Mental Health Counseling, MS
Society is putting ever-greater focus on wellness and mental health. Our fully accredited master’s program in mental health counseling will put you in a position to make a difference in this vital field.
Build a Foundation for Practice
Learn to understand the nature, development and treatment of various forms of mental health-related problems in this program. As a student, you’ll combine counseling, assessment and consultation skills needed for clinical practice with an ability to put evidence-supported practices to work. Be part of a program that emphasizes personal and professional growth, respect for human diversity, social justice, client strengths and ethical responsibility.
Empowering Healthy Minds
Growing up on Long Island, Luisa Perez Ortiz had trouble finding resources to help navigate her own struggles with mental health. Today, Perez Ortiz is an alum of GSE’s mental health counseling master’s program—a path made possible through a SUNY scholarship supporting underrepresented students pursuing mental health degrees.
Points of Distinction
Starting in your second year, you’ll complete 600 hours of clinical work that build the skills necessary to pursue professional practice. By the time you graduate, you’ll be eligible to pursue licensure as a mental health counselor in New York State.
Our long-standing relationships with non-profit mental health centers, hospitals, college counseling centers and substance abuse treatment centers are at the core of our program. As a student, you’ll have internship opportunities that deliver lasting hands-on experiences.
UB’s master’s program in mental health counseling is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC). This accreditation is a seal of approval that tells you—and future employers—that your education is informed by the latest, most-effective practices.
Program Summary
Find details about application deadlines and requirements, courses and more. Have questions? Contact our admissions office.
| Academic credential granted | Master of Science (MS) |
|---|---|
| Credits required for completion | 60 |
Time to completion |
|
| Course delivery | On campus or online |
| Experiential contact hours | 600 |
| Application deadline |
|
Career settings include:
- Hospitals
- Mental health centers
- State government agencies
- Substance abuse treatment facilities
Our mental health counseling master’s degree program (60 credit hours) is offered in two course delivery formats:
- On campus: completed full-time (12 credits or more per semester) in either four or five semesters.
- Online: completed part-time in four years, including two summers. Students take two courses per semester (fall, spring and summer).
Syllabi for coursework may be obtained by contacting the program director.
Required Courses
- CEP 504 Introduction to the Rehabilitation of Substance Abuse and Addictions
- CEP 521 Mental Health Counseling
- CEP 532 Understanding Statistical Research
- CEP 541 Human Growth and Development
- CEP 586 Assessment in Mental Health Counseling
- CEP 615 Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling
- CEP 618 Principles of Counseling Practice
- CEP 629 Family Counseling
- CEP 634 Multicultural Issues in Counseling
- CEP 653 Foundations of Counseling Theories
- CEP 658 Introduction to Groups
- CEP 664 Process of Consultation
- CEP 680 Career Development
- CEP 695 Psychopathology and Evidence-Based Interventions
- CEP ### — Two CEP-approved electives at the graduate level, 3 credits each (6 credits)
Electives
- CEP 548 Coaching for Wellness
- CEP 553 Self-Care in Service
- CEP 566 Wellness and Engagement
- CEP 616 Grief Counseling and Issues in Grief and Loss
- CEP 644 Counseling Children and Adolescents
- CEP 645 Introduction to School Counseling
- CEP 661 Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability
- CEP 683 Vocational Placement Process
Additional electives are available and vary by semester.
Internship (12 credits)
Toward the end of your program, you’ll engage in a comprehensive 12-credit internship, dedicating 600 hours across two semesters to gain practical experience focusing on mental health counseling.
This internship experience is designed to prepare you for professional practice, offering practical guidance from your on-site clinical supervisor, and academic and didactic instruction from your CEP 600MHC course instructor.
Standardized Testing No Longer Required
To make the application process more equitable, the GRE/MAT is no longer required for admissions consideration. If you still plan to take the GRE/MAT exam, you can send your scores through the testing agency, and they will automatically be added to your application; however, they are not required for admission consideration to this program.
You must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Choose your course delivery method before applying to this program.
Submit your completed online application, which includes:
- Application fee: A $50 non-refundable application fee, submitted electronically through UB's ePayment system.
- Contact information for at least three individuals who will each be asked to provide an electronic recommendation letter. Academic or professional references are preferred.
- Unofficial transcripts from all colleges attended. (UB transcripts are automatically submitted for current UB students and alumni.) Most admitted applicants to this program have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
- Resume
- Short answers to the following prompts that are on the application:
- Discuss your motivations for choosing UB’s program and pursuing a career as a mental health counselor. Additionally, if your racial or ethnic background has influenced your journey toward this career, we invite you to share those experiences. (500–1000 words)
- Describe your involvement in initiatives committed to cultural diversity and social justice. Detail the nature of your participation and the impact of these efforts. (250–300 words)
- Describe any experiences you have had related to counseling, volunteer work or community involvement. Include any additional information you believe is relevant to help us understand your background and interests. (250–300 words)
Former/Birth Name: Please provide us with your former/birth name if you have one. When requesting transcripts, please ask the sending institution to indicate your current name and former/birth name.
Admission Decision: The admission decision will be communicated to you as soon as review is complete. The decision is based on several factors and is the result of a thorough and deliberate process. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
In-State Residency Tuition
To qualify for the in-state residency tuition rate, you must provide residency documentation indicating you have lived in New York State (NYS) 12 months before your semester start date.
If accepted, you will need to upload three documents to qualify for the in-state tuition rate. See Required Documents for Residency Application for more information.
International Applicant Additional Requirements
- Official original proof of your degree
- A copy of your passport biographical page
- Official test scores—dated within two years of submitting your application—for either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic Test, the PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic, or DET (Duolingo English Test).
- TOEFL minimum score is 250 for the computer-based test, 600 for the paper-based test and 4 for the internet-based test (1–6 grading scale). For scores before 2026, the minimum internet-based test score is 79.
- IELTS Academic Test minimum score is 6.5 overall
- PTE minimum score is 55 overall
- DET minimum score is 120 overall
- Financial documentation: International graduate applicants must document their ability to pay for all costs incurred while studying in the U.S.
- An official bank statement
All financial forms and supporting documentation with required signatures must be uploaded with your application and dated within one year of your intended enrollment date.
New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. SUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these state requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public.
Per U.S. Federal Regulations, §668.14 and §668.43 and in compliance with the SARA Policy Manual version 25.2, December 16, 2025, the University at Buffalo provides the disclosure(s) on this page related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification for academic programs leading to professional licensure to meet the educational requirements for licensure in states where UB students reside. These disclosures do not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Students are responsible for understanding and complying with all applicable state certification and licensure requirements. Professional licensure/certification requirements vary from state to state, which may affect a student's ability to apply for a professional licensure/certification upon completion of the educational program, prior to licensure. Furthermore, these disclosures do not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after these disclosures have been made.
Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where “distance education” students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The mental health counseling MS program at the University at Buffalo (UB) is registered by the New York State Education Department and thus meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification for New York State. Through a good faith effort, and for the purpose of complying with the federal regulation, we have determined that the mental health counseling MS program at UB meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the state of New York; however, it is important to note that UB is not the licensure/certification authority in these U.S. States and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in these U.S. States and instead each individual candidate must contact the licensure/certification authority in the U.S. State in which they are seeking licensure/certification to obtain guidance on the application policies and procedures for licensure/certification.
UB offers the Master of Science in mental health counseling which leads to the licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) license in New York State. The program also adequately prepares students to take the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) upon program completion, which is required for licensure in New York State. Our program is accredited by the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC).
