Master of Science Degree The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is a nationally accredited program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs CACREP that provides students with the assessment diagnosis prevention and treatment skills necessary for helping with behavioral and emotional difficulties of clients from diverse backgrounds Training in clinical mental health counseling services includes the theories of counseling and psychotherapy grief and trauma family systems theories human and career development and psychological assessment as well as understanding and remediation of the causes of mental illness Mental health counselors work with individuals groups couples and families for the purpose of treating psychopathological conditions and optimizing human growth and development.

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare students for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) and meets the state of Wisconsin’s requirements to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). It also allows the opportunity for students to develop specialized areas of training through various concentrations. These concentrations include: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling; Crisis and Trauma Counseling; Child and Adolescent Counseling; Eating Disorders Counseling; and Gerontological Counseling.

UW-Stout's Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares students for competent and ethical service in the mental health counseling profession.

Our program is nationally accredited with a stellar reputation and offers:

Training and experience in assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention, and trauma counseling
Thorough preparation to conduct individual, family, and group counseling
State-of-the-art counseling facilities
Required 150-hour practicum
Required 600-hour internship
A rigorous curriculum taught by award-winning faculty
Excellent employment prospects
Five Concentrations

As a student in this program, you also can use a portion of your elective credits to develop an area of specialized expertise.

Child and Adolescent Counseling
Crisis and Trauma Counseling
Eating Disorders
Gerontological Counseling
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Counseling
The program may be completed without a concentration.

Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours. Transfer credits may not exceed 20. A passing grade is required on the comprehensive examination taken near the end of the program. Students must be approved for degree candidacy at the appropriate time and follow an approved program plan, developed in conjunction with the program director. A minimum 3.0 grade point average must be maintained on all courses in the plan.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 60 credit hours
There are 48 required and 12 elective credits
Successful completion of the program’s comprehensive exam or a Master’s thesis
The comprehensive exam assesses the student's understanding of knowledge and skills necessary for entering the mental health counseling profession. Internship experiences provide training specific to the student's area of interest or formal concentration.
The thesis option is in place for students who are interested in research and/or planning on pursuing further education beyond the master’s degree.  The thesis option also fulfills two credits of the elective course requirements for each student.
A 150-hour practicum and 600-hour clinical internship

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission into this program you must complete the following:

• Program Application | PDF
• Personal Reference Form | Word
• Background Check | PDF

Please submit all materials by email to the Program Director.

Review Process

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling faculty review all application materials. Applications are initially rated on:

• GPA
• Coursework and transcripts
• Experience working with others (paid or volunteer)
• Extracurricular activities
• Written materials
• Letters of recommendation

Please note that the GRE is not required for admission into this program.

More students apply than we can admit to the program; therefore, admission is competitive. Twelve students are accepted into the program for the Fall and Spring. 

Based on the results of the application reviews, specific applicants are invited to participate in an on-campus interview. Applicants who are invited to interview are usually notified by email within ten days after the application deadline.

On-campus interviews are scheduled on Fridays, usually three to four weeks after the application deadline. Interviews are done in a group format and are required as a part of the application process. At the completion of the interview, all application materials and performance in the group interview are used to make decisions regarding admission to the program. Candidates are notified of their status as soon as possible after the interview process is completed, usually within one week of the interview.

Due to the high volume of applications, the program cannot provide individual feedback to those who were not accepted to the program, but applicants who are not admitted may reapply to the program. It is extremely important to strengthen your resume if you choose to reapply either through volunteering in your community and/or work in the helping professions. 

For those students who have struggled with personal addiction to alcohol or drugs, we strongly recommend 12 months of continuous sobriety prior to beginning the program.

Tuition fee-2 years$38,000

Total fee-2 years$60,000