M.A. in Community Counseling
Program Overview
This 36-semester credit graduate degree is designed to introduce students to the cognitive aspects associated with community based counseling and/or human services from a non-licensure perspective. No clinical requirements or preparation for American licensure is included. The program offers 100% of its coursework online without geographic limits.
The MACC is designed for community professionals who may be care providers and desire additional understanding of principles of counseling. Examples include nurses, medical doctors, first responders, pastors, chaplains, educators, people serving in social service organizations, lay counselors, missionaries providing member care, etc. This program is for North Americans and Internationals seeking this training. Individuals seeking to become licensed therapists should see Simpson University’s Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Psychology (a 65-semester credit minimum program).
“IT IS NOT WHAT A MAN DOES THAT DETERMINES WHETHER HIS WORK IS SACRED OR SECULAR, IT IS WHY HE DOES IT.” – A.W. TOZER
Program Delivery
Students progress through this program in a cohort format (i.e., same group of students throughout the program – learning from one another.) Courses are delivered online in 7-week, accelerated formats, taken one course at a time. A course will focus on 6-weeks of instruction and interaction followed by a 7th week for project submission and oral interaction regarding reflection and student-learning outcomes. A student can take two courses per semester, or six courses per year. This means the program is designed for completed in two calendar years.
Because of the andragogic and professional development nature of those in the program at a graduate level, students will demonstrate competency via projects and presentations, interaction in interview format, evaluation and critique of reading materials, and demonstration of how the content of the course can be integrated into his/her professional setting. In other words, traditional objective examination is not the primary measure of student learning outcomes.
Required Courses
- Human Growth & Development
- Integration of Believe Structures and Family Systems
- Counseling Theories and Techniques
- Counseling Ethics and Professional Issues
- Group Process and Dynamics
- Mental and Behavorial Disorders
- Courtship, Marriage, and Family Relationships
- Addictions and Compulsive Behaviors
- Multicultural Counseling
- Research Methods
- Crisis Trauma
- Career Development and Guidance
Admissions Criteria
The program requires that everyone admitted into the program have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. In addition, admissions requirements include:
- Submission of at least two positive character references (one personal and one professional).
- Completion of the formal application.
- Submission of all previous academic transcripts (higher education only).
- Successful completion of an interview with a screening committee.
- Demonstration of effective usage of the English language or other language for instruction.
