The Master of Counseling Psychology degree program provides graduates with knowledge and skills necessary for functioning successfully as a Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.).  Additional hours post-Master’s are required to meet licensure requirements.

The program results in a degree designed to develop specific professional competencies.  Beginning in the spring semester of 2007, the core courses will change from forty-five (45) to at least forty‑eight (48) semester hours of graduate credit as the minimum academic requirements leading to the MCP degree at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

In addition to the general requirements of admission to the graduate program, students applying for admission to the Master of Counseling Psychology program are expected to have had  12 to 18 hours of graduate or undergraduate coursework  in psychology, sociology, social work and/or education to prepare them for work in counseling.

Specific admission  requirements are as follows:

Prior to being accepted into the MBS program,  the following requirement must be met:

1.  Meet all general requirements established by the Graduate School.

2.  Submit 3 letters of recommendation from faculty members or other professionals related to the field of study.

3.  Submit a written statement of career aspirations and self‑evaluation of strengths and weaknesses related to the field of study.                         

4.  Submit a sample of scholarly written work (e.g. a research paper, term paper, professional report, or publication)

5.  A minimum score equivalent to the score representing the 25^th percentile on the Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT) or on two of the three GRE score areas (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical) must be on file in the Graduate Office before completing the final interview process.  Therefore, the MAT or GRE should be taken prior to graduate school admission.

6.  Complete an interview with the graduate faculty of the Psychology Department.   Candidates will be evaluated on skills such as:

Communication skills (verbal and nonverbal)

Ability to integrate information

Clarity of purpose

Orientation toward helping others.

Interviews will be conducted in April for applicants seeking admittance for the fall semester and  in November for applicants seeking admittance for the spring semester.  For April interviews, all materials required must be submitted by third week of March.  For November interviews, materials should be submitted by the third week of October.  No interviews are scheduled during the summer session.

Students who have not completed the interview and been accepted into the program may take up to nine hours as a special student before being admitted to the program.

The curriculum for the MCP degree consists of three components:  (1) required core courses; (2)  course credit earned in at least one additional required academic areas; and (3) practicum/internship  experiences.

1.  Human Growth and Development

A.        Psyc 5143 Child/Adolescent Growth and Development

B.        Psyc 5153 Adult Development and Aging

2.   Abnormal Human Behavior

A.         Psyc 5113 Advanced Abnormal Psychology I (if Abnormal Psychology was not taken as an undergraduate)

OR

B.         Psyc 5213    Advanced Abnormal Psychology II (if Abnormal Psychology was taken as an undergraduate)

3.     Appraisal or Assessment Techniques

A.         Psyc 5133   Assessement I

B.         Psyc 5373  Assessment II(Pre: Psyc 5113 or 5213 and 5133)

4.     Counseling Theories/Methods

A.         Psyc 5872  Individual Counseling

B.         Psyc 5190  Readings in Individual Counseling

C.         Psyc 5803  Counseling Strategies and Techniques (Pre: Psyc 5872)

5.  Professional Orientation/Ethics

A.         Psyc 5013 Ethics

B.         Psyc 5893 Supervised Experience in Counseling (Pre: Psyc 5872 and 5803)

6.    Research

A.         Psyc 5633  Advanced  Statistics

B.         Educ 5013  Introduction to Educational   Research

7.    Social and Cultural Foundations

A.         Psyc 5822  Multicultural Counseling

B.         Psyc 5190  Readings in Multicultural Counseling

Practicum

The practicum  consists of an organized program of planned experiences that will provide the student with both classroom and field experiences under supervision of University-approved  counseling professionals.  Three hundred (300)  clock hours of practicum experiences are required over a minimum of 2 semesters.

Practicum/ Internship

Psyc 5500  Practicum (MCP) (Pre: Psyc 5872, 5803, and 5893)

Academic credit must be earned in at least one (3 hours) area listed below:

1.    Group Dynamics, Theories and Techniques

                   Psyc 5812  Group Counseling(Pre or concurrent: Psyc 5872)

                   Psyc 5190  Readings in Group Counseling

2.    Lifestyles and Development

                   Psyc 5832  Career Education (Pre or concurrent: Psyc 5133)

                   Psyc 5190  Readings in Career Education

3.    Personality Theories

                   Psyc 5623  Advanced Personality

4.    Crisis Intervention Strategies

                   Psyc 5253  Intervention Strategies for Counselors (Pre: 5872)

5.  Addictions Counseling

                   Psyc 5023 Advanced Substance Abuse Counseling

6.  Counseling with Children/Adolescents

                   Psyc 5612  Child Guidance

                   Psyc 5190   Readings in Child Guidance

                   Psyc 5512  Adolescent Guidance

                   Psyc 5190  Readings in Adolescent Guidance

7.  Psychopharmacology

                   Psyc 5180  Seminar:  Psychopharmacology

Master of Counseling Psychology graduates who wish to make application for the LPC credential will need to successfully complete an additional 12 hours of coursework to meet basic requirements (as of January 1, 2000).  To be fully licensed, the MCP graduate must complete a total of 60 graduate hours in a counseling related area, successfully complete a state examination and obtain supervised counseling experience (currently 3000 hours) in accordance with Oklahoma State Board of Health rules and regulations.