Counseling Degree Programs in Michigan

Established in Mount Pleasant in 1892, CMU now welcomes more than 27,000 graduate and undergrad students each year.

CMU offers a master of arts in counseling with three concentration choices: clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and addiction counseling. Students may also choose a dual program, earning two of the three options.

Single-concentration programs take 60 credits and 600 internship hours to complete, while the dual program requires two separate internships and 69-75 credits. Students take classes online, at night, or on weekends, so they can work while attending school.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.8 GPA, plus two letters of recommendation and a written statement of purpose. The department may request a personal interview. Accepted applicants must agree to undergo at least five hours of personal counseling before graduation.

Central Michigan University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The second-biggest university in the Detroit area, founded in Rochester Hills in 1957 as a branch of Michigan State University, the now-independent Oakland University serves roughly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year.

Oakland offers a campus-based master of arts in counseling with specializations in clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. Students in the clinical mental health counseling track may further specialize in an area such as addictions counseling or children and adolescents. The clinical mental health program prepares students for licensure in Michigan. School counseling students may choose whether to take three extra courses to prepare for licensure.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0 or above. Additional application requirements include two written essays, two letters of recommendation, and a personal interview.

Oakland University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Established in Detroit in 1868 as the Detroit College of Medicine, WSU now enrolls more than 27,000 grad students and undergrads annually.

The university offers a master of arts in counseling with tracks in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, or art therapy. Students may combine multiple tracks with program advisor permission.

All students take the same foundational courses. These include diversity, multicultural competence, and social justice advocacy for human service professionals; counseling theories, philosophies, and techniques; and professional counseling: orientation. Learners also take courses in their chosen specialization. In addition, all students must complete a practicum and two internships.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Those applying for the art therapy track must hold at least 12 undergraduate credits in psychology and 18 undergraduate credits in studio art.

Wayne State University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Established in 1903 as a teacher-training school in Kalamazoo, WMU welcomes more than 22,000 graduate and undergraduate students every year.

WMU offers on-campus master of arts in counseling degrees in clinical mental health counseling; marriage, couple, and family counseling; rehab counseling; school counseling; and counseling psychology. Rehab counseling students may choose a generalist track or a concentration in blindness and low vision.

All programs prepare students for licensure in their chosen area of interest, and most offer options for additional specializations and/or certifications.

Applicants must submit official transcripts, a professional goals statement, a resume, three letters of recommendation, and a supplemental application for their chosen area of specialization.

Western Michigan University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The flagship member of the Seventh Day Adventist university system, founded in Battle Creek in 1874, Andrews moved to its current Berrien Springs location in 1901. The university now serves more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students per year.

Andrews offers master of arts degrees in clinical mental health counseling and school counseling. Both campus-based programs approach the field of counseling from a Christian worldview. Students can finish either 60-credit program in two years.

All participants must complete a practicum at the university's community counseling center and a one-year, field-based internship. Both programs encourage student research, starting with a research methodology course in the first year. In addition, all students must pass a two-day comprehensive final exam before graduation.

The program typically only accepts 12-15 new students per year. Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 2.6 or above, two recommendations, a resume, and a statement of purpose.

Andrews University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.