Counseling and Human Services, MA

MA in Counseling and Human Services: School Counseling

The Department of Counseling and Human Services offers a Master of Arts degree in School Counseling. The School Counseling track 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 counseling program requires the completion of 60 semester hours of appropriate academic credit. School Counseling students will complete the same foundational coursework as the Clinical Mental Health Counseling 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. Faculty members strongly recommend that School Counseling students who wish to seek the LPC credential take additional coursework in psychopathology, diagnosis and clinical mental health counseling and complete a supervised field experience specific to clinical mental health. Students graduating from the School Counseling track  will be immediately eligible and encouraged to apply for National Certified Counselor (NCC) recognition.

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 the implementation of core curriculum. 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

Please visit our website for admissions information. 

Course Requirements

MA in Counseling and Human Services: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) track 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 evidence-based and trauma-informed 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 Counseling (CMHC) track is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP). The CMHC track 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, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) applicants 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 the professional practice. Students who wish to pursue an additional concentration in Addictions Counseling to become a CAC II/LAC in Colorado may select this academic pathway through a partnership with the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH).

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 the National Certified Counselor (NCC) recognition. Students who wish to earn the CAC II/LAC credential must take the required coursework, pass the Examination for Master Addictions Counselors (EMAC) and complete the required clinical hours. 

Admissions and Application Requirements

Please visit our website for admissions information. 

Course Requirements

MA in Counseling and Human Services: Leadership and Counseling

The Leadership and Counseling track is a one-year, intensive and 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 all-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 leader development skills, core leadership theories, 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 highly selective 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) and distinguished representatives from the Center for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD).

Application and Admissions Requirements

Please visit our website for admissions information.

Course Requirements: Counseling and Leadership

Addictions and Recovery Counseling Emphasis

The Department of Counseling and Human Services has established an 18 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) or Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC). 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 and recovery counseling emphasis simultaneously.

It is important to note that 9 of the 18 credits are also required for the MA degree in Clinical Mental Health or School Counseling. This means that the student is only taking 3 to 6 credits beyond the primary degree in order to be licensed and qualified in multiple areas. UCCS offers one of the only Masters of Arts degree program in the state of Colorado that embeds the competencies to meet CAC II/LAC credentialing.

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 coursework 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 and are a Licensed Professional Counselor may be eligible to take five courses (minimum) to complete the academic requirements for endorsement as a School Counselor in Colorado. An interview, transcript review, and specific steps for admission are required. It is important to note that admission is limited to space available and upon approval of the faculty.