Overview
CIU’s Clinical Counseling program, in conjunction with the Psychology major of the College of Arts and Sciences, offers an integrated program of study that allows academically-gifted, mission-quality students who have a clear sense of calling to become licensed professional counselors to complete both a Bachelor of Science degree with a Psychology major and a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling degree in as few as five years.
During their first year, students take courses in the standard undergraduate core. During their second year, they complete the core and begin taking courses in their Psychology major. During their third year, they complete courses in their Psychology major and begin taking foundational counseling courses at the graduate level, which allows them to demonstrate their ability to succeed at that level of study.
Students apply to the Master of Arts degree during the second semester of their third year of study. If they are accepted, they complete the requirements for their B.S. and continue course work for the M.A. during their fourth year. They graduate with the B.S. at the end of that year.
Students complete their graduate-level requirements, including an internship, during their fifth year and graduate with their M.A. at the end of that year. The following table provides a basic overview of the integrated program.
|
|
Bachelor of Arts
|
Master of Arts
|
|
Year 1
|
Undergraduate Core
|
|
|
Year 2
|
Undergraduate Core and Major
|
|
|
Year 3
|
Undergraduate Major
|
Foundational Core
Apply for admission to the M.A.
|
|
Year 4
|
Complete B.S.
|
Counseling Core
|
|
Year 5
|
|
Complete M.A.
|
Purpose and Objectives
The Psychology major provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to research and address the mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual growth needs of people in clinical, academic, and church/mission settings.
In addition to the mission statement, general objectives, and requirements of the university, the objectives of the Psychology program are:
- Enable students to evaluate psychological paradigms by the authority of Scripture, helping them to precisely articulate a biblically consistent and empirically powerful model of human psychology.
- Enable students to understand the scientific foundations of empirical research and the biological foundations of psychological experience.
- Help students to foster the spiritual, mental, emotional, and relational growth of themselves and others through practical exposure and training in outside agency work.
The Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling provides students with professional training in clinical mental health counseling within a biblical worldview in order to provide Christ-like therapeutic relationships for healing and growth. The training model focuses on the heart (personal and spiritual development), the head (professional knowledge and research), and the hands (effective interpersonal and clinical skills).
Admission and Continuation Requirements
The general admission requirements for Columbia International University undergraduate-level programs apply to the Psychology major.
In addition to satisfying the general admission requirements for Columbia International University graduate-level programs, applicants for the M.A. in Counseling degree must complete the following steps during the second semester of their third year of undergraduate study:
- Complete an online application.
- Pay the required application fee
- Affirm their personal relationship with Christ and their agreement with CIU’s Doctrinal Statement.
- Submit an official transcript from CIU with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and evidence that they have completed the following undergraduate courses with a minimum 2.0 (“C”) grade (or a score of 50 on the CLEP or 55 on the DANTES examinations).
o General Psychology
o Human Growth and Development
- Participate in an interview with the counseling faculty in which they show evidence of potential success in forming effective and culturally relevant interpersonal relationships in individual and small-group contexts and relevant career goals to the program.
Once a student is accepted into the Master of Arts in Counseling degree, all program policies apply. Those policies relate to areas such as residency, transfer credit, candidacy, program hours, practicum,
Internship, time limitation, and completion requirements. See details under the MA in Counseling degree.
See Undergraduate Core for B.S. graduation requirements and the Completion Requirements for Masters Level Programs later in this section of the catalog.
