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Messiah University · Graduate Program in Counseling, School of Graduate and Professional Studies

Master of Arts - Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Awarded degree: Master of Arts in Counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master'sMA CACREP Fully online coursework

Overview

A 60-credit online MA in Counseling with a clinical mental health track, eight-week courses and optional one-week in-person intensives in January and July. It includes a 100-hour practicum and two 300-hour internships, with two-, three- or four-year timelines.

Official program name
Master of Arts - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Awarded degree
Master of Arts in Counseling
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level
Master's
Counseling specialty
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Professional purpose
Clinical counselor preparationThe institution states the program prepares students for professional counselor licensure. Licensure itself also requires post-degree supervised experience, an examination and a state application.
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Mechanicsburg, PAWhere the school is located. Coursework is online; this is not a residency requirement, does not decide whether you may enroll from your state, and is not where you complete practicum or internship.
Required credits
60 credits
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026
Duration
Two-, three- and four-year timelines (up to six years allowed) (two-year model is accelerated)
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this program is listed

MA in Counseling, clinical mental health counseling track, CACREP-accredited; faith-integrated but states LPC preparation.

Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list counseling bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees whose official program is counselor preparation in a named specialty, and — separately labelled — counseling psychology. Generic psychology, education, social work and standalone MFT degrees are excluded. Eligibility rules

Format and campus attendance

How coursework is delivered and whether you must come to campus for it. Practicum and internship are a separate requirement, shown in the next section. “Fully online coursework” appears only when the school says no campus attendance is required.
Academic delivery
Fully online courseworkCoursework is delivered online. Practicum and internship are completed in person at approved sites, and some programs also require campus residencies.Coursework is delivered online. Practicum and internship are completed in person at approved sites, and some programs also require campus residencies.
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance for coursework
No required campus attendance for coursework (stated)
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule
Mixed (live + self-paced)
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity
Not published

Campus requirements as published

  • Intensive Optional

    Optional one-week in-person intensive courses in January and July

    January and July

    Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Practicum, internship and placements

Supervised fieldwork in a clinical, community or school setting, as the school publishes it. For online programs this happens in person, usually near where you live — whatever the coursework format.
Practicum
Required100 hours. COUN 580 Counseling Practicum: 100 hours, 40-50 direct service
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026
Internship
Required300 hours. COUN 581 Counseling Internship I: 300 clock hours
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026
Internship
Required300 hours. COUN 582 Counseling Internship II: 300 clock hours
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026

Placement arrangements and supervision

Other fieldwork requirement
Practicum requires appropriate clearances, proof of malpractice insurance and ACA student membership
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026
Placement assistance
Placement support for field experience from dedicated staff
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026

How practicum and internship placements work

Curriculum

Comprehensive examination

Curriculum

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Minimum GPA
RequiredMinimum 3 — Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; below 3.0 reviewed case by case
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Prerequisite courses
RequiredAt least 6 credits in social, behavioral, applied, or life sciences with a grade of C or higher
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay
RequiredStatement of purpose, 300-500 words
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required1 letters — Contact information for one reference
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV
RequiredResume or CV
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview
RequiredQualified applicants interview with faculty via Zoom
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee
Not requiredNo application fee
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredOfficial transcripts showing a bachelor's or master's degree
Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadlines: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — No-fee tuition per graduate credit hour$820per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesEstimated tuition$49,200 = 60 credits × $820 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — Tuition for the entire 60 credit-hour program at the 2026-2027 rate$49,200entire program · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: messiah.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $49,200 (published program total)

Comparison basis: All students — Tuition for the entire 60 credit-hour program at the 2026-2027 rate, 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Other published fees

Site supervision fees (if incurred) are the student's responsibility
Amount not stated
Source: messiah.smartcatalogiq.com · verified October 12, 2026

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the school publishes them. Competitive scholarships and assistantships are not guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Counseling tuition and scholarships

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Institutional accreditation covers the whole school; programmatic accreditation (CACREP) covers only the specialty and degree it lists. Enrollment restrictions for online students are a separate question.

Institutional accreditation

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)Status: Accredited · Specialty: Clinical Mental Health Counseling · Degree: M.A.Accredited since January 12, 2011 · current cycle ends October 31, 2028 · listed by the accreditor as onlineSource: cacrep.org · verified October 11, 2026

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

Not verified — check the school's state authorization page before applying from outside Pennsylvania.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Licensure and professional disclosures

What the school publishes about professional licensure or certification. Meeting a state's educational requirements is only one part of licensure: examinations, post-degree supervised experience, background checks and a board application follow. This directory does not decide whether you qualify.

CACREP accreditation does not guarantee licensure in every state, and school counselor certification is not the same as clinical counselor licensure. LPC, LMHC and other state titles · School counselor credentials

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.
  1. messiah.edu/counseling — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  2. messiah.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2026-2027/graduate-catalog/counseling/counseling-m-a — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  3. messiah.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2026-2027/graduate-catalog/course-offerings/coun-counseling/500/coun-5 — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  4. messiah.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2026-2027/graduate-catalog/course-offerings/coun-counseling/500/coun-5 — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  5. messiah.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2026-2027/graduate-catalog/course-offerings/coun-counseling/500/coun-5 — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 12, 2026
  6. DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  7. CACREP Directory of accredited programs (CSV export downloaded 2026-10-11) — Accreditor directory, verified October 11, 2026
  8. messiah.edu/grad-admissions/counseling/ — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
  9. messiah.edu/graduate/clinical-mental-health — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

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Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.) - Online

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

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Location: Lubbock, TXSchool location, not where online students live or train
Delivery: Online courseworkCoursework is delivered online. Practicum and internship are completed in person at approved sites, and some programs also require campus residencies.Campus attendance not verified · Study intensity not published
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