MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling

Your impact, doubled. Simultaneously earn two valuable credentials that can help you transform lives—and your career.
 
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You’re passionate about empowering others to understand, address, and overcome adversity. Help even more people, of all ages and backgrounds, with Walden’s MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. In this unique program, you will:

  • Open new professional paths: Prepare for state licensure or certification in one or both disciplines.
  • Gain real-world field experience: Build professional skills and confidence via face-to-face pre-practica.
  • Enjoy unique career flexibility: With two counseling master’s degrees under your belt, you can write your own professional success story—now, and in the future.

Fast Facts

Next Start Date: July 10, 2023

Transfer Credits: Up to 45 credits

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Specializations

Gain the confidence, qualifications, and critical thinking skills needed to help clients foster personal resilience and overcome daily challenges.
Develop the focused skills and insights to promote recovery, healing, and hope for clients of all ages in a variety of settings.
Hone your conflict management and negotiation expertise, and learn to use it to achieve appropriate resolutions within the criminal justice system.
Build cross-cultural competencies to understand family structures, life-cycle dynamics, intergenerational influences, and healthy family functioning.
Gain best-practice skills for addressing the needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families before, during, and after deployment.
Learn effective strategies for helping communities prepare for, respond to, and manage crises and their ongoing effects.

Curriculum

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) dictates the curriculum for accredited counseling degree programs. Walden’s MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling program curriculum is uniquely designed to meet CACREP guidelines for granting these two distinct degrees at the same time.

More About MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling

Depending upon your specialization, this dual degree program may prepare you for professional roles such as:*

  • Clinical therapist
  • School counselor
  • Guidance counselor
  • Licensed professional counselor
  • Academic advisor
  • Mental health therapist
  • College and career readiness counselor
*Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.
  • A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
  • A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5 on a 4-point scale for regular admission (applicants with a GPA of less than 2.5 may be considered for conditional admission)
  • A goal statement with a cultural aptitude component
  • Resume

Questions? Contact one of our dedicated Enrollment Specialists, who will guide you through the application process.

 
Walden’s Enrollment Specialists are committed to helping you identify and leverage opportunities to save money on your education. Get in touch with an Enrollment Specialist today at 888-968-5331 to learn more.
Our Enrollment Specialists are ready to answer any questions you may have regarding this program. Fill out the form on this page to be contacted or call 855-203-5779.
CACREPWalden's MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and MS in School Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP accreditation attests that the content and quality of our programs have been evaluated and meet standards set by the profession. Graduates of CACREP-accredited programs are prepared with the skills and knowledge to maximize their impact on the field.

Why earn your MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling at Walden?

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Educational Innovation

Watch your learning come alive—and develop your competencies—through case studies, videos, and real-world simulations that reflect scenarios you may encounter in the field.

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Expert-Led Curriculum

Walden’s counseling faculty are experienced professionals who are active in their fields and within the American Counseling Association. Supportive, skilled, and diverse, they take your success personally.

group of students

Develop Essential Competencies

Learn to interact with and relate to those whose backgrounds are different from your own in our diverse classrooms, which are intentionally kept small.

learn-with-leaders-small

Educational Innovation

Watch your learning come alive—and develop your competencies—through case studies, videos, and real-world simulations that reflect scenarios you may encounter in the field.

relevant-small

Expert-Led Curriculum

Walden’s counseling faculty are experienced professionals who are active in their fields and within the American Counseling Association. Supportive, skilled, and diverse, they take your success personally.

group of students

Develop Essential Competencies

Learn to interact with and relate to those whose backgrounds are different from your own in our diverse classrooms, which are intentionally kept small.

“Students are able to transfer their classroom experience into a practical environment among their peers, receiving valuable feedback to enhance their skill sets.”

Dorothy Butts-Valentine | MS in Mental Health Counseling Graduate

Note on Licensure

MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Walden University’s MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a requirement for licensure in many states. The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for licensing exams and to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state counseling boards. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage students to consult the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements. For more information about licensure, students should visit the National Board for Certified Counselors at www.nbcc.org/stateboardmap, and/or the American Association of State Counseling Boards at www.aascb.org, and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body. Learn more about professional licensure.

MS in School Counseling: The MS in School Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which may also be a requirement to become licensed or certified as a school counselor in some states. In addition, some states require school counselors to have an existing teaching license or certification, and teaching experience, in order to be eligible for a school counseling certification/license. Learn more about professional licensure.

Further, many states require school counseling programs to be approved in at least one state, either their own or another state. The MS in School Counseling program is approved by the states of Minnesota and Ohio, and while this approval is accepted by the majority of states which require state approval, it may not be accepted by all states.

Walden is not approved to offer the MS in School Counseling degree in Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Mexico, or Tennessee, so if you reside in one of these states, you will not be eligible for the dual degree.

ONGOING MILITARY OFFER:

A 15% tuition reduction for servicemembers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and their spouses.*

*A 15% tuition reduction is available to new students who are servicemembers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, or employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This tuition reduction is also available if you are a spouse of a servicemember, veteran, or employee of the VA. This tuition reduction cannot be retroactively applied. Tuition reductions are applicable to tuition only and do not apply toward books, materials, and other supplies or fees needed for a course.

Walden may change the tuition reduction offered hereunder at any time, but such change will not affect the tuition reduction for students who are currently enrolled at Walden and using the existing tuition reduction. All tuition reductions, grants, or scholarships are subject to specific eligibility requirements. Contact a Walden University Enrollment Specialist for details.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, https://www.hlcommission.org/.