Counseling Accelerated Graduate Pathway (MS)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

For highly motivated undergraduate students who are already looking ahead to graduate school, USM offers an Accelerated Graduate Pathway from our Social and Behavioral Sciences program to the MS in Counseling program that allows you to begin graduate study while completing your bachelor’s degree.

In order to apply or participate in the Counseling pathway:

Declare the Social and Behavioral Sciences major.
Complete at least one full-time semester at the University with a 3.0 GPA.
Meet with assigned professional advisor in the Advising Office to discuss and gain approval to declare the accelerated pathway.
Complete and sign the electronic AGP Declaration Form.
If the professional advisor approves, and a student has earned junior status (54 credits), they may begin to take courses from List A.

Recommended Course Sequence

Students who have declared the AGP in Counseling may take up to six credits of the courses from List A prior to acceptance to the MS in Counseling program.

List A:

HCE 500 Orientation to the Counseling Profession or

HCE 510 Introduction to Rehabilitation Counseling and Services.

AND one of the following:

HCE 507 Spirituality and Religion in Counseling (elective)

HCE 604 Career Development

HCE 620 Fundamentals of Counseling Theories

HCE 668 Human Development

Students must earn a B or better in these classes.

Once the six credits from List A are completed, a student may apply to the master’s program. Students are required to follow all guidelines for their application as outlined on the Graduate Admissions website.

SBS students must be accepted in the counseling graduate school program in order to take any further graduate counseling courses. If accepted into the graduate program, a student becomes eligible to take any of the following courses from List B.

List B:

Any additional course(s) from List A,

AND any of the following courses:

HCE 514 - Principles of Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Evidence-based Practice and Treatment

HCE 612 - Multicultural Counseling: Social & Cultural Foundations of Helping Diverse Families

HCE 641 - Mind-Body and Expressive Arts Approaches in Counseling

HCE 642 - Perspectives on Substance Misuse and Addictions

A student may take courses from List B only after they have applied to and been accepted into the MS in Counseling graduate program. The maximum number of overall graduate credits taken as an undergraduate that can be applied to the graduate program is 18.

If not accepted into the graduate program, the student is not eligible for the courses in List B. However, the six credits will count as SBS electives. Even if a SBS student is an accelerated pathway student, they are not guaranteed acceptance into the graduate program.