The program is a three-year, low residency program that starts strictly in the summer. Students are in residency for two weeks in the summer of their first and second years. All other coursework is done online. The final year of study includes coursework and fieldwork at agencies that provide mental health services for deaf people across the nation. Ideal candidates have an undergraduate degree with a GPA above 3.0, fluency in ASL, and a passion to become a professional counselor.

Course of Study

The Master of Arts Counseling degree requires 61 credit hours including 9 credits hours of field experience.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Plan of Study
School Counseling Plan of Study

Field Experience

The Counseling program requires supervised fieldwork placements in order to allow students the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for entering the profession. Practicum and internship resources include state, local, and federal mental health agencies, addiction programs, psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, and schools serving the mental health and educational needs of deaf children, adolescents, and adults, and their hearing family members.

Fieldwork is an important component of the counselor's training. It is through this hands-on experience that students begin to apply the principles and practices of professional counseling. In the third summer of the program, a practicum is served in a setting serving deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf clients.

Subsequently, students transition to internship where they complete a 2-semester, 600 clock hour, internship in setting related to the chosen concentration area serving deaf, hard-of-hearing clients. As with the practicum experience, the faculty assists with the site selection and placement of the student.