Minimum number of credits required to complete the program: 60
Minimum cumulative GPA required: 3.0
School: Graduate School of Counseling and Social Work
Learn more about the program
Aligned with the mission of Merrimack College, the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) represents a dynamic, innovative, and growth-oriented training program with a commitment to the principles and values of advancing human rights and challenging injustice in pursuit of liberty and fairness for all. Our CMHC program seeks to foster community engagement and connectedness to meet the needs of graduate students as we prepare them to deliver quality care to culturally diverse clients, using strengths-oriented and evidenced-based interventions. Our graduates are trained to meet the growing demand for mental health counseling in a number of different settings, including outpatient centers, hospitals, colleges, human resource departments, substance abuse treatment centers, non-profits, and government agencies. With the burgeoning telecounseling mental health landscape, our CMHC program enables students to fulfill the education and degree requirements to apply for licensure in Massachusetts, the New England region (e.g., NH, ME, VT, CT, and RI) and beyond.
Admissions Requirements
A completed application and personal statement (preferred) or interview are required. The GRE is not required. Applicants deemed appropriate for the program based on their admissions materials may be offered admissions into the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program. If there are any questions about application materials, the applicant may be asked to participate in a brief telephone or Zoom interview.
Requirements of the Degree
The required credits for licensure eligibility is 60 credits consisting of coursework, practicum and internship placement, and clinical supervision. Students may take one or more optional elective courses increasing the number of overall credits beyond the requirements for the degree. Our omni-modality learning experience offers students the choice to register for either all on-campus, all online, or a combination of on-campus and online courses during each semester. In the on-campus courses, students meet in-person once a week with faculty. The online courses are asynchronous, except for the synchronous practicum and internship group supervision course which meets virtually with faculty once a week. Full time students may be able to complete the program within two years. Regardless of when they begin the program, part-time students may complete the program in as little as three to four years.