Public Health/Counseling, M.P.H./M.A.C.

About the Dual Degree Program

• This dual degree will enable practitioners to implement both individual and systemic change in the mental health and public health fields, by integrating the tools of the counselor with the tools of public health.
• The Master of Arts in Counseling allows students to become licensed as professional counselors in Pennsylvania.
• The Master of Public Health Degree educates community health professionals to promote the health of individuals, families, communities, and the environment. This is accomplished through a program that integrates education, research, and practice in a global environment.
• The Master of Arts in Counseling educates and socializes students to become practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. This is accomplished through a program that integrates theory and practice (both within and outside of the classroom) from the beginning of the program.
• Part-time and full-time options
• Dual degree candidates must be accepted to each of the programs in order to enroll in the dual degree (one common application will be provided).

With dual degrees, students gain knowledge in two fields as they prepare for their professional careers.

In this dual degree program, students explore the relationship between mental health conditions on an individual level on the one hand, population health and the health of communities on the other. Students are challenged to participate in meaningful internships, develop critical analyses, propose effective solutions, and contribute substantively to the current dynamics linking individual health with the health of communities. There are multiple opportunities for students to work in situations that will allow them to combine their Counseling clinical training with their Public Health community-based internship requirement. Students earn 78 credits in this three-year program.

While Counseling prepares students to identify lifestyle factors that may lead to increased risk for serious mental health problems, the focus of the training is on the individual, rather than on a population, and on remediation, rather than prevention. In contrast, the Master of Public Health degree explores the frequency, distribution, and social determinants of public health related issues within human populations with a focus on prevention. This dual degree enables practitioners to implement both individual and systemic change in the mental health and public health fields by integrating the tools of counseling with the tools of public health.

The M.P.H. program is accredited by the Council for Education in Public Health (CEPH). The Counseling program is accredited by the Masters in Psychology Accreditation Council (MPAC).

Public Health (MPH) Goals and Objectives

The Master of Public Health degree educates community health professionals to promote the health of individuals, families, communities, and the environment. This is accomplished through a program that integrates education, research, and practice in a global environment.

The goals of the MPH in Community Health program are to:

• Educate community health professionals and develop the skills needed to promote health within communities.
• Provide an academic environment that integrates community public health education with research and practice.
• Translate knowledge into practice through collaborative service projects both domestically and internationally. This can be accomplished through internships with community-based organizations and local health departments.
• Employ scientific investigation to advance public health knowledge of the relationship between health and the structural environment within which individuals live and work.

M.A. Counseling Goals and Objectives

The Master in Counseling educates and socializes students to become practitioners skilled in the art of behavior assessment and change. This is accomplished through a program that integrates theory and practice (both within and outside of the classroom) from the beginning of the program.

The 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

Dual Degree Goals and Objectives

Arcadia students will:

• Learn about public health and counseling principles from a global perspective.
• Integrate their public health education with their clinical counseling training through community projects/internships that enhance their clinical and community-based skills within the United States and/or internationally.
• Enhance understanding of the scope of public health issues surrounding individual patients and their relationships to their families and their larger communities.
• Combine the advocacy agendas proposed by both the public health and counseling fields to most effectively address patients’ problems.

Admission Requirements

Dual degree candidates must be admitted to each of the programs in order to enroll in the dual degree program. Deadline for Fall admission is January 15. Deadline for Spring admission is September 15. 

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

The following requirements must be met:

1. A graduate application, including personal statements, to be completed online at www.arcadia.edu/gradapp.
2. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a recommended GPA of 3.0 or better.
3. 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.
4. Completion of at least three Psychology courses, to include Introductory Psychology, with grades of “B” or better in each.
5. Three letters of recommendation. The letters must be of a professional not personal nature and one a health professional.  If the student has been out of school five years or less, at least one letter must come from a professor.  
6. Graduate Admission Test scores are not required of applicants with an earned master’s degree in a related field.  Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the MCAT taken within the past five years are required for all other applicants
7. Knowledge of the Public Health profession through work or volunteer experience.
8. An interview with the Counseling department (by invitation only).   
9. 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

2016-17 Tuition: $720 per credit

Fees:

• Registration: $40 per semester
• Technology: $50 per semester
• Parking: $40 per semester (Fall and Spring) before 4 p.m. No charge after 4 p.m.

Financial Aid

Graduate students who have been accepted into a degree program and are enrolled for at least 6 credits per semester are eligible to apply for financial aid. Please visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid for information regarding available aid options and visit www.arcadia.edu/gradfinaidapply to complete required forms online. 

Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Student Employment

Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Student Employment may be available to graduate students registered for at least 9 credits per semester. Students may apply for assistantships/graduate student employment upon acceptance and registration. Questions regarding graduate assistantships should be directed to the Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at 215-572-2925.

Federal Loans

Graduate students are eligible to borrow through the Federal Direct Stafford Loan and Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan programs provided they are taking at least 6 credits per semester (in the summer, 6 credits over all summer sessions combined satisfies this requirement). For more information, visit www.arcadia.edu/finaid.   

Dual Degrees Requirements

(78 credits; 42 credits for the M.A.C. program and 42 credits for the M.P.H. program, with 6 credits shared; 36 credits for the MSHE program, with 6 credits shared)

Dual Degrees: Master of Arts in Counseling (M.A.C.) and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)/MS Health Education

Note: The sequencing of courses is presented here based on a full-time schedule, but many students can complete this combined degree on a part-time basis on a schedule to be arranged with the advisers.