Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Admission
The MS-CMHC degree is a full-time cohort program with a specialization in clinical mental health counseling and an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. The degree meets state educational requirements for licensure in both mental health counseling and in marriage and family therapy. The program uses a hybrid curriculum with didactics online (50%) and experiential face-to-face (50%). Students are admitted to the program annually in the fall semester only. It is anticipated that the cohort will consist of up to 24 students. The admissions timeline is distinct and will allow for competitive admission.
Admission requirements include:
- A $50 non-refundable application fee.
- Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. No specific undergraduate major is required.
- An official GRE score report (if cumulative GPA is less than 3.0).
- Unencumbered background check (at the beginning of the first academic semester).
- Essay (one to two pages) that addresses reason(s) for seeking a degree in clinical mental health counseling and includes short- and long-term professional goals.
- Resume that includes education and work background, honors, memberships in professional, school, and service organizations, etc.
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably with at least one from a professor who is familiar with the applicant’s academic work.
- TOEFL (minimum score 650 for paper, 280 for computer, and 114 if internet-based), or IELTS requirement of 8.0 if applicant’s primary language is not English.
- An interview with members of the CMHC faculty is a component of the admission process.
For MS-CMHC admissions questions, please contact the Academic Advisor Brittany Copeland at bcopela1@ju.edu.
The application for the MS CMHC program should be completed online through the JU website. All supplemental materials for your application should be uploaded to our web-based application as prompted. If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact Pamela Adrian at padrian@ju.edu.
Transfer Credit Policy – Admitted students may be able to transfer a total of six semester hours of graduate coursework to JU from a comparable regionally accredited academic institution and in accordance with JU course transfer policy. The credit must be in courses similar in content and rigor to Jacksonville University's Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program, and the grade must be at least a "B." Students are advised to discuss any transfer courses with the Program Director, who will determine if and which courses may be applicable. To be eligible for transfer credit, the student must request the credit and submit a transcript, as well as catalog description of the course to the CMHC Program Director during the application process. Transfer credit will only be awarded at the time of acceptance into the graduate program. This request must be approved by the graduate program director who will submit a request for the transfer credit to the Registrar and placed in the student’s file. Nonadmitted Students Seeking Course Enrollment - Individuals sometimes request to register for courses in order to achieve eligibility for mental health counseling licensure in Florida. Those individuals seeking licensure courses are required to submit: a copy of the official letter from the Florida licensing board noting their eligibility status and specifying courses needed, proof of completion of a current certified background check, and submission of transcript of graduate study. Registration in CMHC courses requires approval of the CMHC Program Director.