Degree Requirements
Structure of the program: Course schedules are individualized to accommodate each student’s preferences and needs.
Full-time or part-time: If completed on a full-time basis, the dual program will take three years or longer depending on individual student’s needs and preferences. Since both programs have part-time options, adapting student’s schedule is easier than fitting additional courses into a full-time program block schedule.
Dual Degrees: Master of Arts in Counseling with a Trauma Concentration and Master of Arts in International Peace and Conflict Resolution
Counseling Goals and Objectives
The Master of Arts program in Counseling (MAC) educates and socializes students to become practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. Coursework integrates theory and practice both within and outside of the classroom.
The Counseling program is structured to develop professional-level competence in:
- Applying an evidence-based model of counseling
- Integrating multicultural practice in counseling
- Developing the professional skills to pursue specific careers in counseling
- Incorporating self-care into their counseling careers
Moreover, students in this dual degree complete a specialty counseling concentration in trauma with courses that focus on short-term interventions and long-term care with emphasis on evidence-based treatments of trauma, strategies for treating grief and bereavement, as well as advocacy and social justice.
The Counseling program is a primarily in-person program. That is, a majority of courses and other educational and training experiences are offered in-person on campus. However, several courses, including all summer courses, are offered virtually. Of note, the format of students’ off-campus fieldwork (Practicum and Internship) depends on the specific site where students are training. Some sites are fully in-person, whereas others are primarily remote, and some operate in a hybrid form. The Counseling program cannot guarantee that students will be accepted to train at a site with their preferred format.
The GPC is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC). This dual degree satisfies current Pennsylvania course and credit requirements to sit for the NCE and to apply for licensure in Pennsylvania, after passing the NCE and after accumulating 3,000 hours of supervised work experience.
International Peace and Conflict Resolution Goals and Objectives
The IPCR program’s innovative curriculum allows students to develop an area of concentration within the discipline of international peace and conflict resolution, build an international network of contacts among the international conflict resolution community, and gain practical experience in the field. The IPCR program is structured to develop competencies in:
- Theories and dynamics of conflict and resolution
- Tools and techniques of conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict transformation
- Knowledge of the methods used to diffuse conflict on a variety of levels—interpersonal, groups and institutions
- An appreciation for the contributions of other disciplines to the field of peace and conflict resolution
Students can complete specialized courses in areas of a student’s choosing, including international law, sustainable development mediation, health, and human rights.
81 credits; 54 credits for the Counseling program, 27 credits for the IPCR program with 15 shared credits.
Degree Requirements
Counseling - MAC, Dual Degree Requirements
- PY 500 Educational and Career Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 516 Human Development: Life Span (3 credits)
- PY 521 Research Design, Methods and Evaluation (3 credits)
- PY 535 Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology for Counselors (1 credit)
- PY 570 Professional Issues in Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 572 Concepts of Mental Health and Mental Illness (3 credits)
- PY 572L Multicultural Lab: Self-Awareness (I non-credit)
- PY 586 Theories and Techniques of Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 587 Practicum (2 credits)
- PY 610 Group Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 618 Evidenced-Based Treatments of Trauma (3 credits)
- PY 620 Advanced Counseling Techniques (3 credits)
- PY 622 Trauma, Advocacy, and Social Justice (3 credits)
- PY 623 Strategies for Treating Grief and Bereavement (3 credits)
- PY 626 Assessment in Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 688 Cultural Bases of Counseling (3 credits)
- PY 688L Multicultural Lab: Self-Awareness II (non-credit)
- PY 630B Internship: Mental Health Counseling 300 hrs. (6 credits)
- PY 630L Multicultural Lab: Knowledge I (non-credit)
- PY 631B Internship: Mental Health Counseling 300 hrs. (6 credits)
- PY 631L Multicultural Lab: Knowledge II (non-credit)
International Peace and Conflict Resolution - MAIPCR, Dual Degree Requirements
- IP 501 Introduction to Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (3 credits)
- IP 504 Foundations of Conflict Analysis (3 credits)
- IP 508 A Case in Conflict (3 credits)
- IP 533 Conflict Transformation (3 credits)
- IP 561 IPCR Colloquium (non-credit)
- IP 583 Internship (3 credits)
- IP 598 Capstone (3 credits)
Plus 9 additional approved credits from IPCR to complete requirements for dual degree.
