Master of Arts in Career Counseling

Kurtis Takamine, Ed.D., Interim Dean, Professional Studies

University College offers a Master of Arts in Career Counseling. The graduate program in career counseling is designed to provide the student with the academic and professional training necessary to be a career counselor.

The program is designed for individuals seeking academic advising and/or career development positions in a variety of settings - including colleges and universities, business, industrial and organizational settings, employment agencies, and private practice.

Admission to Program and Prerequisites

Admission to the program may be achieved by completing the following requirements:

Satisfactorily fulfill graduate admissions requirements for University College as stated in this catalog. (See the Graduate Admissions section.)
If the student uses Option Two in the CUC graduate admissions requirements, submit passing scores from one of the following standard admissions tests:
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): achieve the required minimum scores on two out of three of the subsections of the GRE or score at or above the 60th percentile on any one of the Graduate Subject Tests. (Minimum score for quantitative or verbal sections is 450. Minimum score for analytic writing is 4.5.

Miller Analogies Test (MAT): achieve a minimum scaled score of 400.
If prerequisites are not completed at the time of admission, they must be completed within the first year of enrollment.

Specific Requirements


prerequisite course (3 credits)
PSYU 203	Statistics for the Behavior Sciences or
MATU 203	Introduction to Statistics or
PSYU 304	Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences	3
required courses (27 credits)
CCNU 572	Career Counseling Theories and Practices	3
CCNU 574	Career Information and Assessment	3
CCNU 577	Technology, Social Change, and Career Development	3
CCNU 596	Seminar in Career Counseling and Development	3
CCNU 699	Outplacement Counseling	3
HRCU 644	Recruitment and Selection	3
PSYU 508	Life Span Development/Aging and Long session Care	3
PSYU 613	Clinical Issues in Human Diversity	3
PSYU 652	Theory and Practice of Group Counseling	3

Choose one emphasis area


Higher Education Emphasis (12 credits)
Students who wish to practice career counseling in two- or four-year university settings are required to take the following courses:
CCNU 573	Counseling in Higher Education	3
EDUU 600	Research & Evaluation Methods	3
CCNU 652	Field Practice (or internship) I Career Counseling	3
CCNU 653	Field Practice (or internship) II (Higher Education)	3
Organizational and Private Practice Emphasis (12 credits)
Students who wish to practice career counseling in organizational or private practice settings are required to take the following courses:
CCNU 575	Field Practice (or internship) I Career Counseling (Organizational and Private Practice)	3
CCNU 576	Field Practice (or internship) II Career Counseling (Organizational and Private Practice)	3
HRCU 680	Organizational Research Methods	3
HRCU 613	Seminar in Organizational Behavior	3
total credits for the degree (excluding prerequisites)		39

Internship Requirement

Students in the Master of Arts in Career Counseling program are expected to complete a minimum of 600 hours of internship. All students are expected to gain experiences with children, youth, and adults of a variety of ages, ability levels, cultural heritages and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Comprehensive Examination

Successful completion of a comprehensive examination is required for degree conferral. Students must be advanced to candidacy and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students in career counseling must have completed 24 credits including prerequisite courses and all core courses (except HRCU 644) to meet the minimum eligibility requirements to take the comprehensive examination. (See the Academic Policies and Procedures section for additional guidelines.)

Certificate in Career Counseling

Admission to the certificate program is granted to individuals who meet the standards for admission to a graduate program. The candidate must possess a baccalaureate degree and complete the requirements for regular admission in order to pursue the graduate certificate in career counseling. No transfer credit may be used.

Graduate certificate program in career counseling (15 credits)


required courses
CCNU 572	Career Counseling Theories & Practice	3
CCNU 574	Career Information & Assessment	3
CCNU 596	Seminar in Career Counseling and Development	3
CCNU 652	Field Practice (or internship) I Career Counseling (Higher Education) OR
CCNU 575	Field Practice (or internship) I Career Counseling (Organizational and Private Practice)	3
One elective course in area of emphasis		3
total credits for the certificate program		15

This coursework is also applicable to the Master of Arts in Career Counseling if the following requirements are met:

All certificate coursework applied to the master's program must be completed with a grade of "B" or higher, for each course.
The prerequisite course must be completed.
All master's degree requirements must be completed within a seven-year period.