphasis in School Counseling. The School Counselor training program meets the licensure requirements of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) based on national standards for the preparation of school counselors. In accordance with these standards, the school counselor program requires the completion of sixty semester hours of appropriate academic credit. School Counselor students will complete the same foundational coursework as the Clinical Mental Health Counselor students and may be eligible for licensure as a Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Post-master’s degree supervised counseling experience and successful completion of the National Counselor Examination (NCE) is currently required for the LPC credential. It is strongly recommended by the Departmental faculty members that school counselors seeking the LPC credential take additional course work in psychopathology, diagnosis and clinical mental health counseling and complete a supervised field experience specific to clinical mental health. Students graduating from the School Counselor program will be immediately eligible to apply for National Certified Counselor (NCC) recognition and are encouraged to do so.

School counselors in Colorado are licensed Professional Special Services personnel who work in school settings with students, parents, educators, and others within the community. They may be licensed as Elementary School Counselors, Secondary School Counselors or K-12 School Counselors. School counselors design and manage comprehensive, developmental guidance programs to help students acquire skills in the social, personal, academic, and career domains necessary for living in a diverse society. School counselors accomplish this by employing interventions including guiding and counseling students individually or in small groups and by providing psychoeducation through classroom guidance. School counselors contribute to the development of effective learning environments through student advocacy, facilitating systemic change, and through consultation and collaboration with others. Teaching experience is not a requirement for the Colorado school counselor license.

Application and Admissions Requirements

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Course Requirements

MA in Counseling and Human Services – Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) emphasis within the Department of Counseling and Human Services is designed to prepare graduate students to assume positions in professional counseling and consultation services involving the principles of psychotherapy. Students will be prepared in the areas of human development, learning theory, lifelong wellness, group dynamics, systems theory and the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of developmental problems, dysfunctional behavior and mental illness.  Students will also learn how to advocate for clients and teach clients to advocate for themselves. They will be prepared to provide professional services to individuals, couples, families and groups for the purposes of preventing and treating developmental problems and psychopathology and promoting optimal mental health and wellness. Promotion and enhancement of healthy, self-actualizing, and satisfying lifestyles is the goal of clinical mental health counseling, whether the services are rendered in an educational, military, business, industrial, health, medical, private practice or human services setting.

The Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC) training program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). The CMHC program is based on CACREP training standards and is designed to meet the academic requirements for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) in Colorado to practice psychotherapy. In addition to completing the Master’s Degree, applicants for the Professional Counselor License must complete appropriate post-master’s degree supervised experiences and pass a written examination.

Students must complete a rigorous 60 semester-hour training program that has been developed by the departmental faculty to prepare Clinical Mental Health Counselors for the responsibility of professional practice. Students who wish to pursue a concentration in Addictions Counseling to become a CAC II in Colorado may select this academic pathway through a partnership with the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH).

Students graduating from the CMHC degree program will be eligible to take the National Counselor Exam on campus during their last semester in the program. The student may submit the score from this examination as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential in Colorado. Other requirements, including appropriate post-master’s supervised clinical experience, must be met prior to being eligible to be licensed. Additionally, graduates of the program will be immediately eligible, and are encouraged to apply for National Certified Counselor (NCC) recognition. Students who wish to earn the CAC II credential must take the required coursework, pass the Examination for Master Addictions Counselors (EMAC) and complete the required clinical hours. It is possible to achieve CAC II status within a year after graduation.

Admissions and Application Requirements

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Course Requirements

MA in Counseling and Human Services – Counseling and Leadership

The Counseling and Leadership master’s degree program is a one-year, comprehensive curriculum for developing selected United States Air Force majors for the important responsibility of air officer commanding or leading a cadet squadron at the U.S. Air Force Academy. This training program was piloted in 1999, formalized in 2003 and is a sustained collaboration between the Department of Counseling and Human Services and the United States Air Force Academy. It is an inclusive program in that it includes a 45 credit-hour graduate curriculum, fieldwork, ongoing and topical colloquia, and personal and professional assessments designed to support counseling and leadership development. This degree program facilitates critical thinking, enhances interpersonal effectiveness, broadens perspectives on coaching and mentoring, develops influencing skills, and improves the student’s ability to lead change and development among cadets.

The job description of an AOC, from COCI 36-3522, requires officers to be competent in mentoring, capable of leading, teaching, and evaluating cadets through all aspects of cadet and military life, able to enforce standards, demonstrate nearly impeccable role modeling, competent in guiding the squadron’s leadership team, and skilled in counseling cadets, individually and as a group. Students are tapped by the United States Air Force for admission to this select program. Once enrolled, this one-year program features training with faculty from both the Department of Counseling and Human Services (UCCS) and the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (USAFA).

Application and Admissions Requirements

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Course Requirements: Counseling and Leadership

Please know that space is limited in each course and students should register early for elective courses.

Course Designations:

*CACREP aligned course

** Leadership Sequence

*** Specialty course 

+ Students must take 6 credits of Fieldwork. Students will register for 1-3 credits per fieldwork section. Students should consider taking 1 credit of Fieldwork during the semester that they take the elective.

++ Students will select the semester and course to complete the elective requirement. It is recommended that students consider courses from the list above; however, students are also able to independently identify a graduate level course from the UCCS catalog, (1) complete the Elective List Waiver Form, (2) have it approved by USAFA designee and (3) the Chairperson of the Department of Counseling and Human Services. 

Addictions Emphasis

The Department of Counseling and Human Services within the College of Education at UCCS has established a 15 credit hour emphasis that offers students who have been accepted into the Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services program the opportunity to seek certification as a Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC II). The university curriculum is designed to meet the standards set forth by the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) including hours of in-class study, additional homework and laboratory assignments. Students may complete the Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services and the addictions emphasis simultaneously. UCCS offers the only Masters of Arts degree program in the state of Colorado that embeds the competencies to meet CAC II credentialing.

>>MA Counseling Emphasis Addictions Curriculum Flyer

Application and Admissions Requirements

Please visit our website for admissions information. 

Course Requirements

Advanced Certificate: Counseling and Human Services

The Department of Counseling and Human Services offers a 24 credit-hour, advanced, post master’s certificate for current school or clinical mental health practitioners. Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) are required to complete 20 continuing education hours per licensing cycle and school counselors who are on a graduate pay scale may use this course work toward these requirements. Additionally, the four core courses (12 credits) align with current CACREP requirements for CACREP-accredited doctoral programs. Students may take between one to three courses per semester.

School Counselor - Endorsement Only

Students who have earned a CACREP-accredited master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling may be eligible to take five courses to complete the academic requirements for endorsement as a School Counselor in Colorado. An interview, transcript review, and specific steps for admission are required.