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+--- Thread: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? (/Thread-Cheapest-Masters-Program-for-LPC-Licensed-Professional-Counselor)
Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - Silly_Me - 12-13-2017
I'm asking for my mom who's hoping for a "second career" in counseling after many years of being a stay-home mom & wife. She has no undergraduate coursework in psychology (B.A. in Dance) and a master's degree in liberal studies (MALS).
Any ideas? Thanks!!!
RE: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - dfrecore - 12-13-2017
You didn't say what state she lives in, if she wants an online-only program, how much she wants to spend, etc. You also didn't say if she wants to get a BA in Psych first, before taking the MA program.
Right off the top of my head, Amberton has a MA degree in this, but you have to live in TX. Liberty has a program that applies to most states. Capella has a program.
Patten has a BA in Psych (you choose from 3 different concentrations), and with her current degrees, she might be able to pull off the coursework in less than a single term (especially if she took a bunch of the Psych courses through Study.com before enrolling).
RE: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - Silly_Me - 12-13-2017
(12-13-2017, 01:06 PM)dfrecore Wrote: You didn't say what state she lives in, if she wants an online-only program, how much she wants to spend, etc. You also didn't say if she wants to get a BA in Psych first, before taking the MA program.
Right off the top of my head, Amberton has a MA degree in this, but you have to live in TX. Liberty has a program that applies to most states. Capella has a program.
Patten has a BA in Psych (you choose from 3 different concentrations), and with her current degrees, she might be able to pull off the coursework in less than a single term (especially if she took a bunch of the Psych courses through Study.com before enrolling).
I was actually just looking at Liberty. It looks like they only require three related classes before entering the program (2 psychology courses + 1 statistics course). I would imagine that my mom could easily CLEP/ test out of all three of these & go right into the master's program. To save money, I think it would be best to skip the extra BA & find a master's program that doesn't require the undergraduate degree.
Thanks for the recommendations!
RE: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - Ideas - 12-13-2017
State requirements vary somewhat, but most require a Masters with a certain number of clinical contact hours. So be sure to check that the number of hours meets your state minimums. In many states, if the program did not, she can supplement more hours, but it may be trickier than choosing a program with more.
Also keep in mind that many have extra fees for the clinical portions.
I would definitely suggest skipping the BA.
The cheaper ones mostly don't lead to licensure.
RE: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - cookderosa - 12-14-2017
Before selecting a school, I'd suggest your mom narrow down the kind of counseling she'd be interested in. From there, she can locate the professional association that certifies/licenses in that field as well as state rules and or laws that govern the standards of practice. Example- a marriage and family therapist has a different path than a substance abuse counselor which is different from a high school guidance counselor. I'd suggest she zero in a bit more before looking at degrees and zero in a LOT more before picking a college. Picking the college, in my opinion, would be last.
RE: Cheapest Masters Program for LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)? - a4tunatemom - 12-14-2017
(12-13-2017, 12:50 PM)Silly_Me Wrote: I'm asking for my mom who's hoping for a "second career" in counseling after many years of being a stay-home mom & wife. She has no undergraduate coursework in psychology (B.A. in Dance) and a master's degree in liberal studies (MALS).
Any ideas? Thanks!!!
Since you mentioned Liberty, it seems like she might be interested in a Christian college. If so, Clarks Summit University looks like it has a really good program. Like Liberty, it has an online program that requires three intensives on campus. It is in PA. Here is a link - https://www.clarkssummitu.edu/academics/graduate-academics/graduate-degree-programs/master-science-counseling/
Danielle