If you've earned or are earning your master's degree in counseling or psychology, this 18-credit Certificate in Professional Counseling Studies program provides you with the 60 graduate credits and 125 hours of field experience required to sit for the National Counselor Examination.
More About Tuition & Fees
• UBalt offers "regional, in-state tuition" for select out-of-state areas.
Earn the necessary credits to sit for the National Counselor Examination—and become a licensed clinical professional counselor to diagnose and treat clients with any psychological issues.
Passing the National Counselor Examination allows you to practice for two years as a licensed graduate professional counselor while you complete the 3,000 total hours of professional experience required to become a fully licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in Maryland and throughout the country.
As an LCPC, you can operate independently in your own practice and bill insurance companies as a private practitioner.
In this program, you'll work closely with an adviser to tailor your studies to best prepare you to sit for the exam and to meet other criteria established by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, all required to become an LCPC.
This program is an ideal progression for you if you have earned or are in the process of earning your master's degree in counseling or a related field; it can easily be paired with UBalt's M.S. in Applied Psychology.
I was lucky to find a program that supports people who already have their master’s degrees but don’t have enough credits to sit for the National Counselor Examination. It’s not easy to work and go to school at the same time, but UBalt’s classes were offered in the evenings, so we could attend them after work. Interacting with other students, who were trying to achieve the same goals, to encourage and support each other contributed to this enriching experience.
Students who complete the Counseling Psychology Concentration or Practitioner Specialization
of the M.S. in Applied Psychology program AND complete the Certificate in Professional
Counseling Studies (CPCS) program are able to meet the academic requirements for LCPC
(Licensed Clinical Professional Counseling) licensure in Maryland.
For students who wish to be licensed in other states, you should recognize that each state has its own regulations, and these regulations can change. On a case-by-case basis, faculty and staff can direct students to more information and provide guidance, yet the program has not formally determined how our program aligns to the regulations for other states, territories, and commonwealths.
UBalt annually offers all courses necessary for licensure; courses are offered evenings and occasionally during the day.
Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university but do not meet one or more of the above qualifications may apply to the M.S. in Counseling Psychology program. Students so admitted may later seek entrance to this certificate program when the above admission requirements have been met.
Application deadlines:
*Applications received after the deadline dates will be considered depending on availability of space, strength of your credentials and sufficiency of time for processing.
Send all materials by email to documents@ubalt.edu or by mail to the University of Baltimore Office of Graduate Admission, 1420 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201.
Read Full StoryI didn’t have to completely leave my professional life. I wanted to have both options open. University of Baltimore gave me the leverage to have both things going on at the same time.
