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Palo Alto University · Counseling Department

Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Online / Distance Learning)

Awarded degree: Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master'sMA CACREP

Overview

Online MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with live Zoom classes, completed in 9 quarters (94.5 quarter units per the cohort plan). Online students attend two week-long in-person residencies in the Bay Area and complete at least 700 hours of local fieldwork; admission is not available from several states listed on the state authorization page.

Official program name
Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Online / Distance Learning)
Awarded degree
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level
Master's
Counseling specialty
Source: paloaltou.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: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location
Palo Alto, CAWhere 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
94.5 quarter units (cohort degree plan)
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration
9 quarters
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start terms
Spring, Fall
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)

Distance-learning (online) format of the MA in CMHC; a residential hybrid format (fall start only) is recorded separately.

Why this program is listed

Master's degree in clinical mental health counseling.

Source: paloaltou.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
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: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance for coursework
Required campus residencies or visits
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Class schedule
Synchronous (live sessions)
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity
Not published

Campus requirements as published

  • Residency Required

    Two in-person residencies, each a week of intensive training in the Bay Area; students pay travel and lodging

    twice · San Francisco Bay Area, CA

    Source: paloaltou.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
Required700 hours. Minimum 700 hours of practicum/fieldwork including at least 280 face-to-face client hours over at least three quarters
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Internship
RequiredInternship I and II courses (INTR600N, INTR602N)
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Placement arrangements and supervision

Placement assistance
Clinical Training Team helps students secure a placement, including near home for students outside the Bay Area
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Supervision
Supervision at the practicum site and online with PAU faculty on Tuesday evenings
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other fieldwork requirement
Practicum typically requires two weekdays during the second year
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

How practicum and internship placements work

Curriculum

Other

  • Optional emphasis in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling (outside the scope of CACREP accreditation)
    Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

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”.
Prior degree
RequiredBachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or international equivalent
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Work experience
RecommendedRelated volunteer or work experience in mental health strongly recommended; no prerequisites
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay
RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV
RequiredResume or CV
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Interview
RequiredGroup interview of about two hours, by invitation
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredOfficial transcripts via psychologyCAS
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Other requirement
RequiredOnline applicants must be located in a state where PAU is authorized to provide online education
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Not requiredGRE scores are not considered even if submitted
Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

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 deadline

    November 1, 2026 · for Spring 2027

    Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Upcoming

  • Application deadline

    December 1, 2026 · for Fall 2027

    Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
    Upcoming

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 — Cost of attendance, MA in CMHC Year 1, Tuition & Fees per quarterFrom the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level$8,225per termIncludes feesSource: paloaltou.edu · 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.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

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

  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) — 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 July 5, 2015 · current cycle ends October 31, 2033 · listed by the accreditor as onlineSource: cacrep.org · verified October 11, 2026

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

  • Online programs cannot admit students located in: AL, AK, AR, DE, DC, GA, IA, IN, KS, MD, MN, MS, MT, NM, NJ, NY, ND, NC, OK, OR, PR, RI, WI, WY Official pageSource: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026
  • Online-only programs cannot currently admit students located in AL, AK, AR, DE, DC, GA, IA, IN, KS, MD, MN, MS, MT, NM, NJ, NY, ND, NC, OK, OR, PR, RI, WI, WY Official pageSource: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

  • MFCC emphasis meets California MFT educational requirements; students in other states are cautioned against it for MFT licensure
    Source: paloaltou.edu · verified October 12, 2026

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. DAPIP — WSCUC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026
  2. paloaltou.edu/about/licensure — Official disclosure page, verified October 12, 2026
  3. paloaltou.edu/academic-programs/ma-counseling — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  4. paloaltou.edu/financial-aid/tuition-and-costs/estimated-cost-attendance — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
  5. paloaltou.edu/hubfs/PDFs/OnlineDegreePlan9Quarters-FallStartMAinCMHC.pdf — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
  6. paloaltou.edu/state-authorizations — Official disclosure page, verified October 12, 2026
  7. CACREP Directory of accredited programs (CSV export downloaded 2026-10-11) — Accreditor directory, verified October 11, 2026

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Awarded degree: Master of Education in Counseling (Clinical Mental Health concentration)

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Awarded degree: Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

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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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