M.S. in Mental Health Counseling

Students must consult with the program director and/or interview with the program director or designee regarding required courses and electives for the Counseling Program. Full-time students may register for up to 12 credits per semester. Part-time students may register for either three or six credits per semester. 

Graduate courses taken at other institutions prior to admission at Mercy College may, if pertinent to the plan of study, be credited to the graduate degree. Permission to transfer credits must be requested at the time of admission and official transcripts and course descriptions must be submitted to the program director for evaluation.

Transfer credit will be granted only for courses taken in the five-year period prior to acceptance in the Mercy College Program and for courses in which the student earned a grade of B or higher. Transfer credit is normally limited to six credits. Courses with a grade of B- or lower are not acceptable for transfer. 

It is expected that students will fulfill the requirements for their graduate degree by registering over successive sessions. Registration is accomplished by either enrolling in classes or maintaining matriculation. The Maintaining Matriculation fee is $100 per session and is processed as a registration.

Students who have not maintained matriculation and wish to return to their program within one year after their last course will be charged the Maintenance of Matriculation fee of $100 for each missed session. Maintenance of matriculation without attending classes is limited to one year. Activated U.S. Military Reservists are not required to pay the Maintenance of Matriculation fee. 

The cumulative GPA for both good academic standing and degree conferral is a 3.0. A student admitted as a Special Matriculant is required to achieve a 3.0 average or better after completing a certain number of credits as stipulated by their respective program. Grades are subject to review by the faculty advisor and program director at the end of each semester. If the academic average for the semester falls below 3.0 the student will be placed on academic probation. If the student fails to achieve a 3.0 GPA in two consecutive semesters, the students will be subject to dismissal from the program. 

All students who have a cumulative GPA of below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. If a student will not be able to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 within a reasonable time, the student will be dismissed from the program. If a student receives a grade of F or FW in any course the student will be subject to dismissal from the College.

For all students on probation, future registrations must be reviewed and approved by the director of the student’s program as well as the school dean.

In all subsequent terms in which the student is on probation the student is required to achieve a term GPA of 3.0 or better. If the 3.0 or higher is not achieved the student will be dismissed. Students who receive a grade of less than B may be required to repeat the course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course only once. 

Requirements for the master's degrees in counseling programs must be completed within five years from the date of the candidate’s admission (exclusive of time spent in the Armed Forces). Exceptions will be made only if a student requests in writing an extension of time in advance and receives the approval of the director. 

Students in the counseling program must attend new students orientation offered by the Counseling Department in the their first semester of the program. In addition, students must meet with their assigned faculty advisor to plan his/her courses and to review the plan of study prior to course registration and field placement.

Completion of at least 30 credits, including CNSL 630, 640, 642*, 650, 651, 655, 660, 665, 667 and 673 as well as Violence Prevention and Child Abuse Workshops, is required prior to registration in either of the internship courses in School Counseling. Mental Health Counseling students must also complete 614 and 654 in order to be eligible for Internship. Supervised Internship placement must be applied for the semester prior to course registration.

Note: For students who entered in Fall, 2012 and thereafter, CNSL 642 was replaced by CNSL 643 for School Counseling students and by CNSL 648 for Mental Health Counseling students.