Bachelors/Masters After Existing Masters

[termdec]

I completed my MBA a few years ago at a UK school.  It's regionally and internationally accredited.  However, I used the work-experience route (common in the UK) to enter the program, rather than a completed bachelor's.

I'm looking to do a hard pivot away from anything related to that degree, into mental health.  There are a variety of licensures that allow one to become a therapist in California, but they all have requirements for which schools one can attend and what programs are relevant. Degrees include MSW (for LCSW license), MFT, and LPCC, and I'm open to any of them.

It would be great if I could use my MBA to show that I'm capable of graduate level work, even though there's no overlap in the content. 

I've completed a fair amount of specialty education in my mental health niche, and can legally work as a counselor, but only within my specialty.  Unfortunately this credit is unlikely to transfer.  

Realistically, I may have to knock out a relevant bachelors, but not necessarily.

Has anyone been down this path, either going Masters > Bachelors, Masters > Masters, or fast-tracking an accredited mental health degree in California?

[swlearner71]

You’ll probably want to get your degree evaluated through WES or whatever evaluation service your university of choice requires. Check with each school first so you order the correct report type.

Reach out directly to the programs you’re interested in and ask if they would consider your MBA for admission. Some may consider it, some won’t. It depends on the institution, how strictly they interpret requirements, and how flexible their admissions process is. It’s worth testing before assuming you need to start over.

If that doesn’t work, there are accelerated bachelor’s options that can be finished quickly, especially if you transfer prior coursework or alternative credits. UMPI and WGU both offer psychology degrees. It’s not crazy for motivated students to complete these in months if they transfer credits from places like Sophia. WGU runs about 4k per term, and UMPI can sometimes be done for around 1800 depending on pace. UMPI also issues a GPA, which can help in admissions, though your previous experience will likely be more important.

If you go the MSW route, Arkansas State has one of the more affordable online MSWs at around 22k and roughly two years in length. They do require specific prerequisites, so you would want to plan your bachelor’s accordingly if you go that route.

No matter which path you choose, LPC, LCSW, or LMFT, it is a long process. You will complete internships during the program, which usually means adjusting your work schedule, followed by thousands of supervised clinical hours after graduation before full licensure.

The smart move is to test the direct master’s route first. If that misses, a fast bachelor’s is the next move into most programs.

Wishing you well.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Even if a grad school in a mental health license field accepts you without any bachelor’s,

• could it cost you admission to the best grad school you could have gotten into with a bachelor’s?
  
• could it shut you out or raise difficulties being accepted by a clinical placement site during your training?
  
• could it shut you out or raise difficulties with a future license whose requirements assume a bachelor’s degree, including a license in a state you might move to, or provide telehealth care to clients in, or need to license in to teach online for a university based there?
  
• could it cost you a future job, supervision, or admission to a doctorate? Even if your ultimate goal is private practice, you’ll need to work under supervision for about 2 to 3 years full-time after your master’s before your full independent practice license.
  

Conversely, it would be so easy to get a bachelor’s. swlearner71 rightly notes the UMPI and WGU bachelor’s in psychology which should be high on your list. Also note the WGU BS in Health and Human Services and the TESU BA in Psychology.

Under TESU’s Award of Degrees Policy, if you present a foreign credential evaluation acceptable to TESU that evaluates your MBA as equivalent to an American master’s degree, you only need to take major and gen ed courses. No free electives required to reach 120 semester hours. And if instead the evaluation you give TESU evaluates your MBA as equivalent to an American bachelor’s degree — this can happen — that’s ironically even better news for you: you’d only need to take the major courses. TESU would treat it like a second American bachelor’s degree, and TESU waives gen eds for second bachelor’s.

[swlearner71]

Even if a grad school in a mental health license field accepts you without any bachelor’s,

• could it cost you admission to the best grad school you could have gotten into with a bachelor’s?
  
• could it shut you out or raise difficulties being accepted by a clinical placement site during your training?
  
• could it shut you out or raise difficulties with a future license whose requirements assume a bachelor’s degree, including a license in a state you might move to, or provide telehealth care to clients in, or need to license in to teach online for a university based there?
  
• could it cost you a future job, supervision, or admission to a doctorate? Even if your ultimate goal is private practice, you’ll need to work under supervision for about 2 to 3 years full-time after your master’s before your full independent practice license.
  

Conversely, it would be so easy to get a bachelor’s. swlearner71 rightly notes the UMPI and WGU bachelor’s in psychology which should be high on your list. Also note the WGU BS in Health and Human Services and the TESU BA in Psychology.

Under TESU’s Award of Degrees Policy, if you present a foreign credential evaluation acceptable to TESU that evaluates your MBA as equivalent to an American master’s degree, you only need to take major and gen ed courses. No free electives required to reach 120 semester hours. And if instead the evaluation you give TESU evaluates your MBA as equivalent to an American bachelor’s degree — this can happen — that’s ironically even better news for you: you’d only need to take the major courses. TESU would treat it like a second American bachelor’s degree, and TESU waives gen eds for second bachelor’s.

Jonathan brings up some excellent points. In my state, a bachelor’s degree isn’t formally required for LMSW or LCSW licensure. At least on paper, a master’s or doctoral degree is sufficient. However, licensing boards can be strict about following the rules and regulations to a T, or sometimes developing their own arbitrary caveats. It’s not impossible that your specific circumstances could raise questions at some point in your path. I’ve also heard that the California Board of Social Work is stricter than most other states.

That said, earning a bachelor’s does seem the more advisable route. If completing it would take 3 or 4 years, it might be better to rely on the MBA you already have rather than investing that extra time. But with the growth of speedy online programs today, the juice can be worth the squeeze. For example at a school like UMPI, motivated students can earn a degree within months with small costs, comparatively speaking. This short detour would be providing peace of mind against the potential issues Mr. Whatley rightly highlighted. A small investment of time now can save a lot of potential stress in the future.

[Stonybeach]

Consider a Doctorate in Behavior Analysis.
https://www.capella.edu/online-psycholog...sychology/
Admissions: "A master’s degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or from an internationally recognized institution"
https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-...-clinical/
"Students with a master’s degree in counseling, family therapy, nursing, occupational health and social work are encouraged to apply, though other fields of study are also considered."

Although California may be an issue. https://bbs.ca.gov/licensees/
The Board of Behavioral Sciences (Board) licenses four types of mental health
professionals:
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs)
• Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEPs)
• Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs)
• Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs)

States that license or "Register"
https://www.bacb.com/u-s-licensure-of-be...-analysts/