Counseling Psychology (MSCP)

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Counseling Psychology (MSCP) Overview

As a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) student, you will acquire the self-awareness, knowledge, and skills required of counseling professionals. The program fosters the integration of theory, experience, and research skills with practice. You will learn to assess clients in their family and social contexts, design evidence-informed strategies for change, and evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions.
Degrees Offered
  • MS
Program School
School of Health Sciences
Application Deadline

Recommended and Rolling

Fall Recommended Deadline - July 1 (rolling admission for fall entry until August 1)
Spring Recommended Deadline - November 1

Credits Required

48-60

Forty-eight credits are required for degree conferral. Completion of an additional 12 credits is required to qualify to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

Cost Per Credit

$1,017

Cost consists of program tuition (cost per credit times number of credits) as well as any applicable University and degree-specific fees.

Explore the Counseling Psychology Degree:

The program focuses on both the professional, intellectual, and personal growth of students, emphasizing human-centered values as well as evidence-informed treatment approaches.

Prerequisites:
  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum GPA of a 3.0
  • Successful completion of an undergraduate psychology course with at least a B grade
Application Requirements:

Applicants to the MS in Counseling Psychology program must submit the following information to the Office of Admissions for review:

  • Completed online application - resume and essay can be uploaded to the application but can also be sent independently.
  • Official Transcripts (must be sent from the school's Registrar’s Office) from all colleges and universities you have attended, including those in which you may have transfer credits, attended a community college, received AP credits from a college while in high school, enrolled in a summer course, participated in a study abroad, etc.
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume
  • Two (2) Academic or Professional Letters of Recommendation (must sent by the recommender) in the form of a Word or PDF document. This is a free-form recommendation and there will not be a link or form sent to your recommenders.
  • Admissions Essay
All admissions documents should be emailed or mailed to:

Chatham University
Office of Graduate Admission - Berry Hall
Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

PSY617: Psychology of Culture and Identity

The course addresses issues of culture and identity as related to counseling and therapeutic relationships. Sociopolitical, socioeconomic, familial, and psychological aspects of diversity, identity, and culture are explored through readings, seminars, and experiential exercises. Students challenge underlying assumptions and develop effective skills to work with diverse populations in counseling.

PSY629: Human Development across the Life Span

The course explores cognitive, social, emotional and physiological development throughout the life span. While including concentration on the major theoretical approaches to life span development, an equally significant focus will be on practical application of material.


PSY681: Professional Integration Seminar

The course explores ethical conceptualization, analysis, and practices of applied and counseling psychologists. Topics include the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association, the history of applied psychology, and the developing mental health counseling movement. Certification, licensure, and regulatory practices are also discussed.

View Full Curriculum

When looking for a master’s program, I wanted to really focus on my future career and be sure that I had a supportive environment to move me forward. The small class sizes help to create a community, and my professors knew me and my interests. At Chatham, you have the opportunity to find a professor who can nurture and mentor you.

—ERIN TROUP, MS ’08, LPC, NCC, CT

Our Faculty

Faculty members are accomplished teachers, scholars, practitioners, and active leaders in the field.

Full Faculty

Field Placement Training

Chatham University offers a vibrant and comprehensive field placement training curriculum. The field placement opportunities occur throughout Western Pennsylvania region and the city of Pittsburgh at a variety of settings, including hospitals, community mental health agencies, private practice, and correctional facilities. Populations served by these sites are infants and parents, children, adolescents, adults, and senior citizens working through the range of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, relationship problems, career development issues, eating disorders, and end-of-life concerns.

Graduate Psychology Assistantships  

Our competitive Graduate Psychology Assistantships are available to full-time graduate students in the Master of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) and Doctor of Psychology in Counseling Psychology (PsyD) programs.

Learn More

Graduate Counseling Psychology Research

Students have opportunities to engage in a broad array of faculty-led research, from investigating counseling modalities to exploring issues related to diversity and identity. 

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Why Counseling Psychology?

Counseling psychology is a subfield of psychology with specific values focused on strength-based approaches to interventions, multicultural counseling competence, individual differences, human development across the life span, outreach and prevention, social justice and advocacy, relatively brief interventions, and understanding person-environment interactions. 

Accreditation

In accordance with the 2017 standards, MPCAC now requires programs to report program statistics (applications, admissions, graduations) and program outcomes on their websites. MPCAC will also need to report on these data for all of our programs in our annual report as part of our own public accountability. 

View Full Accreditation Information

Chatham’s Most Life-Changing Course?

It’s called Intergroup Dialogues (IGD). There’s a fall term component and a spring term component, and they’re different but complementary. Students—both undergraduate and graduate—can sign up for either, or, perhaps, both.

Read More

Chatham Counseling Psychology: Research Focus

Chatham’s Counseling Psychology program received a behavioral workforce education and training grant that funds a variety of student training opportunities, including stipends for practicum sites, conferences, on-site trainings, and more. Dr. Jen Morse, associate professor of counseling psychology, and Ehren Emter, PsyD '18 discuss the impact of the grant on the student experience.

Watch the Video