1) PROGRAM INTENT
Understanding of the primary theoretical orientations and evidence-based interventions shaping the counseling field today (Theory and Interventions). Skills necessary for assessment in counseling, including basic interviewing and observation skills, differential diagnosis, assessment of suicide risk, and the selection and administration of tests appropriate to counseling (Assessment). Understanding of research and program evaluation methodology and skills and their application in counseling contexts (Research and Program Evaluation). Development of a personal, theologically integrated theoretical model that facilitates counseling diverse populations (Integration of Faith and Counseling).
2) COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A student must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA to remain in the program. While all course grades are averaged into the GPA, course credit toward degree completion is not granted for a grade of D or F. A student may petition the registrar’s office for permission to retake a course in which he or she received a grade of C or below.
3) TRANSFER OF CREDITS
Credits may be allowed for the courses that are equivalent to courses in VACU programs and in which students have made a letter grade of 2.0 (C) or above for undergraduate courses and 3.0 (B) or above for graduate courses. Up to 50% of the program will be allowed for the bachelor level degrees at VACU, provided the work is 2.0 (C) or above. Up to 50% of the program will be allowed for the master level, provided the work is 3.0 (B) or above.
(1) Transfer Students…The transfer student must submit all of the forms listed in the Application Procedure. An official transcript from each post-secondary educational institution previously attended must be sent directly to the VACU Registrar from the registrar of the respective institution.
(2) Evaluation of Transfer Students…Transfer credits are generally accepted at the discretion of the accepting institution. Accepting credits and how many credits are transferable depends upon the policy of each institution. VACU’s policy regarding the credit transfer is as follows:
A) This credit transfer review will be made under the supervision of the School Director.
B) Credit transfer may be allowed for the courses that are equivalent to the courses in VACU programs and in which students have made a letter grade of 2.0 (C) or above for undergraduate courses and 3.0 (B) or above for graduate courses. Credits may also be accepted if the courses previously taken are judged to be comparable to the courses offered by VACU. No credit transfer may be finalized until the application process is completed and the student is officially accepted.
C) If the originating institution is not accredited, its credits will not be accepted. Students must apply for a credit transfer within their first semester at VACU.
D) In case of credit transfer from an unaccredited institution, the Registrar, in consultation with the School Director, evaluates the transcripts under the guidelines established by the Academic Committee. The decision as to what previous academic work may be transferable into programs at VACU will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Factored into the analysis will be a course-by-course analysis of the previous academic work, an examination of the academic Catalog of the institution (including faculty qualifications) and of the student’s performance in these courses.
E) In any case, the maximum transferrable credits can be up to 50% of total required course works while no more than 50% of the major completed more than 10 years ago.
F) In the event VACU chooses not to accept transfer credits from another institution, student may request a re-consideration of the decision.
4) FIELDS OF EDUCATION OF MCC
The following charts list the courses students should take and the order and times they should enroll in the courses. Students are notified that this curriculum guide is a planning document. It is not a substitute for regular consultation with their faculty advisor. This guide is subject to change. Use this guide for course planning and for discussions with your faculty/academic advisor each semester.
Master of Christian Counseling (MCC 72 credits)
(1) Theological & Practical Studies (21 credits)
COURSE # COURSE NAME CREDITS
ED 501 Christian Education 3
ED 503 Christian Education History 3
ED 600 Human Development and Faith Education 3
ED 607 Education and Theology 3
ED 614 Current Issues of Christian Education 3
HI 503 Reformation 3
NT 500 Introduction to the New Testament I 3
NT 503 Synoptic Gospels 3
NT 509 The Acts of the Apostles 3
NT 628 Biblical Hermeneutics 3
OT 500 Introduction to the Old Testament I 3
OT 506 The Genesis 3
OT 507 The Exodus 3
OT 510 Old Testament History I 3
PA 503 Ministry Leadership 3
PA 505 Conflict Resolution 3
PA 509 Pastoral Care and Practice 3
TH 500 Reformed Systematic Theology I 3
TH 502 Trinitarianism 3
TH 504 Christology 3
(2) Counseling Studies (51 credits) (Choose 16 + Counseling Practicum)
COURSE # COURSE NAME CREDITS
BC 500 Introduction to Christian Counseling 3
BC 501 Individual Counseling 3
BC 504 Marriage and Family Counseling 3
BC 507 Crisis Counseling 3
BC 520 Counselor Identity and Ethics 3
BC 607 Counseling Families and Children 3
BC 610 Abnormal Psychology and Counseling 3
BC 613 Pastoral Counseling 3
BC 615 Psychopathology and Treatment 3
BC 620 Counseling Practicum* 3
BC 627 Substance Abuse and Addiction 3
BC 628 Theology and Counseling 3
BC 629 Group Counseling 3
BC 630 Mental Health Counseling 3
BC 632 Counseling Theory and Psychotherapy 3
BC 634 Human Growth and Development I 3
BC 635 Marriage and Family System 3
BC 640 Multicultural Counseling 3
BC 645 Career Development and Counseling 3
BC 648 Conflict Transformation 3
BC 650 Seminar in Counseling 3
BC 653 Counseling and Sexuality 3
BC 660 Faith and Counseling 3
BC 664 Self-Appraisal 3
BC 670 Growth and Development of the Contemporary Christian Worker 3
BC 690 Research and Program Evaluation 3
5) RECOMMENDED COURSE SEQUENCE FOR MCC
(Please note that the following plan is subject to change as we attempt to improve the curriculum and our scheduling sequence.)
1st Semester 2nd Semester
BC 500 Introduction to Christian Counseling BC 501 Individual Counseling
BC 520 Counselor Identity and Ethics BC 610 Abnormal Psychology and Counseling
NT 500 Introduction to the New Testament I BC 628 Theology and Counseling
TH 500 Reformed Systematic Theology I OT 500 Introduction to the Old Testament I
3rd Semester 4th Semester
BC 504 Marriage and Family Counseling BC 507 Crisis Counseling
BC 613 Pastoral Counseling BC 615 Psychopathology and Treatment
BC 629 Group Counseling BC 634 Human Growth and Development I
ED 501 Christian Education HI 503 Reformation
5th Semester 6th Semester
BC 627 Substance Abuse and Addiction BC 630 Mental Health Counseling
BC 632 Counseling Theory and Psychotherapy BC 640 Multicultural Counseling
BC 648 Conflict Transformation BC 660 Faith and Counseling
PA 503 Ministry Leadership PA 509 Pastoral Care and Practice
7th Semester 8th Semester
BC 607 Counseling Families and Children BC 650 Seminar in Counseling
BC 620 Counseling Practicum* BC 664 Self-Appraisal
BC 645 Career Development and Counseling BC 670 Growth and Development of the Contemporary Christian Worker
BC 653 Counselling and Sexuality BC 690 Research and Program Evaluation
TH 502 Trinitarianism BC 625 Advanced Counseling Practicum*
6) FACULTY/ACADEMIC ADVISING
Joshua J. Park, Ph.D.
Esther H. Lee, Ph.D.
Kyoo Sung Lee, Ph.D.
Chan Young Park, Ph.D.
Jae Duk Kim, Ph.D.
Roy Dowdy, MA., RP
Andy Hwang, Ph.D.
Thomas Rhee, Ph.D.
Hong Chan Rhee, Ph.D.
Jonathan Choi, Ph.D.
Stephen Hauge, Ph.D.
Young Do Kim, Ph.D.
Gustavo Pacheco, Ph.D.
Edwin Kim, Ph.D.
Kyung Chul Lim, Ph.D.
It is always the responsibility of the student to be aware of University policies and regulations and state licensing requirements affecting his or her program.
Advisors cannot advise on matters pertaining to the regulations of state licensure boards.
7) GRADUATION EXAMINATION
Students must satisfactorily pass the graduation exams: Bible test for MCC students,
8) GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
(1) To receive a Master of Christian Counseling degree at VACU, a student must complete 73 credits with at least 36 credits at VACU.
(2) The student must have a C (2.0) cumulative grade-point average is required for all VACU courses taken.
(3) The student must complete the field education requirement with a satisfactory grade.
(4) The conduct and attitude of the student must be satisfactory according to the norms of the Holy Scripture and the Westminster Standards.
(5) The Bible exam and a field education internship is required. (6) The student must clear all financial obligations to the university including the graduation fee.
9) PRACTICUM / INTERNSHIP
(1) Prerequisites: To be adequately prepared for this course, the student must have completed the core courses with a grade C or above. Students who have taken more than 4 semesters can apply for a 1 credit Practicum.
*In order to begin practicum/internship the student’s site and supervisor must be approved by VACU. In order to be approved to register for the Practicum/Internship, all documents must be submitted Jun 30 and Nov 30, Students who want to get practicum must receive approval from the Director of counseling center.
(2) Practicum apply Dead-line & Period: Spring semester deadline is NOV-30 and Fall semester deadline is APRIL-30. Practicum Spring semester period is from February-to July and Fall semester period is from August-to January. Practicum-related information is provided to students in written form in November and April.
(3) Purpose: The primary focus of the Practicum/Internship experience is the application and continued development of counseling skills. During the practicum/internship experience, the student learns to integrate and synthesize theories and techniques learned in the classroom and apply them in a real work setting. Additionally, students develop personal qualities, characteristics and behaviors of a professional counselor, and transition from “trainee” to “professional practitioner.”
In order for students to successfully pass the practicum/internship classes that student must demonstrate the ability to:
a) Establish rapport and effective working relationships with client(s).
b) Conduct a psychosocial history that includes client background information, behavioral observations, current functioning, quality of relationships, and resources and challenges.
c) Develop client case conceptualizations that lead to accurate diagnosis using the DSM.
d) Develop treatment plans that will motivate clients through the use of evidence-based strategies for clients’ identified problem(s).
e) Present case studies in scheduled supervision sessions.
f) Maintain an effective counseling process and relationship until the client(s)’ problem(s) have been resolved.
g) Utilize feedback, direction, and constructive criticism from supervision and consultation in order to enhance professionalism in counseling.
(4) Preparation: Students are advised to become familiar with state(s) licensure requirements where they will be seeking future licensure. Please see link for state licensing boards: http://www.nbcc.org/directory/Default.aspx.
(5) Complete background checks. You need to know that state boards review an applicant’s criminal history to determine if he/she is ineligible to hold a license.
(6) Finding a site: Students are responsible for finding their practicum/internship site and their site supervisor. They are advised to allow a minimum of three to four months for the process.
(7) Registration: Once a student’s application has been approved, the practicum/internship office will automatically enroll the student in BC 620 Counseling Practicum.
(8) Complete the Financial Check-in.
10) TEMPORARY ACADEMIC LEAVE (Leave of Absence)
(1) Students who experience circumstances that prevent them from maintaining active student status will ordinarily be granted college approval for a leave of absence upon request. Students must complete a leave of absence form that specifies the term(s) and year(s) of the leave at the Registrar’s office.
(2) An approved leave of absence in accordance with this policy are eligible for reinstatement provided they enroll no later than the term immediately following the expiration of the leave. Students who do not obtain a university-approved leave of absence prior to the interrupting their enrollment may be terminated from their programs or held to new requirements if they are subsequently readmitted.
11) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS…The time limit for completing the Master degree from the enrollment date of the first course taken is eight years.
12) REPEATING OF COURSES…A grade of “F” may be removed only by repeating the course. A student may be permitted to retake a course in order to raise an earlier grade of “D.” The last grade earned is considered the grade of record as it pertains to credit toward graduation.
13) ATTENDANCE POLICY…It is highly recommended that students not miss any class. Regular class attendance is expected and will be recorded in every class. The maximum number of absences allowed for students is three per semester. Three tardy appearances will equal to one absence.
14) APA (American Psychological Association) FORMAT…The Graduate Counseling Program requires the APA writing style to be used in all submitted coursework. The most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is highly recommended for every student. It is imperative that all graduate students become familiar with and use this writing format.