Counseling (MA)
Overview
Mental wellness is an integral part of overall human wellness. Professional counseling is wellness-based support for individuals and families who may be experiencing a range of developmental, life, trauma, or other serious mental health concerns. Bluefield University’s Master of Arts in Counseling offers innovative and flexible learning to students who want to pursue a license as a school or clinical mental health counselor.
An Online Counseling Degree
Our master’s program in counseling offers a hybrid schedule, with flexible full-time and part-time options to fit your schedule. Our hybrid approach means you’ll attend synchronous online classes complemented by face-to-face intensive seminars. As professional counselors, our faculty values community, diversity, and inclusiveness and that extends to our approach to online learning. Our cohort models allow students to have the opportunity to engage with one another and our faculty through experiential learning, advocacy projects, and research. Our engaging online classes often consist of guest speakers from across the country who offer diverse points of view in clinical and school settings. Students will participate in a 100-hour practicum with experiences in clinical and school settings. In addition to this, students will complete a 600-hour internship in or near their community providing a capstone experience.
Our 60-credit hour programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The School Counseling program is also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Virginia Department of Education. As a Yellow Ribbon School, military personnel and first responders can take advantage of a special discount.
Are you ready to earn your master’s degree in counseling? We invite you to review the program’s admissions criteria and then complete our online application.
Counseling Curriculum Syllabi are available for review upon request by all enrolled or prospective students.
Admission & Graduation RequirementsProgrammatic EffectivenessFacultyFinancial Aid
Tuition: $495 Per Credit Hour
Next Start: January 2025 (Online)
Time to Complete: 2 years*
* Time to complete can be reduced with prior learning and transfer credits
Our Mission
Bluefield University is committed to developing highly skilled counselors to excel as community leaders, advocates, and practitioners who foster the well-being of society.
What You Believe Is Important
Becoming a successful counselor is emergent based on the integration of theory, knowledge, skills, professional behavior, and integrity. As a program of quality, we believe in:
- Creating a strength-based learning community that focuses on individualized development by demonstrating respect and acknowledging student’s inherent worth
- Building a culture of accountability in which students demonstrate high professional standards for ethical behavior
- Training culturally responsive counselors to work in diverse settings, with diverse clients, and to advocate for underserved clients
- Consideration of lived experiences and the impact of crises, disasters, chronic stress, and trauma across the lifespan
- Cultivating collaboration between students and faculty to be change agents for individuals, families, social and institutional systems, and the counseling profession
- Promoting academic and clinical excellence by cultivating servant leadership among students in support of Bluefield University’s mission
- Being good consumers of research, including the use of research to inform counseling practice
Courses & Competencies
Core Requirements
- Orientation to Professional Counseling & Ethics
- DSM Applications in Counseling
- Counseling Theories
- Counseling Techniques
- Lifespan Development
- Career Development
- Group Counseling
- Counseling Diverse Populations
- Addictions Counseling
- Appraisal in Counseling
- Crisis Counseling
- Research
- Systems in Counseling
- (Choose 1)
- Expressive Arts in Counseling
- Integration of Christianity & Counseling
- Counseling Children & Adolescents
- Practicum (100 Hours)
Concentrations
Choose your Concentration (2 Available)
- Concentration – School Counselor
- School Counseling
- School Internship I (300 Hours, Elementary)
- School Internship II (300 Hours, Secondary)
- Concentration – Clinical Mental Health Counselor
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- Clinical Mental Health Internship I (300 Hours, 120 Direct)
- Clinical Mental Health Internship II (300 Hours, 120 Direct)
For a full breakdown of each course, reference the graduate catalog located in Academic Resources.
Career Outlook
Student Loans or Planning for the Future?
Take a look at the top 3 salary review sites for each concentration we offer in Counseling:
