Master of Science Counseling & Art Therapy (MS)

This program maintains an admission process unique to the program. Prospective students are encouraged to review the admission requirements in order to best prepare themselves for a successful future at VHS.

Admission

Both personal characteristics and academic qualifications of applicants are evaluated to ensure that students are capable of developing professional competence as counselors and art therapists.  Our Admissions Guide contains specific information about the admissions requirements, process, and timeline for the program.  We offer both a full-time and part-time options for our curriculum.  We also offer three stand-alone Graduate Certificates.

• A qualifying grade point average of 3.0 or better.
• A Bachelor’s degree completed no later than July 1.
• All prerequisite coursework satisfactorily completed no later than July 1:
  • Psychology Coursework
    • 6 semester credit hours in Psychology (must include developmental, abnormal) and
    • 6 optional psychology semester credit hours in psychology and/or human services related field.
  • Studio Art Coursework or equivalency
    • 12 semester credit hours in Studio Art (must include painting, drawing, sculpture/3-D and clay/ceramics) [recommended] or
    • Portfolio equivalency in Painting, Drawing, Sculpture/3D, and/or Clay/ceramics [considered for review by the Admissions Committee]
      • Satisfaction of prerequisite competencies in studio art may be demonstrated by competencies through portfolio review
        • Applicants must submit a portfolio of at least 6 artworks in the category for prerequisite review (i.e., 6 artworks in Painting for painting coursework equivalency).
        • Artworks must display adequate to proficient skills in the use of the media and principles of design.
    • A combination of coursework and portfolio equivalency may be considered for review by the Admissions Committee.
• Complete the online application including the following:
  • Official transcript(s) from all academic institutions attended
  • Official TOEFL scores (if applicable)
  • Two letters of reference
  • Personal interview with portfolio presentation
• Reviewed the technical standards.

Transcripts must be sent to GradCAS only. GradCAS only accepts electronic transcripts from the following sites:

• Credentials Solutions
• Parchment
• National Student Clearinghouse

If your school does not offer these services, download and send a transcript request form to your school’s registrar, who should send the transcript to:
GradCAS Transcript Processing Center
P.O. Box 9217
Watertown, MA 02471

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

Applicants with foreign degrees may be considered on a case-by-case basis. A written request must be submitted to HP Admissions with all of the following included for consideration:

An official academic credential evaluation of the foreign transcript. The evaluation must include the following components:

• Analysis of credentials to determine equivalence to an accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree
• Course-by-course translation, including information on course name, grade and U.S. credit equivalency
• Overall performance in comparison to the standard U.S. grading system (i.e., GPA)

Official transcripts of all coursework done in the U.S. educational system to date;

TOEFL scores for any applicant with a foreign degree and English as a second language or who entered the U.S. after age 12 from a non-English-speaking country of origin (as determined by high school graduation or personal statement). Graduation with an undergraduate degree from a U.S. educational institution will not fulfill this requirement. To ensure an ability to function at the graduate level due to the importance of communication in the English language for both learning and providing healthcare, the following are expected minimal scores:

• Internet-based test (preferred): 85
• Computer-based test: 220
• Speaking component: 25

Although multiple companies provide translation services, an English translation without the appropriate information above will not be accepted in place of an academic credential evaluation. Our preference is that you submit an evaluation completed by World Education Services to provide us with the most complete picture of your previous educational background.

All 30 credits of prerequisite coursework must be completed at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution with a B, 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade or better in order to establish a record of academic performance in this educational system. No foreign courses, degrees, work experience or other summative exams (e.g., GRE or MAT) will substitute for prerequisite coursework.

At the time of program interviews, if language issues are identified, further demonstration of English proficiency - to include TOEFL testing - may be requested as a condition of acceptance.

Early Assurance Program

To be eligible for the Early Assurance Program (EAP) with Regent University, a student must:

• Be at least in their junior year at Regent University and with only one academic year left to complete their undergraduate education when applying. Interested students should meet with the Regent University EAP Advisor (advising@regent.edu | 757.352.4385) during their freshman year or within the first semester of coursework to express interest in the EAP;
• Meet citizenship requirements of the program;
• Meet all Regent University institutional and degree requirements to continue as a student in good standing;
• Have an overall (cumulative) GPA of 3.0 or better;
• Have no academic or other code of conduct violations;
• Follow the Admission guidelines;
• Have a pre-matriculation meeting with the Program Director during the spring semester before the fall matriculation date.

The guarantee of admission through the EAP is contingent upon the student’s continued eligibility in the EAP.

Our faculty members are talented educators and dedicated scholars with strong counselor identities who are members of the American Counseling Association, serve on the American Counseling Association Foundation, and have been elected to state and national leadership positions in the Virginia Art Therapy Association and the American Art Therapy Association.

Through our faculty members’ teaching methods, students in our 61 credit hour, two-year program engage with the elements of counseling and art therapy practice and the research that leads to improved care. Our instruction focuses on collaborative and experiential learning, reflecting on learning and applying those lessons to internships and clinical work.  

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Course Sequence - 1st Year
Term 1 - Fall		16
CAT 604	Individual Counseling
CAT 605	Processes & Materials I
CAT 608	Psychopathology
CAT 610	Theories of Development
CAT 611	Intro to Art Therapy
CAT 616	Cultural Humility
Term 2 - Spring		15
CAT 600	Basic Counseling Skills
CAT 603	Group Counseling
CAT 606	Processes & Materials II
CAT 609	Assessment
CAT 615	Research Meth & Program Eval
Term 3 - Summer		4-5
CAT 607	Case Presentation Skills
CAT 669	Practicum
CAT 690	Capstone Project ***
Course Sequence - 2nd Year
Term 4 - Fall		12-13
CAT 618	Ethics & Professionalism
CAT 620	Addictions
CAT 622	Trauma & Neuro Informed Coun
CAT 668	Internship *
CAT 690	Capstone Project ***
Term 5 - Spring		13-14
CAT 614	Clinical Case Conf
CAT 617	Family Counseling
CAT 619	Creativity Symbolisim Metaphor
CAT 621	Career Counseling
CAT 668	Internship *
CAT 690	Capstone Project ***
Electives and Sub-Specialization Courses		1-4
CAT 612	Medical Art Therapy
CAT 625	Community Art
CAT 627	Countertransference/Jung
CAT 628	Exploration of the Psyche
CAT 631	Applied Cultural Sensitivity **
CAT 639	Art Therapy in the Schools
CAT 698	Indep Study. Research Methods
Total Credit Hours		61-67

*

6 credits required

**

May be repeated for up to 8 credits

***

Degree requirement (1) credit Capstone; may be completed in the Fall or Spring of 2^nd year; Research based Capstones require 1 elective credit to develop proposal before beginning Capstone.