Program Snapshot

Accreditation

CACREP

Concentrations/Specializations Offered

None

LMFT Track or Dual LMFT/LPCC Track

LMFT/LPCC dual track

Length of Program

93 units. The MA in Counseling program requires nine or eleven quarters of coursework, depending on the chosen track. This is usually a minimum of two years and three months of study.

Schedule/Format

• Residential Hybrid Learning Format

  • Our hybrid format includes a campus setting for most classes, while other courses are conducted online, via Zoom. You will typically take two courses on campus and one course online each quarter. All skill-based clinical work is done in an appropriate clinical or classroom setting. And with the time savings from your online classes, you will be able to take three classes per quarter – and that means earning your degree in just nine quarters.

  • The hybrid program is offered weekday evenings. Classes take place Monday-Thursday evenings from 4-6 pm or 6-8 pm, depending on cohort. Courses are held on the PAU campuses or or live via Zoom.

• Online Format

  • When you enroll in the online option, you will complete your practicum and master's-level internship locally, in your home community. 

    You will meet your professors and classmates in person during two residential training experiences. These intensive study and competency-based skill training seminars culminate in a clinical interviewing assessment that is a prerequisite for clinical fieldwork. 

  • Online classes take place at 6 pm Pacific time. If you start the program in the fall quarter, you may have the option to take classes at 4 pm.

• During the first year of the program most students can maintain full-time employment during the day, and study in the evenings and on weekends. During the second year students should be aware that evening and weekend practicum placements are extremely hard to find. Most students will need to adjust their schedules in order to spend two days during the normal workweek to complete their practicum experience.

Program Start

Fall, Spring

Estimated Total Program Tuition

$57,939

Religious Orientation

None

Entering Class Size and Classroom Sizes

Typically, there are about 24 students per cohort, and we admit 4-5 cohorts each fall or 2 in the spring. Each cohort takes classes together, so students can expect around 24 students in most of their classes.

Fieldwork Hours Accrued During Program

Over a 9- to 12-month period, you will complete a minimum of 700 hours of counseling-related experience, including a minimum of 280 hours of direct experience.  A portion of these hours come from class time.

PAU provides guidance in securing a practicum/internship site – in fact, we work closely with community and county mental health agencies, school-based mental health centers, and non-profit counseling centers across the Bay Area. 

Supervision occurs at your practicum site and with PAU faculty online. All students will meet online on Tuesday evenings.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement During Program

Not required. Students are expected to demonstrate maturity, good judgment, discretion, and respect. If their effectiveness is compromised by personal problems or illness, they are expected to seek competent professional help to determine whether to suspend, terminate, or limit their scope of professional studies within the MA in Counseling program.

Whenever possible, program faculty or advisors will seek to identify high-quality, affordable options for a students' personal psychotherapy experience. Further, the program leadership is committed to increasing opportunities for personal exploration and growth in a safe, confidential, professional environment.

Comprehensive Exam/Culminating Project/Thesis/Etc:

During your internship year, you will maintain a clinical portfolio of your experiences, which eventually becomes your capstone project.