Overview
The master’s degree program offers a curriculum that emphasizes the following core components: professional orientation and ethical practice; social and cultural diversity; human growth and development; career development; helping relationships; group work; assessment; and research and program evaluation. The MSEd in counseling includes two concentration areas: Clinical Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates meet the educational requirements to pursue the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) credential in Virginia. Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduates will be prepared to work in community mental health settings, college counseling centers, hospital-based behavioral health programs, the criminal justice field, veterans' mental health, and private practice. The clinical mental health counseling concentration includes courses in substance abuse counseling, family dynamics, diagnosis and psychopathology, and clinical supervision. Additionally, evidence-based practice, assessment and diagnosis, the role of the counselor in health care, and client and population-centered advocacy are emphasized in the clinical mental health concentration. The clinical mental health counseling is offered in an on-campus, in-person format and also a fully online format. Both formats meet requirements for LPC licensure in Virginia. Courses in the online format are offered in 8-week segments and are primarily asynchronous with some synchronous elements like role plays, skills demonstrations, group consultation and supervision, and case presentations.
Linked Program Information
There is a linked program available to qualified students under existing university policy to link the Bachelor of Science with a major in Human Services undergraduate program with the Master of Science in Education (Counseling with a Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling) graduate program. See program director for additional details.
Admission
Applicants may hold a bachelor’s degree in any field.
Deadlines for Admission
- New students are admitted twice each year and are eligible to begin during fall, spring, or summer semesters.
- Summer or Fall Semesters
- March 1 – Deadline for completed applications
- Spring Semester
- October 1 – Deadline for completed applications
- Application Requirements
For details regarding the application process, criteria used to select students, materials required of applicants, where to send application materials, and taking courses prior to admission as a non-degree graduate student, see the program web site at http://www.odu.edu/chs/academics/m-s-ed-admissionsrequirements.
Curriculum Requirements
A minimum of 60 semester credits is required for the Master of Science in Education - Counseling with a concentration in clinical mental health counseling or school counseling. Toward the conclusion of the program, all students must pass a comprehensive exam. All students are required to take 30 credits of common-core course work. Additional course work in concentration areas is required. All students complete 100 hours of practicum and 600 hours of internship. Students are also required to complete the Responsible Conduct of Research Training (visit the ODU Office of Research webpage for additional information).
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credit Hours |
| COUN 601 | Principles of Professional Counseling and Ethics | 3 |
| COUN 631 | Counseling for Lifespan Development | 3 |
| COUN 633 | Counseling and Psychotherapy Techniques | 3 |
| COUN 634 | Advanced Counseling and Psychotherapy Techniques, Crisis, and Trauma | 3 |
| FOUN 611 | Introduction to Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| COUN 645 | Testing and Client Assessment | 3 |
| COUN 648 | Foundations of Career Development | 3 |
| COUN 650 | Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy | 3 |
| COUN 655 | Social and Cultural Issues in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 669 | Practicum in Counseling (100 hrs min) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 |
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credit Hours |
| COUN 644 | Group Counseling and Psychotherapy | 3 |
| COUN 647 | Addictive Disorders | 3 |
| COUN 670 | Introduction to Counseling Supervision | 3 |
| COUN 680 | Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 685 | Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 691 | Family Systems and Family Development | 3 |
| COUN 667 | Internship in Mental Health Counseling (600 hrs minimum) | 6 |
| 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 |
Additional Requirements
For more information relating to this program and its requirements, please visit http://www.odu.edu/chs.
Students must meet all University and program requirements to continue toward degree completion once they have been admitted. Students who earn three or more grades of C+ or lower will be dismissed from the Counseling Program. Students are also assessed on their interpersonal comportment and behavior. If faculty members have serious concerns about a student’s satisfactory progress in the program, they may initiate a process that could lead to the student being asked to withdraw. Students have the right to appeal decisions on continuance made by faculty.
Program Completion and Exit
Students must successfully complete a multiple choice comprehensive examination covering the 8 core counseling competency areas, the required course of study for their concentration, and must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 to graduate.
