Master of Science - Counseling Psychology
- 2 years
- Duration
- 39,000 USD
- Price
- Rolling admission
- Start
- Rolling admission
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- Kansas City / USA
- Location
- Avila University
- School
Program description
This 60-credit program offers specialized training in counseling psychology and is regarded as one of the best in the area. The program's goal is to assist graduates in fulfilling the educational requirements needed to become licensed mental health counselors in Missouri and Kansas. The Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) has granted Avila University's Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology program its accreditation for the January 2018–January 2028 timeframe.
Graduates of the MSCP program at Avila University fulfill the educational criteria to apply for licenses in Missouri, Kansas, and several other U.S. states. Standards and requirements are set by each state licensing board. It is the responsibility of students to check with the licensing authorities of any additional states where they want to apply for a license.
Program structure
Counseling Psychology Required Courses (48 hours)
- PY 602 - Orientation to Counseling Professions (3)
- PY 605 - The Helping Relationship I (3)
- PY 615 - Career Development (3)
- PY 617 - Research Design & Analysis I (3)
- PY 621 - Advanced Developmental Psychology (3)
- PY 630 - Theories of Counseling (3)
- PY 645 - Personality Assessment (3)
- PY 650 - Biological Bases of Behavior (3)
- PY 656 - Multicultural Counseling (3)
- PY 660 - Theories & Methods of Group Counseling (3)
- PY 665 - Differential Diagnosis of Mental Disorders (3)
- PY 693 - Ethics & Professional Development (3)
- PY 694 - The Helping Relationship II (3)
- PY 695 - Internship (1-4) (six credit hours)
- PY 698 - Treatment of Disorders (3)
Counseling Psychology Concentrations (12 credit hours)
Students must choose the Child and Adolescent concentration or 12 additional hours of graduate-level psychology elective coursework to finalize their degree.
Child and Adolescent Concentration
Students who plan to work primarily with children and adolescents should select the child adolescent concentration. Beyond the required courses, students in the child adolescent concentration must complete:
- PY 620 - Family Systems: Theory & Treatment (3)
- PY 641 - Topics in Abnormal Child & Adolescent Psychology (1-3)
- PY 661 - Topics in Counseling Children & Adolescents (1-3)
- PY 681 - Human Sexuality (3)
Price
- Tuition fees — 39,000 USD per course
Requirements for applicants
Minimum Admission Criteria for School of Graduate Studies Programs
Prospective students applying for admission to one of Avila’s graduate programs must:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from an institution accredited by accreditors recognized by both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDE); Teacher education certification programs require a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Submit official transcript/s of the bachelor’s degree as well as any graduate level coursework.
International students (in addition to the above requirements):
- Official transcript and/or official transcript evaluation for admittance into a graduate program;
- Must submit a statement of finance demonstrating the cost of attendance for a program of interest in liquid assets;
- Students must meet English proficiency requirements through any of the following minimum standards. Please note that any English test score submitted must be dated within two years and be submitted to the examining body:
- TOEFL exam – an overall score of at least 75 iBT
- IELTS exam – an overall score of at least 6.0 with no individual band score below 5.5
- Duolingo score of 95 or higher
- Pearson PTE score of 50 or higher
- Other approved English Language test or program with score consistent with above as determined by Avila admissions
- Have earned a bachelor’s degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English, as indicated on the transcript
- Have received education in an English speaking country as defined as the following countries/provinces and their associated areas: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada (except Quebec), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St. Helena, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- A current Visa is required by the start of the term;
- A current passport;
- Other immigration documentation, as directed.
About the university

Upon their arrival in the United States from France in the middle of the 1800s, the Sisters of St. Joseph committed themselves to the "practice of all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and which will most benefit the dear neighbor." Avila University was founded on these tenets, and it has carried on the heritage via its values and mission.
As a result of our Catholic heritage, Avila University offers an educational experience that fosters the growth of the whole person by teaching students how to love in a way that aims to bring them closer to God and to their beloved neighbor.
The goal of Avila students is to change the world and their communities through creativity, passion, and drive. There are a lot of international students from around the globe on campus. Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, France, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam are among the nations.