Non-Degree Pathways
General Non-degree Pathway
The Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp Counseling program welcomes applicants for the General Non-Degree pathway. This pathway is appropriate for applicants who have a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from a CACREP-accredited program and need additional coursework for LCMHC-A licensure eligibility in North Carolina.
Your first step in the application process is to contact Dr. Lisen Roberts (lroberts@email.wcu.edu) about your interest in pursuing the non-degree pathway and provide a copy of correspondence received from the NC LCMHC board indicating what courses or hours are required. After faculty approval, you will then apply as a non-degree seeking graduate residential student at grad.wcu.edu. Your application will request the following:
- Completion of essay question
- Copy of master’s level transcript with conferred degree listed
- Copy of the email/correspondence received by the NC LCMHC board indicating what courses are needed or how many hours are needed with the option to take any courses you want
- Completed checklist of courses completed for master’s degree
You must be admitted to the University before you can register for coursework. The cost per credit hour can be found at tuition.wcu.edu. WCU courses are offered in person with day and evening options.
Application Deadline: August 1 for late Summer or Fall start; December 1 for Spring or early Summer start
Questions? Contact Dr. Lisen Roberts at lroberts@wcu.edu
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Non-degree Pathway
The Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp Counseling program welcomes applicants for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) non-degree pathway. This pathway is appropriate for applicants who have a master’s degree in School Counseling, are now interested in becoming a clinical mental health counselor, and need additional courses for LCMHC-A licensure eligibility in North Carolina. Applicants must possess a master’s degree in School Counseling from a regionally accredited university with CACREP accreditation, as required by the North Carolina licensing board (ncblcmhc.org).
The licensure-only pathway is comprised of 9 hours of graduate study including a 600-hour clinical internship. Note: most clinical internship sites require daytime work hours, Monday-Friday. Additional coursework may be required if, upon review of the applicant’s transcript, a gap exists in the WCU’s Counseling program degree requirements and/or a gap exists in the knowledge base needed for the ethical care of clients (i.e., missing CACREP Core coursework). Fewer than 9 hours may be needed in the case that a required course(s) for the licensure only pathway has already been completed during the applicant’s master’s degree program.
WCU courses are offered in person with day and evening options. The following courses must be successfully completed for the pathway to licensure.
Coursework: (9 hours)
COUN 601: Introduction to Professional Counseling: CMHC (3 credits)
COUN 667: The DSM & Effective Treatment Planning in Counseling (3 credits)
COUN 687: Internship in Counseling (clinically based; 3 credits)
Your first step in the application process is to contact Dr. Melodie Frick (mhfrick@wcu.edu) about your interest in pursuing the licensure-only pathway and provide a copy of your graduate transcripts. After faculty approval, you will then apply as a non-degree seeking graduate residential student at grad.wcu.edu. The program is Clinical Mental Health Counseling Licensure-Only. You must be admitted to the University before you can register for coursework. The cost per credit hour can be found at tuition.wcu.edu
Application Deadline: November 1 for Spring start; April 1 for Fall start
Applicants must complete and provide:
1) Graduate School application
2) Checklist for meeting master’s degree and course requirements
3) Three statements of recommendation
4) Essay question
5) An official transcript of completed master’s degree in School Counseling
*Additional information (course syllabi) may be requested to verify content delivered toward the master’s degree. These documents will be reviewed by Counseling program faculty for assessing the coursework needed for recommendation to licensure.
Note: Completion of a criminal background check will be required prior to start of internship.
Questions? Contact Dr. Melodie Frick at mhfrick@wcu.edu
Professional School Counseling Non-Degree Pathway
The Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp Counseling program welcomes applicants for the Professional School Counseling non-degree pathway. This pathway is appropriate for applicants who already have a master’s degree in counseling specialty areas other than School Counseling, are now interested in becoming a school counselor, and need additional courses for professional school counselor licensure eligibility.
Applicants must possess a master’s level degree from a regionally accredited university with CACREP accreditation in an approved counseling area (i.e., Clinical Mental Health, Marriage and Family Therapy, College Student Development).
The licensure-only pathway is comprised of 12 hours of graduate study including an internship. Additional coursework may be required if, upon review of the applicant’s transcripts, a gap exists in the WCU’s Counseling Program degree requirements and/or a gap exists in the knowledge base needed for the ethical care of children in schools (i.e., missing CACREP Core coursework). Less than 12 additional hours may be needed in the case that a required course(s) for the licensure only pathway has already been completed during the applicant’s master’s degree program.
WCU courses are offered in person with day and evening options to accommodate those already employed in full-time positions. The following courses must be successfully completed for the pathway to licensure.
Coursework: (12 hours)
COUN 601: Introduction to Counseling: School (3 credits)
COUN 620: Counseling Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
COUN 645: Leadership & Advocacy in Counseling (3 credits, online course)
COUN 687: Internship in School Counseling (3 credits)
Your first step in the application process is to contact Dr. Lisen Roberts (lroberts@email.wcu.edu) about your interest in pursuing the non-degree pathway. After approval, you will then apply as a non-degree seeking graduate residential student at grad.wcu.edu. The program is Professional School Counseling Licensure-Only. You must be admitted to the University before you can register for coursework. The cost per credit hour can be found at tuition.wcu.edu
Application Deadline: November 1 for Spring start; April 1 for Fall start
Applicants must complete and provide:
1) Graduate School application
2) Checklist for meeting master’s degree and course requirements
3) Three statements of recommendation
4) A two-question essay
5) An official transcript of completed master's degree in Counseling
*Additional information (course syllabi) may be requested to verify content delivered toward the master’s degree. These documents will be reviewed by Counseling Program faculty for assessing the coursework needed for recommendation to licensure.
Note: Completion of a criminal background check will be required prior to start of internship.
Questions? Contact Dr. Lisen Roberts at lroberts@wcu.edu
