Psychology and Counseling Programs at the University of the Cumberlands
The University of the Cumberlands appears in our ranking of the 50 Top Online Bachelor of Psychology Degree Programs.
The University of the Cumberlands offers eight counseling and psychology degree programs for students who attend classes in Kentucky and those who want to earn an online degree. Online undergrads can earn an associate degree in psychology, which can help them work in fields such as sports psychology or counseling psychology later. This program includes classes such as Social Psychology, Psychology of Personality and Introduction to Psychology. The university’s online bachelor program in psychology takes up to four years to finish and includes similar courses. Undergrads can also major in psychology on the University of the Cumberlands main campus.
Two of the university’s counseling programs are available online too. One is a master’s in clinical mental health counseling and teaches students how to counsel and support their future clients. This is an accredited program that includes 48 credits of core counseling classes and 12 credits of practical classes. Those practical classes include Process and Techniques in Counseling, Private Practice and Clinical Supervision and Marriage and Family Counseling. The core courses include Theories in Counseling, Group Counseling, Advanced Clinical Assessment, and Human Growth and Development.
Students can also earn an online master’s in addiction counseling. They take the same 48 credits of core counseling classes that clinical mental health counseling majors take. Some of those classes include Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling, Introduction to the Counseling Profession and Lifestyle and Career Development. They must also take four addiction counseling courses, including Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment and Motivation and Change.
There are also three online doctoral programs in counseling and psychology available from the University of the Cumberlands. One focuses on counseling education and supervision. It includes 18 credits of research courses and dissertation work and 18 credits of specialty classes as well as 30 credits of core classes. Students must take the same classes to get their counseling supervision degrees online. The university has similar requirements for students in its doctoral program in clinical psychology.
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About the University of the Cumberlands
The University of the Cumberlands is a private university in the small town of Williamsburg, Kentucky. Established in 1889 as the Williamsburg Institute, it opened after members of the Mount Zion Association called for a new college in the rural part of the state. The state itself would later agree with those plans and help turn the institute into Highland College and later Cumberland College. Its affiliation with the Kentucky Baptist Convention led to the college receiving exemptions that other schools cannot. Those exemptions allow the university to base its admissions decisions on factors such as gender and sexuality. Now called the University of the Cumberlands, it offers more than degree programs across the top three educational levels and has an enrollment of more than 7,600 students.
University of the Cumberlands Accreditation Details
The counseling programs offered by the University of the Cumberlands have full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). It earned this accreditation after the organization launched an extensive review of its programs, degree requirements and opportunities for students. As it also has accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the university can also award financial aid to students in need.
University of the Cumberlands Application Requirements
The main requirements for undergrads who want to attend the University of the Cumberlands are a high school diploma or its equivalent and a standardized test score. Students will need to set up accounts with the university’s admissions website and then work on the application. Once they submit it and pay their fees, they can request that the testing board send their scores and that their high schools send their transcripts. The university asks students what they want to study on the application.
To apply to one of the university’s counseling programs, students must submit their applications by the set deadline, which is several months before the semester starts. They must have a bachelor’s degree and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The university asks for official transcripts and an essay based on a prompt shown in the application. Students will also complete the application and pay a small fee. The University of the Cumberlands also requires two letters of recommendation and asks that students use references who are familiar with their work both in school and in the professional field.
Those applying to a doctoral program must have a college GPA of 3.5 or higher and both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. The university looks favorably on those with degrees in counseling, psychology or another social science subject. A minimum score of 300 on the GRE or 500 on the MAT is also required, and students must submit scores that are no older than five years. Other requirements for doctoral students include a writing sample, a passing score on the university’s skills test, a resume and three letters of recommendation.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Graduate students in online counseling programs pay $400 per credit hour or $24,000 to complete their programs. This amount does not include the $1,000 that they pay for their textbooks. Students in a traditional counseling graduate program pay the same amount. Though the doctoral programs also charge $400 per credit hour, students will need to take at least 66 credit hours of classes, which will bring their totals up to $26,400 to finish their programs. Undergrads pay $23,000 a year for tuition and fees and a room and board charge of $9,000 per year to live on the campus.
The financial aid packages offered by the University of the Cumberlands can include four different types of aid: scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. Students can only participate in the Federal Work Study program if they submit a FAFSA that shows a high level of financial need. The university offers a number of different jobs for students on its campus. Though loans require that students pay back the money they borrow, they do not need to repay any of the scholarships or grants that they receive. To get financial aid, students will file the FAFSA and accept the package the university gives them. The University of the Cumberlands offers financial aid for online and traditional students in any of its counseling and psychology programs.