Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.S.

The Department of Educational and Clinical Studies offers a 60 credit Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The master programs is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), the accrediting body of the American Counseling Association. Graduates of the M.S. program are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination in order to qualify for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, a 60-credit hour course of study, is designed to train professional counselors for work in a variety of community and mental health settings. Community mental health counselors work in local, state, and federal agencies, as well as private for-profit and non-profit agencies.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.S. degree offers a unique arena for the development of counseling theory and in depth research in issues impacting community and mental health, as well as continuing the development of professional counselors to meet the diverse needs of Southern Nevada, the region, and the nation.

Faculty members in the Department of Counselor Education endeavor to promote excellence in counselor education and counseling research. Our graduate counseling programs prepare students to:

1. Serve as professional counselors, advocates, and leaders who maximize opportunities for individuals, groups, and communities with a particular emphasis on helping underserved and oppressed client populations;
2. Address developmental, academic, career, mental health, socio-cultural, and wellness needs of clients seeking counseling;
3. Help individuals, groups and communities strive to find meaning, involvement, worth, and dignity in their lives;
4. Engage in action research and program evaluations to further the knowledge base and best practice initiatives of the counseling profession; and
5. Advocate with local, state, and national organizations to promote client and societal wellbeing.

Admission Requirements for Degree Programs

The master degree program requires that an application for admission be submitted to the Graduate College and the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies as well as transcripts of all college-level work. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 for all undergraduate work and a 3.00 for the last two years of undergraduate work is required.

Applicants must provide three letters of recommendation directly to the department along with a departmental application form that includes a writing sample. Final applicants undergo an extensive/structured personal interview. Students should refer to the department website. Students are admitted once each year, with an application deadline of February 1st.

Academic Policy

All full and part-time students entering into the M.S. program are required to enroll in the following courses during their first fall semester:

 

 

A grade of B or better is required in both CED 701 and CED 727 in order to continue taking coursework in the M.S. program. Students who make a grade of B- or lower (but not an F) in either CED 701 or CED 727 may not continue taking other coursework in the M.S. program until successfully repeating these courses. If after a second attempt a student does not make a B or better in CED 701 or CED 727, the student will be officially separated from the graduate program.

Students must make a grade of B or better in

  in order to enroll in  . A grade of B or better is required for all internship courses (  and  ) or they must be repeated.

A student receiving a grade of F in any required course in the degree program will be officially separated from the graduate program. Students must repeat any course in which they make a grade of C- or lower. Students making three or more grades of B- or lower will be officially separated from the graduate program. In order to earn the degree, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.

Final Examination Process

1. Students will submit final portfolios electronically to the online portal by the appropriate deadline. Students must mask personal identifying information so that the portfolio may be “blind-reviewed” by the faculty evaluators.
2. Three members of the ECS faculty will be randomly assigned to evaluate the student’s portfolio.
3. After reviewing the portfolio, each of the three faculty reviewers will recommend that the student:1) Pass or 2) Fail. The three faculty reviewers must be unanimous in their decision to pass the student.
4. In the event that the three ECS faculty reviewers are not unanimous in recommending the student pass, an oral review of the portfolio will be required. Before the oral review, the student will be required to select an additional ECS faculty member (not part of the original three faculty evaluators) and a tenured/tenure tack faculty member from another College of Education department to participate in the oral review meeting. The original three ECS faculty reviewers will provide the student with specific areas needing remediation in their portfolio. The student will be responsible for addressing all areas of remediation prior to the oral review of the portfolio. After the oral review process, the four ECS faculty and the additional COE faculty member will recommend that the student: 1) Pass or 2) Fail. The final recommendation will be by majority.