Master of Science in Clinical Counseling

Advance your career with ECU’s master’s in Clinical Counseling

Advocate for your community and help people overcome addiction with East Carolina University’s Master of Science in Clinical Counseling. Our Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited program equips you with the credentials you need for a rewarding career as a clinical mental health counselor. With an additional emphasis on addictions, our mix of classroom instruction and hands-on learning prepares you with knowledge and skills to understand substance use disorders and your role as a clinical mental health counselor in prevention and intervention.

Develop specialized skills to make a difference

An estimated 25 million American adults experience serious psychological distress and more than 50 million experience issues with alcohol and drugs. Our clinical counseling degree gives you the specialized skills needed to counsel individuals and families to improve relationships and overall well-being.

Why get your master’s in Clinical Counseling at ECU?

ECU has been preparing clinical counselors with a specialization in addiction for more than 30 years. Our location in Greenville, North Carolina, puts you close to numerous medical facilities, giving you opportunities to engage with individuals in a variety of settings. As a student in our master’s in Clinical Counseling, you’ll benefit from faculty mentors who maintain their clinical practice and bring that experience to your courses. You’ll also connect with peers, building your professional network while engaging in hands-on learning. Because this is a CACREP-accredited program, you can feel confident that you’ll receive a quality education that sets you apart as a job candidate and prepares you for clinical practice.

Clinical and research experience

As part of your master’s in clinical counseling degree program, you’ll complete a 100-hour practicum and 600-hour internship where you will receive hands-on supervised practice. You can also participate in clinical and research activities within the Navigate Counseling Clinic, a faculty-directed, student-run departmental clinic serving the local community.

Faculty mentors

Build connections with experienced faculty who continue their professional practice part-time while teaching and guiding graduate students. Benefit from their extensive knowledge and mentorship as you launch your own career with our CACREP-accredited program.

Connect with peers

Join student organizations like the international counseling honors society, Chi Sigma Iota, the department’s Rho Omega chapter, and the Student Addictions and Rehabilitation Association to serve your community and build your network.

Scholarship support

Our master’s in clinical counseling program offers three annual scholarships to ease the financial burden of graduate education: The Dr. Shel Downes Scholarship, The Jennifer Elizabeth Lambeth Memorial Scholarship, and the Louise O. Burevitch Scholarship.

Courses you will take in the master’s in clinical counseling degree program

Your coursework combines theory and practice to prepare you to address the unique challenges of mental health and addiction problems. You’ll study addictive behaviors and their impact on families and society, and the prevention and treatment strategies used by clinical mental health counselors.

Experiential learning

As part of the 62-credit-hour program, you will complete a practicum and an internship where you will apply your learnings in real-life settings. You will also participate in individual and group counseling activities to increase your personal and interpersonal growth and develop your skills as a professional counselor

What can you do with your master’s in Clinical Counseling?

A career in mental health and addiction counseling is both challenging and rewarding. Your dedication to helping others will create meaningful change for yourself, the individuals you serve, and the larger community.

Skills for a meaningful career

As a graduate of our clinical counseling degree program, you can expect to find employment in community mental health and addictions settings such as inpatient or outpatient programs, detoxification centers, residential and halfway-house programs, and home-based counseling programs.

Our CACREP-accredited program helps you develop into a successful and effective clinical counselor with skills such as:

• Critical thinking
• Empathy
• Inclusivity
• Judgement and decision making
• Listening and communication skills

Where are master’s in Clinical Counseling graduates working?

Our clinical counseling degree graduates are employed in a variety of mental health and addictions counseling programs, including outpatient, intensive outpatient, medication-assisted treatment, residential, and inpatient treatment settings.

For over a decade, students in our master’s in clinical counseling program have had a 95% comprehensive exam and licensure exam pass rate, a 97% job placement rate within six months of graduation and are highly marketable due to eligibility for both the LCMHC and LCAS credentials.

Get started on your master’s in Clinical Counseling

Your career is waiting for you! We have the resources to help you get started and take the next step toward earning your degree.

Programs related to the master’s in Clinical Counseling

• M.S. Rehabilitation Counseling
• Master of Social Work
• Certificate, Addictions Prevention and Treatment Studies
• Certificate, Military and Civilian Trauma Studies
• Certificate, Rehabilitation Studies

Accreditation for master’s in clinical counseling at ECU

The clinical counseling with an emphasis in addictions degree is a clinical Clinical Counseling CACREP-accredited program. The benefits of CACREP accreditation include:

• Enhancement of program evaluation
• Continuous programmatic quality improvement
• Enriched student experience through a dedicated commitment to the highest academic standards
• Meets current and future licensure and employment standards for clinical mental health counselors