William Jessup University

Counseling and Psychology Degree Programs at WJU

William Jessup University appears in our ranking of the Top 25 Small Colleges for a Counseling Degree.

Both undergrads and graduate students who want to study counseling or psychology will find several programs available from William Jessup University worthwhile. Undergrads will usually start with the university's Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program. Students learn how to meet the needs of others while also retaining their own beliefs. The university gives students different options to choose from in terms of concentrations, including developmental psychology, counseling, community mental health, and group psychology.

As a religious university, William Jessup offers some unique courses for psychology majors. Psychology and Christian Thought is a course that looks at how students can determine what needs other individuals have and find solutions for them based on their own beliefs and thoughts. Students must take two fieldwork courses too and do internships in a clinical setting. There is also an online version of this program available, which students can complete in three years. The university will accept up to 90 credits earned from another school, which reduces the number of credits students still need to complete down to just 38.

One of the top graduate programs available from this university is its Master of Arts in Counseling program. Not only does it help students meet the requirements for becoming a licensed professional counselor in California, but it also helps them meet the requirements for becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist. Students will take one elective and 19 required classes, including Crisis and Trauma in Community Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Therapy and Abuse Reporting, Psychopathology and Marital Therapy and Domestic Violence. The program also features two practicums and a final practicum that includes a research project and a case study.

William Jessup University also offers an addiction studies certificate program that can help students develop some of the skills needed to work in rehabilitation centers. The program starts with a course called Introduction to Addictions in Society and includes seven other classes such as Professional Treatment Skills, Counseling of Addictive Behavior and Group and Advanced Counseling. William Jessup University requires that students in this program do two practicums in an agency devoted to helping those with addictions.

About William Jessup University

William Jessup University is a nondenominational private university in California that also goes by the names of William Jessup and just Jessup. Some also call the university WJU. When originally established in 1939, the school used the name of the San Jose Bible College. William Jessup served as its first president and helped the college grow during its early years. He later moved the school to a new location to avoid competition from new schools opening in the city. The school also used the name of the San Jose Christian College for many years before becoming William Jessup.

The university now has a small campus in Rocklin that is home to a number of historic buildings. Frank Gehry actually designed some of the buildings on its campus. A large portion of the campus was once part of an old factory owned and operated by the Herman Miller Furniture Company. More than 1,200 students take classes full-time at William Jessup University every year.

William Jessup University Accreditation Details

Students should really understand what accreditation is and why so many consider it important before they apply to any college or university. Regional accreditation covers the entire school and all the programs available. Colleges must renew their accreditation once every decade to continue getting federal funds. Those funds help students pay for college and provides them with grant and loan money. William Jessup University has its regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). It also has accreditation from the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), which is an organization that accredits religious colleges.

William Jessup University Application Requirements

William Jessup does not have any requirements regarding what scores students must earn on a standardized test or what grades they should get in high school. It does recommend that prospective undergrads complete a core curriculum in high school that prepares them for college though. This should include two years of any foreign language and three years of science, math and social science classes. Students should also take four years of English classes and some electives. Undergrads will submit an online application and then submit both an official standardized test score and an official transcript to the university. William Jessup allows students to create an application account and continue working on an application they previously started.

Those applying to the university's graduate counseling program must meet other requirements. The university only accepts students who have a bachelor's degree in a social science field and those who maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students must complete the online application and submit their transcripts, resumes and two letters written by either academic or professional references. Students who want to study psychology and counseling will also a personal essay that explains how they will use their faith and beliefs in their studies. The university may require that some students go through an interview with a member of its faculty too.

Tuition and Financial Aid

To receive financial aid, incoming students must complete the FAFSA and apply to William Jessup. They will then go online and confirm that they plan to attend the university. The school will then create a financial aid package designed to provide the student with as much aid as possible. Federal aid for undergrads can include one or two grants. State aid packages can include grants from the California state government.

William Jessup also offers institutional aid in the form of scholarships. Those scholarships only go to students who apply and complete all requirements by April 1. Graduate students can apply for aid as well, but they usually only receive loans. There are alternative loan programs as well as loans available for grad students who need more help and the parents and guardians of college students.

The average cost of attending this private university is around $26,000 a year. Students pay nearly $15,000 to take up to 18 credits each semester during their undergrad years. Graduate students will pay more than $500 per credit hour. Many students attending William Jessup University for graduate school earned their undergrad degrees in psychology from the university first.