Curriculum for the Master of Arts in Counseling Programs
All students seeking the MA in Counseling degree must complete the following courses and field experience. A minimum of 48 semester hours is required for the MAC degree. Check course offerings to see when these courses are being offered.
Foundation Courses (Must be taken as first four courses) Semester Hours
COU 503 Human Growth and Development, 3
COU 505 Techniques in Counseling, 4
COU 506 Theories in Counseling, 3
COU 509 Philosophy and History of Counseling,2
Core Courses
COU 508 Group Processes in Counseling, 3
COU 510 Assessment and Appraisal, 3
COU 511 Applied Research and Quantitative Methods, 3
COU 518 Career Planning and Vocational Guidance, 3
COU 532 Professional Issues in Counseling: Legal and Ethical, 3
COU 537 Social Foundations in Cross-Cultural Counseling, 3
Community Counseling Concentration
Electives (6 hrs Required; 600-level courses may also be used as elective coursework, provided pre-requisites have been met.)
COU 521 Counseling Youth at Risk, 3
COU 545 Seminar: Current Issues in Counseling, 1-3
COU 550 Independent Study, 1-4
Required Courses and Field Experience
COU 609 Diagnosis of Mental & Emotional Disorders, 3
COU 580 Supervised Counseling Practicum, 3
COU 581 Supervised Counseling Internship I, 3
COU 582 Supervised Counseling Internship II, 3
School Counseling Concentration
Electives (3 hrs Required; 600-level courses may also be used as elective coursework, provided pre-requisites have been met.)
COU 520 Elementary and Middle School Counseling, 3
COU 521 Counseling Youth at Risk, 3
COU 545 Seminar: Current Issues in Counseling, 1-3
COU 550 Independent Study, 1-4
Required Courses and Field Experience
COU 519 Organization and Administration of School Guidance, 3
COU 522 Counseling Children and Adolescents, 3
COU 594 Supervised Counseling Practicum, 3
COU 596 Supervised Counseling Internship I, 3
COU 597 Supervised Counseling Internship II, 3
Dual Community/School Concentration
Electives (3 hrs Required; 600-level courses may also be used as elective coursework, provided pre-requisites have been met.)
COU 520 Elementary and Middle School Counseling, 3
COU 521 Counseling Youth at Risk, 3
COU 545 Seminar: Current Issues in Counseling, 1-3
COU 550 Independent Study, 1-4
Required Courses and Field Experience
COU 519 Organization and Administration of School Guidance, 3
COU 522 Counseling Children and Adolescents, 3
COU 609 Diagnosis of Mental & Emotional Disorders, 3
COU 580 or
COU 594 Supervised Counseling Practicum, 3
COU 581 Supervised Counseling Internship I, 3
COU 582 Supervised Counseling Internship II, 3
COU 596 Supervised Counseling Internship I, 3
COU 597 Supervised Counseling Internship II, 3
PC/PCC Clinical Community Counseling Courses
Clinical Endorsement Courses (20 semester hours required to qualify to test for PC/PCC licensure)
COU 609 Diagnosis of Mental & Emotional Disorders, 3 (Area #3)
COU 610 Psychopathology, Personality & Abnormal Behavior, 3 (Area #1)
COU 620 Evaluation of Mental & Emotional Status, 3 (Area #2)
COU 636 Marital & Family Counseling, 3 (Area #4)
COU 637 Chemical Dependency & Substance Abuse, 3 (Area #4)
COU 639 Psychopharmacology for Counselors, 3 (Area #4)
COU 640 Clinical Seminar in Methods of Intervention & Prevention, 3 (Area #4)
COU 652 Training in Consultation, 3 (Area #5)
COU 653 Clinical Supervision, 3 (Area #5)
COU 660 Advanced Supervised Clinical Internship, 1-5 (Area #5)
Candidates must take a total of at least 45 semester hours in order to qualify to sit for the Praxis II exam for Professional School Counselor licensure or 60 semester hours in order to qualify to sit for the PC/PCC licensure examination (PCLE). To qualify to take the PCLE examination, candidates must have at least 20 semester hours of clinical coursework including at least one course in each of the following 5 clinical areas:
(1) clinical psychopathology, personality, and abnormal behavior;
(2) evaluation of mental and emotional disorders;
(3) diagnosis of mental and emotional disorders;
(4) methods of intervention and prevention of mental and emotional disorders;
(5) treatment of mental and emotional disorders.
Full-Time Status
Graduate Counseling students are considered enrolled fulltime with 9 hours of coursework in any given semester during the academic year. A student may petition the appropriate graduate program director to take up to 12 hours of coursework during the regular academic year. The director’s decision will be based on a combination of factors such as advice from the student’s advisor, past grade history and past record of academic performance.
Time Limitations
Students have a maximum of 6 calendar years from the date of the first course taken toward their graduate degree to complete the MAC program. If the program is not completed within 6 calendar years from the date of the first course taken toward the MAC degree, the student will lose credit for coursework and/or transfer credit and be required to repeat the outdated course(s). A student whose coursework falls beyond the above time limit, may petition the Program Director for special circumstances extension.
Transfer Credit
Heidelberg University will accept up to 12 hours of graduate transfer credit towards the Master of Arts in Counseling degree. For students who already possess a Master’s Degree and wish to complete the Community Counseling or the School Counseling Licensure concentrations, a maximum of 24 hours of counseling related coursework may be transferred. One half of all coursework must be completed at Heidelberg’s main campus. Transfer coursework affects how much time students have to complete their graduate degree. Several factors should be noted concerning transfer credit/Heidelberg University coursework:
- Coursework must be comparable with the Heidelberg University MAC program coursework;
- the grade(s) in the courses(s) to be transferred must be a “B” or better;
- transfer credit will be evaluated by the academic advisor and approved by the Program Director;
- transfer credit does not affect the cumulative grade point average established with Heidelberg University;
- transfer credit from other institutions are included in the 6 calendar year rule; and
- prior Heidelberg University coursework being applied to the graduate degree is also included in the 6 calendar year rule.
Refer to the Graduate Catalog (PDF) for more specific program information.