About Arcadia’s Dual Degrees in Counseling and International Peace and Conflict Resolution
Trauma affects millions of people worldwide each year. Individuals affected by natural disasters, war, ethnic conflict, and gender-based violence can suffer long-lasting psychological symptoms that cause significant personal distress and interfere with optimal functioning. Despite this, trauma survivors’ psychological needs frequently go untreated.
The combination of two master’s programs at Arcadia—Counseling with the Trauma Concentration and International Peace and Conflict Resolution—gives students a unique multidisciplinary program not found elsewhere. Students with training in both trauma-specific counseling and international peace and conflict resolution will be well-positioned to plan and implement programs that facilitate psychological recovery from violence and natural disasters, both domestically and abroad.
This program is for students with specific interests in trauma recovery at an international scale as well as for students interested in serving the increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers within the United States. In order to do relief work abroad, agencies increasingly require professional credentials, so this program fulfills the requirements to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Full-time or part-time: If completed on a full-time basis, the program will take three years, starting in the summer—or longer depending on the individual student’s needs and preferences. Since both programs have part-time options, adapting the student’s schedule is easier than fitting additional courses into a full-time program block schedule.
Counseling Goals and Objectives: The master’s program in Counseling educates and socializes students to become practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. Coursework integrates theory and practice—both within and outside of the classroom.
The Counseling program is structured to develop professional-level competence in:
- Communication and listening
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Interpersonal and cultural sensitivity
- Understanding self through introspection and realistic self-critique
- Adhering to professional, ethical and legal standards and behaviors
- Generating and testing hypotheses about human behavior
- Understanding the theories and techniques of counseling and behavior change
- Using counseling skills in individual and group settings
- Integrating and applying assessment, diagnostic, consultation and educational strategies
International Peace and Conflict Resolution Goals and Objectives: The IPCR program’s innovative curriculum allows students to develop an area of concentration within the discipline of international peace and conflict resolution, build an international network of contacts among the international conflict resolution community, and gain practical experience in the field. The IPCR program is structured to develop competencies in:
- Theories and dynamics of conflict and resolution
- Tools and techniques of conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict transformation
- Understanding of how states and other third parties impact conflict
- Knowledge of the methods used to diffuse conflict on a variety of levels—interpersonal, groups and institutions
- An appreciation for the contributions of other disciplines to the field of peace and conflict resolution
- The ability to recognize a number of qualitative and quantitative methods and understand data represented in research
Students can complete specialized courses in areas of a student’s choosing, including international law, sustainable development mediation, health, and human rights.
Benefits of the Dual Degree Program
Arcadia students have opportunities to integrate counseling and conflict resolution principles to service individuals affected by traumatic circumstances. These opportunities may include community projects and internships that will enhance their clinical and community-based skills, both within the United States and internationally, if desired.
Dual degree students gain a greater understanding of the scope of both counseling and international peace and conflict resolution issues surrounding communities and individuals living in post-conflict societies.
The dual degree combines the advocacy agendas proposed by both international peace and conflict resolution and counseling/trauma psychology field to most effectively address communities’ and individual problems in post-conflict societies.
Internship Possibilities: There are multiple opportunities for students to work in situations that allow them to combine their Counseling clinical training with their IPCR internship requirement. Such internships prepare students to serve populations who have experienced traumas both at home and abroad, as well as address both individual and systemic causes of distress. As the fields of counseling (and especially trauma counseling) and IPCR have both a strong advocacy component, it is invaluable for students to pursue internships that integrate both perspectives. These internships will be arranged on an individual basis with the Counseling internship coordinator and the IPCR internship coordinator. Students also have separate faculty advisers in both academic programs.
Accreditation: The Counseling graduate programs are accredited by the Masters in Psychology Accreditation Council (MPAC).
Admission to the Dual Degree Program
Dual degree candidates must be admitted to each of the programs in order to enroll in the dual degree program. Admission to the IPCR program is fall only. Admission to the Counseling program is fall, spring or summer. Deadline for Fall and Summer admission for dual program is: January 15th. Deadline for Spring admission for Counseling is September 15th.
Admission Requirements: The following requirements must be met:
- A graduate application, including personal statements, to be completed online at www.arcadia.edu/gradapp.
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better.
- One official transcript from each college, university or professional school attended. Transfer credits included on a transcript must include grades earned; if not, an official transcript from the original school must be submitted. Transcripts must be sent from the issuing school in a sealed envelope and contain the appropriate signatures and seals to be considered official.
- Completion of at least three Psychology courses, to include Introductory Psychology, with grades of “B” or better in each. As well, an ‘Introduction to International Relations” undergraduate course is strongly recommended prior to the fall start of the IPCR program.
- Arcadia University welcomes applications for the IPCR program from college graduates of all majors, especially those who have demonstrated scholastic excellence and a commitment to international peace and conflict resolution. Related experience and achievements, either domestic or international, also are desirable.
- Three letters of recommendation. The letters must be of a professional not personal nature and one from a health professional. If the student has been out of school five years or less, at least one letter must come from a professor.
- Test scores are not required of applicants with an earned master’s degree or who have a GPA greater than a 3.0. Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), taken within the past five years are required for all other applicants.
- An interview with the Counseling department (by invitation only). Applicants may also be invited to have an interview with the IPCR program.
- International applicants should visit www.arcadia.edu/international for detailed information on admission requirements and application procedures. Official results from the TOEFL or IELTS are required for all students for whom English is a second language except for non-native speakers of English who hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States also is required.
Expenses
Students are billed on a per-credit basis based on the number of credits they enroll for in a given semester. There is a separate per credit rate for IPCR courses and a separate per credit rate for Counseling courses taken. In addition to tuition, students are charged a $50/semester technology fee, a $40/semester registration fee and an annual parking permit can be purchased for $70. Information on current costs is available at www.arcadia.edu/finaid.
Financial aid is available to assist qualified students in covering tuition and related expenses, as well as living costs. Upon review for admission, students automatically will be reviewed by the academic department for a limited number of merit scholarships. Additionally, students can apply to receive up to $20,500 annually through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan at a fixed interest. In addition to the Stafford Loan, students can choose to borrow either a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan or a private alternative student loan to cover remaining expenses. Graduate assistantships also may be available to those who qualify. For more information on available financial aid and how to apply, visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid.
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