Northwest Nazarene University
Masters of Science in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Masters of Science in Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
Professional License Disclosures
The Counselor Education Department at NNU offers a Master of Science in Counseling degree with three possible majors: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling; and School Counseling. NNU's Master of Science in Counseling degree is accredited by Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and leads to licensure in the state of Idaho. This program requires students to complete 60 credits hours of coursework over eight semesters (an average of 33 months), log 1,000 hours of practicum/internship experience, pass the national comprehensive exam (CPCE), and sit for the National Counselor Exam (NCE). Program graduates typically complete all requirements for licensure while enrolled in the program—including the national exam—and apply for licensure as a counselor after graduation.
Upon graduation, students are prepared with the professional competencies necessary for entry-level counseling and therapeutic direct service delivery as well as with a base to pursue doctoral-level study. Because of CACREP accreditation and state reciprocal agreements, NNU graduates in this program find their degree very portable to other states. Prospective students from outside the state of Idaho can use the table below to begin to investigate whether an NNU degree is right for them. As they do this due dilligence, they should keep in mind two things in mind: 1) each jurisdiction will likely have very specific state requirements that an applicant for a professional license must meet beyond the educational requirements; and 2) as a general rule it will be beneficial to a candidate to pursue formal licensure in Idaho and then apply to another state with that credential in hand.