Counseling and Psychology Degrees Offered at Central Methodist University
Central Methodist University appears in our ranking of the 50 Top Online Bachelor of Psychology Degree Programs.
Central Methodist University (CMU) offers degrees ranging from associate’s to master’s in the psychology and counseling fields. The undergraduate programs are offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and students can enroll in either the online or on-campus versions. The Associate of Arts in Psychology degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours which are split between 42 hours of general education classes and 18 hours of psychology courses.
At the bachelor’s level, students must choose between the bachelor of arts (B.A.) and bachelor of science (B.S.) degrees which primarily vary in general education courses, with the B.S. requiring extra laboratory science courses and the BA focusing more on humanities and language. Both tracks require at least 120 credit hours to graduate with 42 hours in the major. All students must take the psychology core which includes Experimental Psychology, Research Design and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences, Applied Quantitative Data Analysis, and the Senior Thesis. The remaining required classes are electives with at least one course from each of the four main psychology categories, biological, applied, developmental and social, and counseling, abnormal, and personality.
The Master of Science in Clinical Counseling is only offered at the Columbia-Parkade, Park Hills, Sedalia, and St. Louis CMU Centers and is delivered via a hybrid format. Half of the courses alternate weekly between on campus and online delivery and the other half meet in person every week. The program is designed to be accessible for working professionals with all campus-based classes offered in the evenings. Students must complete 60 credit hours in the areas of counseling theory, diagnosis, group counseling, helping relationships, appraisal, career development, human growth and development, research methods, and social and cultural diversity. In addition, between a practicum and two internships, there is a total of 700 clock-hours of fieldwork required throughout the program. During their final year, students are eligible to sit for the National Counseling Exam and then qualify for the National Certified Counselor designation upon graduation as well as provisional licensure as a professional counselor in Missouri.
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About Central Methodist University
CMU was founded in 1853 in central Missouri and has always had ties to the Methodist church. The main campus remains at its original site in the small town of Fayette which is considered part of the Columbia metropolitan area. While the Fayette campus is the only one with a residential option, there are 21 additional locations throughout the state in places like Park Hills, Florissant, Perryville, St. Louis, and St. Charles. Faculty stress the importance of community, curiosity, and communication in all areas of study and infuses the Methodist values throughout campus. The total enrollment is almost 3500 students with about 50 undergraduate and 7 graduate degree programs. According to the U.S. News and World Report, Central Methodist University ranks 24th on the Best Regional Colleges list and 37th on the Best Value Schools list, both in the Midwest category.
Central Methodist University Accreditation Details
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is responsible for evaluating the quality of colleges and universities in 19 central states in the United States. Each school is put on an individual, repeating 10-year track which ends in reaffirmation of accreditation, and the HLC utilizes a variety of methods like campus visits and self-study reporting to evaluate five aspects of each institution. These include the mission, resource utilization, commitment to self-improvement, teaching and learning opportunities, and integrity. Central Methodist University has maintained continuous accreditation since 1913 with its next recertification set for 2027.
There are a variety of other organizations that provide accreditation for individual degree program within a specific discipline. At CMU, the counseling master’s program has been accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) to ensure that graduates are well prepared for work in the field.
Central Methodist University Application Requirements
To apply for undergraduate admission, prospective students need to submit their application online as well as official transcripts and SAT or ACT scores. The minimum standards for admission include a GPA of at least 2.5 and an ACT score at or above 21 or SAT score of at least 1030. Transfer students need a 2.0 GPA on previous college coursework. The online bachelor’s program has the same admissions process and requirements as the on-campus program.
For the master’s of clinical counseling program, applicants need to submit all previous transcripts, three personal essays, and two letters of recommendation. To attain regular status admission, students are required to have an undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants are encouraged to apply even if their scores do not meet the stated cutoff limits because Central Methodist University may take other factors into account like difficulty of coursework and personal circumstances and grant the student provisional admission. The final part of the graduate application is the privacy document and waiver which grants the university permission to do a criminal background check to determine counseling license eligibility.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Campus-based undergraduate students enrolled in 12 to 18 credits per semester can expect tuition costs of around $25,000 which includes about $800 in fees. Those taking between 7 and 11 hours pay approximately $1000 per hour with smaller course loads incurring a credit-hour cost of $200 each. Online undergraduate tuition is $250 per credit hour regardless of the number of courses a student takes each semester. At the graduate level, students in the clinical counseling program can expect to pay $380 per credit hour for a total program cost of $22,800. CMU offers merit scholarships to incoming freshmen based on GPA and ACT/SAT scores, and transfer awards are also given out based on GPA and letters of recommendation. Other undergraduate scholarships include the Eagle Select for academic excellence, Central’s Got Talent for artistic abilities, and the United Methodist Scholarship for church involvement. Since the counseling master’s program is flexible and does not require daytime coursework, many students work full-time throughout the program and utilize their employer tuition assistance programs to cover all or part of their costs. Once students have submitted a FAFSA, Central Methodist University staff members work with all students to help them plan for their futures.