Gwynedd Mercy University 2025-2026 University Catalog 143
( academic, skills and dispositional) are high and can be demanding. Students accepted into the program can be successful and benefit greatly from professional interaction with everyone in the program.
The program allows students to concentrate their studies in the following areas.
Master of Science Degree The Master of Science( MS) in Counseling degree requires 60 credits of coursework and has two concentrations of study: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling. Students completing the master ' s degree will be eligible to sit for the National Counselor Exam( NCE) leading to license as a professional counselor( LPC).
The Clinical Mental Health concentration trains students to develop expertise in counseling children, adolescents, families, and adults and to gain the credentials to assume supervisory positions in mental health community agency settings. This concentration requires a 100-hour practicum and 600 hours of internship.
The School Counseling concentration is a Pennsylvania Department of Education approved PreK – 12 school counseling certification program. The School Counseling curriculum aligns with the components of the American School Counseling Association( ASCA) National Model. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Education to become certified K – 12 school counselors in the State of Pennsylvania. This concentration requires a 100-hour practicum and 600 hours of internship.
Post Graduate Programs PreK – 12 School Counseling Certification program The post-graduate PreK – 12 School Counseling Certification program is a 48-credit program that offers graduates with a master ' s degree( from an accredited institution of higher education) a pathway to certification as a PreK – 12 School Counselor in the State of Pennsylvania. Students must complete the required course work and pass the appropriate Praxis test to become certified. Students must complete a minimum of 24 credits at Gwynedd Mercy University. Up to 24 credits of required Pennsylvania Department of Education certification competencies can be waived based on the student’ s prior graduate-level coursework.
Clinical Mental Health Certificate program The post-graduate Clinical Mental Health Certificate program is designed for graduates of Gwynedd University’ s Master in School Counseling program( online; 48 credits between 2014 – 2018). This certificate program requires 12 credits of graduate counseling courses( including a 200-hour internship in a clinical mental health setting over one term) and offers students the additional credits required to sit for the NCE and seek licensure as a professional counselor( LPC).
Pennsylvania PreK – 12 School Counseling Certification and / or LPC: The Pennsylvania Department of Education approves the School Counseling concentration of the MS in Counseling degree program and the PreK – 12 School Counseling post-graduate program as programs leading to a Pennsylvania certification as a PreK – 12 school counselor.
Graduates of the MS in Counseling degree and the post-graduate Clinical Mental Health Certificate Program meet the CACREP requirements to sit for the NCE in all 50 states. Successful completion of the NCE with the appropriate post-degree supervision requirements leads to the LPC credential in the State