The main goal of the program is to prepare counselors for roles in community agencies. Graduates who successfully meet educational requirements are eligible to take the National Counselor Examination (NCE). After successfully passing the examination, graduates are awarded the Professional Counselor (PC) license until they have acquired two years of supervised experience in counseling, obtained after the award of the master’s degree. After successful completion of this supervised experience, they are awarded the Professional Clinical Counselor license (PCC).

There are two separate clinical, field-based courses. The first is CNS 680, Counseling Practicum. This is a one-semester course requiring 100 hours of clinical field experience. Counseling Practicum is offered in the fall and spring semesters. The second clinical, field-based experience is the two-part Internship in Agency Counseling (CNS 686 and CNS 687). This is an intensive, two-consecutive-semester learning experience of supervised counseling in an agency setting. Internship is offered as a fall-spring sequence only. Prerequisites for Practicum and Internship are listed under the course descriptions in this Catalog. Counseling faculty strictly enforce prerequisites.