ATLANTA — Mercer University’s College of Continuing and Professional Studies has earned the prestigious national accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for its Master of Science in Counseling program. The accreditation came at the end of an intensive three-year review process for the Atlanta-based program.
“This accreditation provides important external validation and recognition of the high quality of the program’s faculty, students, curriculum and facilities,” said Dr. Priscilla Danheiser, dean of the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. “CACREP only grants accreditation for programs that have substantially met and exceeded the standards set by and for the counseling profession. It is a credit to the Department of Counseling and Human Sciences faculty, staff, students and alumni that we have earned this recognition.”
Designed for working adults, the Master of Science in Counseling was established in 2001. The program offers an evening and weekend course schedule that prepares candidates to become licensed professional counselors in approximately three years. The program prepares candidates to work as counselors in a variety of community settings, including mental health centers, community agencies, hospitals, residential treatment centers, corrections or human service-oriented programs, as well as private practice.
“We’re extremely pleased with the news, as this accreditation represents the gold standard in counseling accreditation,” said Dr. W. David Lane, counseling program coordinator in the Department of Counseling and Human Sciences. “Our graduates have long been among the best in the state, as evidenced by their high pass rates on the Licensed Professional Counselor’s Exam. This accreditation offers further proof that our graduates and our program are among the state’s best.”
CACREP accreditation allows graduates to be certified immediately as a Nationally Certified Counselor, rather than waiting two years, and graduates are more likely to be selected for Ph.D. programs and jobs, Dr. Lane said.
The College will hold a series of information sessions for its graduate programs in the Trustees Dining Room on Mercer’s Atlanta campus, 3001 Mercer University Drive, on Thursday, Feb. 12; Tuesday, March 24; Tuesday, April 21; Monday, May 4, and Tuesday, June 2. All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m.
For more information on the program, or to register for a session, visit the program’s Web site: http://www2.mercer.edu/CAPS/Graduate+Programs/MCC/default.htm.
About The College of Continuing and Professional Studies:
The College is committed to meeting the educational goals of working adults. The College offers undergraduate degree programs in organization leadership, criminal justice/public safety, liberal studies, and human services, and graduate programs in counseling, school counseling, and public safety leadership. Its programs are offered on Mercer’s Macon and Atlanta campuses and at the University’s regional academic centers in Henry County, Douglas County and Eastman.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has approximately 7,700 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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