View a complete list of program courses; eligibility requirements; field experience details; NCE, LGPC, and LCPC information; and more.
Review the program-specific admission requirements carefully, as you’ll need to meet certain eligibility requirements and submit documentation to be considered for admission to the program.
Please note: The application deadline for the fall 2024 term has passed. The application period for the next cohort (fall 2025) is April 1–June 1, 2025. The information below is posted for reference.
For fall 2024, this program is only available to Maryland residents.
You will need to meet the following requirements in order to be considered for admission to this program.
After your application is complete, you may be invited to participate in an interview.
You will receive specific formatting guidance and submission instructions when you apply to the program.
As you advance through this counseling program curriculum, you’ll need to meet additional requirements before beginning the first supervised fieldwork in the practicum course. Within the first 120 days of program enrollment, you will need to complete a criminal background check. Submission of these required materials will be part of the practicum site approval process.
While this is not required, previous work or volunteer experience in health or human services, social work, counseling programs, or a related educational program may help you
This program requires a total of 60 credits. You'll begin by taking an Onboarding Program Orientation before starting your coursework.
You’ll need to take three elective courses (for a total of 9 credits) from our approved list in the "Select Clinical Professional Counseling Electives” section.
This program requires a total of 9 elective credits. To fulfill this requirement, take three courses from the following approved list:
The clinical professional counseling program requires 100 hours of supervised clinical field experiences embodied in practicum and 300 hours in each of two internships. These experiences are devoted to practicing specific clinical skills, including interviewing, assessment, intervention, documentation, and consultation in clinics, agencies, and other organizations that provide clinical mental health counseling services.
You will pursue site experiences that can provide the types of activities, numbers of clients, and supervision needed to meet counseling degree fieldwork requirements, as well as any specific fieldwork requirements of your state licensure board. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the licensure and supervised fieldwork requirements for your state.
You may take courses in any order, provided that you meet the prerequisites and corequisites supporting appropriate course sequencing. You can find this information in the individual course descriptions.
This program is structured to prepare you for the National Counselor Examination (NCE), administered by the National Board for Certified Counselors. This exam is used by the state of Maryland and other states as a requirement for licensure as a professional mental health counselor. Each state also sets additional requirements related to post-degree supervised counseling experience as part of the licensing process.
The program is designed to prepare Maryland residents to meet the state’s requirements to become a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC). If you are a Maryland resident, you may apply to become a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) once you have completed a minimum of 2,000 post-graduation clinical hours toward the state-required total of 3,000.
All aspects of the courses and practicum have been designed to align with Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) 2024 accreditation standards. However, at the present time the CPC program is not eligible for accreditation. The program will seek accreditation from MPCAC once MPCAC's standard of a minimum of four graduates within the prior two years has been achieved. In addition, this program has been carefully designed to meet the requirements for licensure as a professional counselor in Maryland, but students are encouraged to contact the MD Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists directly to determine if other requirements are necessary. Maryland does not require accreditation by MPCAC or CACREP to be eligible for licensure.
This information is for students who enroll in the 2024–2025 academic year. As this is the first year this program is offered, there will be no differing UMGC program requirements for previous years. To review information about other programs, visit our program catalog archive.
This program is designed to help learners like you become clinical professional counselors equipped with therapeutic, progressive diagnostic, and consultative skills. We aim to promote personal and professional growth through coursework and supervised field experiences, enhancing your ability to deliver client-centered, culturally responsive, and ethically competent mental health counseling services.
Our program focuses on helping students achieve the following:
This online master's degree program is designed to help you prepare for mental health counseling-related employment as a licensed practitioner. Graduates may be prepared to work in various settings, including mental health centers, drug and alcohol treatment programs, correctional institutions, healthcare settings, social service agencies, private practice, and business and industry.
Throughout the online master's degree program, your instructors will assign coursework that will help you prioritize real-world skills and hands-on experiences. You may engage in course projects that include the following:
Gain insight and delve deeper into a range of topics, including clinical mental health counseling, mental health and wellness, psychology, student networking, and more.
Get answers to questions that current and prospective students are asking about program-specific admission, credibility, taking courses in counseling online, and more.
The online master's degree in clinical professional counseling is a career-focused graduate program that is designed to prepare you to meet the growing need for clinical mental health counseling professionals in community, business, and school counseling settings.
In this 60-credit online program, you’ll benefit from a counseling degree curriculum that begins with a self-paced onboarding course and continues to help you build career-focused skills in professional orientation, applied counseling theory and techniques, human development, and multicultural/diversity knowledge and awareness.
You will also build knowledge in advanced theory, application, and techniques that incorporate psychopathology and diagnosis, group clinical mental health counseling, and research methods and program evaluation. Specialized and elective courses will help you focus on specific subject areas, including substance use and dependency; career development; behavioral disorders; and marriage, couples, and family therapy.
Be sure to check with your state's licensure board for any additional information about clinical mental health counseling careers in your state and any requirements you must meet after successful completion of this program.
As a 60-credit graduate program, UMGC's online master's degree in clinical professional counseling is one of our larger programs. If you take 12 credits of coursework each fall and spring term and 6 credits in the summer, you may be able to graduate in two and a half years. With a more conservative approach of 9 credits each fall and spring term and 6 credits in the summer, you may be able to graduate in less than three and a half years.
These estimates can change depending on how many credits you complete each term and the number of credits you may be able to transfer to UMGC.
Please note that you will have to pursue professional experience after successful completion of the program to receive licensure. Be sure to check with your state's licensure board for any additional details.
UMGC is committed to keeping our tuition and fees as affordable as possible. The online master's in clinical professional counseling follows the standard graduate program tuition rates, which appear at the top of this webpage. We also offer scholarships for eligible students and an interest-free monthly payment plan.
Costs associated with textbook rentals, purchases, and special technology needs will be minimized when possible, and should be expected by learners of this program. As a professional preparatory program, the need for specialized content that is current and aligns with professional standards of practice is essential.
You don't need to have majored in a specific area to be successful in the online master's degree in clinical counseling program at UMGC. However, you will need to meet specific admission requirements to be accepted into this counseling program and also pass a background check to complete supervised fieldwork during practicum and internships.
Plus, previous coursework (e.g., introductory psychology, introductory statistics, research methods, and lifespan development) or experiences in related helping professions may be beneficial. These experiences will familiarize yourself with course concepts and professional counseling environments in different industries.
All program-specific admission requirements and recommended experiences are listed in the counseling degree courses section of this page.
