Ursuline College

In 1850, the Ursuline Sisters came to Cleveland from their native France in order to establish the first teaching community based in religion in the area. Mother Mary of the Annunciation Beaumont, the first superior of the Cleveland Ursulines, recognized a need for an institute of higher education for women. She obtained a charter from the state to establish the college, making Ursuline one of the first Catholic women’s colleges in the country that was chartered especially for the purpose of higher education and the first women’s Catholic women’s college in Ohio.

From the beginning, admission was open to all women, regardless of race or creed, as long as they qualified academically. Growth moved the school from downtown Cleveland to several other locations over the years until 1966 when it was moved to a new site in Pepper Pike. This move took ten years of planning by Mother Marie Sands who was then the President of the College.

The college was incorporated separately as an independent, non-profit organization although the Ursuline Sisters continued to serve as the religious sponsor and a Board of Trustees was formed in 1969. Today, there are more than 1,500 students enrolled. The school is no longer only for women, but men only make up nine percent of the student body.

Ursuline College Accreditation Details

Ursuline College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Accreditation indicates that the college meets or exceeds criteria that the association has identified as excellence in education and that the college strives to improve any areas that the association identifies during their review. In addition, the following organizations accredit specific programs at the college:

• American Art Therapy Association
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Bar Association
• Art Therapy Credentials Board
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Council on Social Work Education
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• Public Relations Society of America, APR

Ursuline College Application Requirements

Students who have not earned college credit after graduation are considered freshmen students. In order to apply, students must complete the Common Application and a First-Year Application. Students must provide official high school transcripts as well as their official ACT or SAT scores. One letter of recommendation may be submitted but is not required. Adult students may enroll in the Ursuline College Adult Program (UCAP), which is a bachelor’s degree program in an accelerated format. To apply, students must have three years of professional work experience and completed at least 30 hours of transferable credit.

Transfer students must complete an online application and provide official transcripts from any colleges or universities attended. If students are transferring in less than 30 credits, they must also submit official high school transcripts and a writing assessment.

Graduate programs have their own requirements for admission. Students are encouraged to speak to an admissions counselor before applying.

Ursuline College Tuition and Financial Aid

Undergraduate tuition at Ursuline College is $1,028 per credit hour. Graduate tuition is $1,094 per credit hour for most programs. For the MBA program, tuition is $842 per credit hour and for the MAP, tuition is $548 per credit hour. Educational administration programs at the graduate level are $657 per credit hour.

Financial aid is available in the form of merit scholarships, grants, loans and work study for undergraduate students. Graduate students are eligible for grants, loans and work study. In order to apply for financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Ursuline College Degree Program(s) Available

Counseling and Art Therapy

The Master of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy allows students with a passion for art and helping others move into a career that combines both interests. Upon graduation, students are eligible for licensure as professional clinical mental health counselors with credentialing as art therapists. A wide range of theoretical approaches are discussed throughout the program, allowing students to incorporate their own professional identity into the counseling of others. The program is as unique as the students who attend with a goal to help students develop into the type of counselor and art therapist that meets their vision and goals. The program provides service learning trips as well as the opportunity for internships in order to immerse students in the art therapy world. Students are encouraged to be reflective practitioners and seek counseling outside the department in order to emerge more mature, well-integrated and effective with their own clients. Courses required for the program include:

• Appraisal
• Art Therapy Studio I
• Case Studies
• Counseling Theories
• Cultural and Social Diversity
• Diagnoses
• Family Systems
• Group Process
• History and Theory of Art Therapy/Counseling
• Human Growth and Development
• Lifestyle and Career Development
• Orientation to Research and Writing I
• Professional, Ethical and Legal Issues
• Projective Assessments
• Psychopathology, Personality and Abnormal Behavior
• Psychotropic Medications I
• Research and Evaluation
• Techniques and Use of Media
• Treatment of Children and Adolescents

Students must also complete a thesis and complete Clinical Counseling Techniques I before completing a Clinical II Practicum. Students must also complete an internship in a particular setting using skills they will utilize after graduation. Focus of the internship is on the appraisal of the individual and continued development of skills necessary in a professional art therapy practice. An integrative seminar is also required which is used to refine the final thesis project. Students must also choose from the following electives to specialize their studies:

• Addictions and Treatment
• Art Therapy and Counseling Studio II
• Creative Counseling Modalities
• Educational Settings
• Geriatrics
• Special Settings and Populations
• Spirituality, Wholeness and the Arts

As an elective, students may elect to complete independent study or an advanced clinical internship. In addition, each semester Special Topics Workshops are offered that cover a broad range of creative counseling modalities and current applications of counseling with art therapy.

Students who are interested in using their artistic ability to help others would benefit from the Counseling and Art Therapy program at Ursuline College. In addition to this exciting, unique program, Ursuline College offers many degree programs designed to help individuals move into a new career or advance in a current career. Ursuline College also offers adults the ability to achieve their higher education goals through the UCAP program that offers flexible scheduling so that those who have work, family or social obligations that prevent them from attending traditional classes are able to achieve their education goals as well.

See also:

• The 50 Best Online Schools for a Graduate Degree in Counseling