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Mental Health Counseling MS (On Campus)

UMass Boston's 60-credit hour MPCAC-accredited Mental Health Counseling master's program meets the educational requirements for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our students intern in diverse settings and leave with substantial skills and knowledge around mental health, counseling, and advocacy, ready for counseling positions that will prepare them to obtain licensure. At the end of the program, you will meet the educational requirements necessary for licensure* in Massachusetts, provided you complete internship in Massachusetts. Please check with an admissions counselor at csp.admissions@umb.edu to determine if our program meets educational requirements for practice in your state.

The Mental Health Counseling MS is accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) for the period of September 2013 through September 2023.

*For licensure requirements in other states, we recommend checking the state’s Board of Registration and Licensure website to make sure that you are eligible for licensure in your respective state. Our graduates have been largely successful in obtaining licensure from their local boards; however, they often have to go through an administrative process to do so. To be absolutely certain, we strongly recommend that you check with your local board as such regulation is subject to change.

Why Apply to UMass Boston's Mental Health Counseling MS Program?

Essential to the implementation of the Mental Health Counseling (MHC) program curriculum is the integration of theory presented in classrooms and its application in practicum and internship experiences. In order to integrate the curriculum content with other training experiences, the program provides information about the socio-political contexts of people’s lives as well as about information related to personality, development, psychiatric taxonomy, professional orientation and ethics, methods of inquiry and the process of change. In addition, our program provides opportunities for its students to develop professional skills and competencies and to practice them in professional settings. The program prepares students to make significant practitioner-oriented contributions to counseling and prepares them for further study at the doctoral level if they desire to do so. All of our faculty are actively involved in research and contribute significantly to the profession at both national and international levels. There are opportunities to do research with our internationally known faculty if a student so desires.

Students also have the option of adding an adjustment counseling concentration to their plan of study, which requires one additional course, as well as additional internship hours. The adjustment counseling concentration allows students to be eligible for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education K-12 initial level licensure as a school adjustment counselor.

UMass Boston's Mental Health Counseling MS program was recently ranked #6 in Guide to Online School's 2020 Best Online Master's in Counseling list.

Application Deadline

Priority Deadline: January 2
Final Deadline: April 1

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis prior to the April 1 deadline. We recommend submitting your application as early as possible for the best chance of admittance. Most spots are already filled by the application deadline of April 1.

Applicants are accepted into the on-campus Mental Health Counseling MS program once a year, for the fall semester only.

Program Data

*This number does not include part-time students.