Degree Programs

The School Counseling (SC) program within the Department of Counseling and Human Services meets the licensure requirements of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and is accredited by CACREP based on national standards for the preparation of school counselors. In accordance with these standards, the school counselor program requires the completion of a 60-semester hour degree program. School Counseling students will complete the same foundational coursework as the Clinical Mental Health Counseling students and may be eligible for licensure as a Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).

The Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program within the Department of Counseling and Human Services is designed to prepare graduate students to assume positions in the provision of professional counseling and consultation services involving the principles of psychotherapy. It is a 60-semester hour program. Students will be prepared in the areas of human development, learning theory, group dynamics, and the etiology and diagnosis of mental illness and dysfunctional behavior. They will be prepared to provide professional services to individuals, couples, families and groups for the purposes of treating psychopathology and promoting optimal mental health.

The Bachelor of Arts in Human Services at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs emphasizes personal growth, theory-based practices, and experiential learning through fieldwork placement. The Human Services major provides both the academic and experiential background for the student seeking a career working with diverse populations in the varied and expanding field of Human Services.

Human services is one of the fastest growing fields in the country. The Human Services minor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs emphasizes personal growth, theory-based practices, and experiential learning through fieldwork placement. The Human Services minor provides both the academic and experiential background for the student seeking a career working with diverse populations in the varied and expanding field of Human Services.

The Counseling and Leadership master's degree program is a one-year, comprehensive curriculum for developing selected Majors for the important responsibility of air officer commanding or leading a cadet squadron at the US Air Force Academy. This training program was piloted in 1999, formalized in 2003 and is a sustained collaboration between the Department of Counseling and Human Services and the United States Air Force Academy.

The Department of Counseling and Human Services within the College of Education at UCCS offers students who have been accepted into the Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services program the opportunity to seek certification as a Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) candidate upon graduation. The university curriculum is designed to meet the core curriculum standards set forth by the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). Students may complete the Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services and the addictions emphasis simultaneously. UCCS is one of the few Masters of Arts degree programs in the state of Colorado that embeds the competencies to meet LAC credentialing. The UCCS Substance Use and Recovery Counseling program has maintained the status NAADAC Approved Provider since 2016. For further information regarding NAADAC's Approved Education Provider programming, see the NAADAC Approved Education Provider landing page at http://www.naadac.org/providers.

In a partnership with the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) the Department of Counseling and Human Services offers a specialized undergraduate Leader and Leadership Development Certificate. The certificate is offered to selected Academy Military Training (AMT) Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) at USAFA. The Leader and Leadership Development Program is an executive education program to support USAFA's AMTs as they prepare to educate, train, and inspire USAFA Cadets, as well as, to prepare the AMTs to excel as NCOs and Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCO) at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of the Air Force. This unique program was identified through the existing partnership with USAFA and to expand the training to non-commissioned officers. The certification links to the DCHS mission of service in this specialized educational area with USAFA as evidenced by the long-standing relationship created by the Air Force Officer Commanding Program.