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Marriage and Family Counseling

The Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Marriage and Family Counseling is comprised of 60 graduate credits. It is a practitioners' degree designed to prepare students to work as professional counselors in human service and counseling agencies, which include the following types of settings/roles:

• Community mental health centers;
• Drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers;
• Mobile therapists;
• Family Based Mental Health therapists;
• Outpatient therapists;
• Behavioral specialists consultants (BSC);

Graduates of the Marriage and Family Counseling Program are eligible to pursue licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) and to secure National Counselor Certification (NCC) The main requirements for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania include 1) a master's degree of at least 48 graduate credits, 2) a total of 60 graduate credits, 3) 700 clock hours of fieldwork, 4) passing one of 4 approved national exams, one of which is the National Counselor Exam (NCE), and 5) 3,000 clock hours of supervised experience under a qualified supervisor (see www.dos.state.pa.us/social for complete licensure information). This degree does not meet eligibility requirements for LMFT. Graduates of the program receive a master's degree in counselor education. In some states, such as Ohio and Virginia, a master's degree in counselor education in required for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC), and graduates of counseling psychology or clinical psychology programs cannot obtain an LPC in those states.

The Counselor Education Program has small to average class sizes.

According to the 2010 Department of Labor (DOL) projections, there is expected to be a 36% increase in the number of Mental Health Counseling. By 2020 ONETonline projects there to be much faster than average job growth (29% or higher) for Mental Health Counselors.


Accreditation

Accreditation by CACREP

Duquesne University's Marriage and Family Therapy Program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This accreditation means that the program uses a nationally recognized, rigorous curriculum that is based on a core set of standards. The standards for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) in many states, including Pennsylvania, are based on the CACREP model. Graduates of CACREP accredited programs often find it easier to obtain licensure in other states. In some states, you cannot obtain licensure as a professional counselor (LPC) if you have not graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Students who study in CACREP accredited programs receive training that is based on the most recent trends in theory and research. Furthermore, CACREP requirements stipulate that students receive more intensive fieldwork supervision and more hours of fieldwork than many other counseling programs, which better prepares graduates upon their entrance into the work force. You can find more about CACREP please visit their site at http://www.cacrep.org/template/index.cfm.

Program Sequence

To find out information about which courses are required for this program, please review the Marriage and Family Counseling Program Sheet.

FAQ

Still have questions about our program? Find your answers here.