MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.)

COMMUNITY COUNSELING

The Community Counseling Program offers a major in Community Service Counseling. Many graduates from this program establish private practices or work in various mental health centers and community agencies. The program consists of sixty (60) semester hours of course work including a one semester internship. Graduates can become Licensed Professional Counselors through the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling.

COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY

The Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology is designed so that it may serve either as a terminal degree or as a foundation for prospective doctoral candidates. The majority of our graduates from this program are psychological examiners working in private practice, community mental health centers, or state and private agencies. Requirements for the completion of the Master of Science degree include: Sixty (60) semester hours of graduate credit, including a one semester internship. Graduates can become Licensed Psychological Examiners (LPE) by the Arkansas Psychology Board. Note: The Arkansas Psychology Board will no longer issue the LPE after December 31, 2013.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

School Psychology is the application of the theories, principles and techniques of psychology to the learning and the developmental processes of children and adolescents. Requirements for the completion of the School Psychology degree include: Sixty (60) semester hours of graduate credit, including a two-semester internship. These hours include courses in personality and intellectual assessment that prepare the student for licensure as a psychological examiner. The majority of our graduates will be employed in school settings, involved primarily in psychological assessment of children and adolescents.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D.)

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY (APA-accredited)

School Psychology is the application of the principles of psychology to the learning and developmental processes of children and adolescents. School psychologists conduct psychological and educational evaluations in order to plan remedial programs for students, counsel students with learning and school adjustment problems, consult with school personnel and parents, develop and implement educational and psychological programs for schools, and evaluate school programs.

The Ph.D. program in School Psychology is grounded in the scientist-practitioner model of training. The program is typically a five-year, 120 credit hour program. Four years are spent in full-time coursework at UCA, and the fifth year is a full-time internship in a school or other appropriate setting. Strong emphasis is placed on child mental health promotion, primary prevention, and intervention with a broad range of community related problems involving children, families, and schools. In this and other ways, the program is responsive to on-going societal concerns facing children. It prepares its graduates to work in schools, clinics, community agencies, and hospitals.

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY, COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY EMPHASIS

The Counseling Psychology Emphasis (leading to a Ph.D. in School Psychology, Counseling Psychology Emphasis) is based on the scientist-practitioner model of training and emphasizes community mental health prevention and intervention services for clients with a wide variety of mental health problems. The emphasis has four primary goals:

1.      To train Scientist-Practitioners of Counseling Psychology who use the scientific method in both research and practice settings.

2.      To train Counseling Psychologists who think and practice in a professional, ethical, and socially responsible manner.

3.      To train Counseling Psychologists to provide evidence-based psychological services in community and mental health settings.

4.      To create a environment that facilitates scholarship and innovation across a wide range of experiences and establishes close working relationships among faculty and students.

The program of study is typically five years (120 credit hours). Four years are spent in full-time coursework at UCA, and the fifth year is a full-time professional psychology internship. Graduates will be prepared to provide evidence-based assessment and treatment services and to conduct research in clinical and university settings.