Lewis & Clark College

Counseling and Psychology Degrees at LCC

Lewis & Clark College appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Most Affordable Master’s Degrees in Counseling in the West.

The College of Arts & Sciences launched the Psychology B.A. for Lewis & Clark College undergrads to assemble better interpersonal awareness for 92 percent job placement. Led by Dr. Todd Watson, the 39-credit flexible major integrates courses like Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Statistics, and Individual Differences with an 11:1 student-professor ratio. Undergrads have opportunities to research in the Social Psychology Lab, volunteer with Hands On Greater Portland, join Psi Chi, become NASPA Fellows, attend the (De)Constructing Leadership Conference, and venture to Ecuador. The School Psychology Ed.S. is Oregon's only nationally approved program focused on mental health assessment in K-12 settings. Advised by Dr. Teresa McDowell, the 61-credit, 36-month sequence requires year-long internships at 300+ partnering schools, including Glencoe Elementary and Lincoln High. There's also an eight-credit Ecopsychology Certificate concerned with human relationships to Earth.

Since January 2011, Lewis & Clark College had held CACREP accreditation to grant the Professional Mental Health Counseling M.A./M.S. Overseen by Dr. Carol Doyle, this 62-credit thesis track teaches several theoretical perspectives for addressing realistic patient problems with state licensure. Available focus areas include LGBTQ Counseling, Feminist Therapy, Eating Disorders, Ecopsychology, and Community Advocacy. The Marriage, Couple, & Family Therapy M.A./M.S. boasts a 100 percent national exam pass rate for helping relationships thrive. Directed by Dr. Carmen Knudson-Martin, this 60-credit option immerses cohorts of 35 into Addictions Treatment, International Family Therapy, Ecopsychology, or Sex Therapy tracks. The School Counseling M.Ed. adheres to ASCA standards to nurture the personal and social development of K-12 learners. Chaired by Dr. Mollie Galloway in Rogers Hall, it has a 45-credit track for unlicensed and 37-credit track for certified teachers.

About Lewis & Clark College

Months before Oregon's statehood, Lewis & Clark College was opened in 1858 by Presbyterian settlers as Albany Academy on the Monteith Family's estate. Coeducational from the start, it was chartered Albany Collegiate Institute in 1866 for lower-division education. By 1905, the Synod of Oregon acquired leadership and launched the Bachelor of Arts. Renamed to honor the Corps of Discovery Expedition, Lewis & Clark relocated to its current 63-acre Southwest Portland campus in Collins View in 1942. Endowed for $204 million, LCC now belongs to the Annapolis Group as a private, justice-oriented nonprofit school with 3,650 Pioneers from 50 nations. Linked to 17,330 LinkedIn alumni, Lewis & Clark College has graduated Matt Wuerker, Jeanne Holm, Ted Gaines, Kate Brown, and more.

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Lewis & Clark the 76th best national liberal arts college, 189th top education school, and 88th top value. On Niche, LCC is America's 107th best small university, 173rd best campus, and 226th top psychology college. Forbes placed Lewis & Clark College 146th overall with the 232nd happiest alums. The Princeton Review noticed LCC for the 14th least religious students and 14th greenest practices. Times Higher Education crowned Lewis & Clark the 233rd top institution. College Factual recognized LCC for the country's 218th best psychology program and 341st highest-paid grads. The "College of Distinction" landed 68th among Kiplinger's best liberal arts buys too.

Lewis & Clark College Accreditation Details

In Fall 2017, Lewis & Clark College satisfactorily underwent its year seven evaluation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) to retain Level V accreditation under the 25th president Dr. Wim Wiewel, a CASE Chief Executive Leadership Award winner. Located in Redmond, this regional accreditor is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to determine Federal Title-IV eligibility for LCC's 34 baccalaureate, 27 master's, and two doctoral majors. Lewis & Clark also features these relevant programmatic approvals:

• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE)
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
• National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Lewis & Clark College Application Requirements

Enrolling at Lewis & Clark College is labeled "very difficult" by Peterson's because 54 percent of the 7,796 applicants were accepted in Fall 2016. First-year Pioneers pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology finish the required 17 high school courses with an average GPA of 3.9. Though optional, freshmen achieve a mean 1360 SAT and 29 ACT score. Undergrads from other accredited colleges with 12+ liberal arts credits and 3.0 GPAs can transfer. Master's programs only admit future counselors finishing baccalaureate study with a 2.75 GPA or higher. The School Counseling M.Ed. Track I requires two academic years of full-time, licensed teaching experience. The School Psychology Ed.S. also needs GRE General Test scores, preferably above 300 combined.

Lewis & Clark College created an Early Decision deadline of November 1st and Regular Decision deadline of January 15th for freshmen. Psychology B.A. transfers apply until May 1st for Fall and November 1st for Spring. The Graduate School of Education & Counseling generally has an application period from September 1st to January 15th. Please file the free Common Application or $50 Graduate Application online. Supporting materials might be sent to the Frank Manor House in 0615 SW Palatine Hill Road in Portland, OR 97219. Contact (800) 444-4111 or [email protected] with questions. The application checklist varies by program, with these add-ons:

• Official transcripts for all academics
• SAT/ACT scores or test-optional portfolio
• Secondary school and mid-year reports
• Supplemental 250-650 word essay questions
• Three letters of character reference
• Resume of positions held for 3+ months
• Oregon preliminary or professional license

Tuition and Financial Aid

Full-time Psychology B.A. students at Lewis & Clark College spend $25,287 per semester or $50,574 annually. Annual budgets include the $360 student body fee, $20 green energy fee, $2,701 health insurance, and $40 media fee. Living at the Portland campus' dorms like Platt-Howard Hall incurs $11,996 for room and board. Bachelor's attendance equals approximately $62,086 each year. The Graduate School charges flat-rate tuition of $928 per credit for on-campus courses. Off-campus, 600-level courses are discounted to $828 per credit. For example, the 60-credit Mental Health Counseling M.A. costs $55,680 total.

According to the NCES College Navigator, 87 percent of full-time LCC Pioneers luckily share $48.24 million in annual financial aid offers that average $26,039 each. Institutional funds include the Trustee Scholarship, Faculty Scholarship, Student Leadership Scholarship, Barbara Hirschi Neely Scholarship, Herbert Templeton Scholarship, Forensics Scholarship, Mary Stuart Rogers Scholarship, and Dr. Robert Pamplin Fellowship. Oregon natives can receive over 500 OSAC scholarships and the Opportunity Grant. Complete the FAFSA application via code 003197 determines Federal Pell and FSEOG Grant eligibility. Graduate assistantship positions pay $18/hour. The Bates Center has limited Federal Work-Study jobs over 10-month periods. Money magazine also recorded an average debt of $19,500 for Lewis & Clark College graduates from Perkins, Stafford, Plus, and alternative loans.

Learn more about Lewis & Clark College at the School of Education & Counseling website.