Counseling Degrees & Licenses in Oregon

Accredited Counseling Degree Programs in Oregon

University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is a public research university founded in 1876. The school’s College of Education offers a couples and family therapy (CFT) master of science program. This program prepares students to become professional family therapists in preparation for licensure in any US state that offers an LMFT license.

The degree is offered in a cohort model, meaning a small group of students start together and complete the program through graduation with each other. Couples and family therapy graduate students may also add the Spanish language specialization from the counseling psychology program.

• Location: Eugene, Oregon
• Duration: 90 credits, two years
• Accreditation: COAMFTE
• Tuition: $38,802 per year, Oregon resident; $53,223 per year, non-resident

Oregon State University

Oregon State University is a public university. OSU’s graduate college offers multiple options for counseling degrees from the College of Education. Students can take a hybrid option through the Ecampus of 50 percent online and 50 percent in-person classes to earn a master of counseling (MCoun) in school counseling or a master of counseling in clinical mental health counseling. In-person courses at the OSU-Cascades campus can lead to the same degrees.

The school counseling degree program offers two tracks for those students who either have teaching experience or a teaching license or do not. The master of counseling program offers a part-time option that spans three years as well as a full-time option that can be completed in two years. The programs begin in June of each year. Students choosing the part-time option take on average two classes per term, while students choosing the full-time option average four classes per term. Most classes are held in the evenings Monday through Thursday with an occasional class offered on the weekend.

All counseling degree program graduates are eligible to apply for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) from the Oregon licensing board and are eligible to take the National Counselor Examination during the last quarter of their degree program.

• Location: Corvallis, Oregon
• Duration: Clinical Mental Health Counseling is 90 credits; School Counseling is 78-84 credits
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: Total in-state resident full-time estimated tuition and fees: $47,222; total non-resident estimated full-time tuition and fees: $72,500

Bushnell University (previously Northwest Christian University)

Bushnell University is a private, Christian liberal arts college that was founded as a divinity school in 1895 by a Disciple of Christ preacher and educator. In 2020, it formally changed its name to Bushnell University, after James A. Bushnell, the first chairman of the university’s board of trustees.

Graduates of Bushnell’s clinical mental health counseling master of arts program can meet the academic standards for Oregon licensure as an LPC. This 60-credit program is offered in a hybrid format, designed to be completed in 28 months. In the hybrid format, some classes are onsite in the evening and others are offered online.

The master of arts in school counseling program offers two tracks for students to choose from. Track I is 48 to 51 credits and is designed for students who already have two years of licensed teaching experience. Track II can be completed in 54 to 57 credits and is designed for students without prior teaching license, or with less than two years of teaching experience.

• Location: Eugene, Oregon
• Duration: Clinical mental health counseling is 60 credits, designed to be completed in 28 months; the school counseling program can be completed in either 48 to 51 credits or 54 to 57 credits.
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $770 per credit hour

Corban University

Corban University is a private Christian university with about 1,200 full-time students enrolled on the Salem campus and 2,800 worldwide. Corban’s master of arts in clinical mental health counseling meets Oregon counseling licensing standards.

Classes are offered in a hybrid model of evening and online classes. Students can meet weekly in person while completing a majority of their schoolwork online. Since the school is Bible-based prospective, students should be prepared to submit character references from a current church as well as professional references that speak to the students’ skills in the realm of counseling to complete the admission process. During the second year, students enter the practicum class to complete 100 hours of counseling with supervision. Upon completion of the practicum, students enter the internship sequence which spans at least two terms for a total of 600 hours.

• Location: Salem, Oregon
• Duration: 60 credits, two years
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $605 per credit plus fees

George Fox University

George Fox University is a private Christian university founded by Quakers in 1891. Namesake George Fox is the founder of the Quaker movement. George Fox’s graduate school offers three master of arts programs: clinical mental health counseling; marriage, couple, and family counseling; and school counseling.

The clinical mental health counseling program and school counseling programs are flexible and can be completed in two, three, or four years. The marriage, couple, and family counseling degree is designed to prepare students to sit for dual licensure, both the national licensure exam to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), as well as the national licensure exam to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Oregon. That program can be completed in three or four years.

The school counseling program is only offered in-person at the Tigard Center campus, whereas the others can be completed in either Portland or Salem. The school counseling program has three tracks available: Track I is available to individuals with two-plus years of licensed Oregon teaching experience; Track II is available to those without two-plus years of licensed teaching experience. Included with Track II is a six-credit sequence that includes a 100-hour teaching practicum. The final Licensure Only track provides a certificate in school counseling to individuals who already have a master’s degree in a mental health field.

• Location: Newberg, Oregon, with campuses in Portland, Salem, Tigard, and Redmond
• Duration: Two to three years
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $774 per credit

Lewis & Clark College

Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college originally chartered in 1867. Students here can choose from several counseling-related degree options.

The marriage, couple, and family counseling program is available as a 60-credit master of arts or 62-credit master of science program which requires an additional thesis program. Within this program, students can choose from a specialization in addictions, sexuality, eating disorders, or ecopsychology.

The professional mental health counseling program also offers a master of arts and a master of science option, as well as an opportunity to specialize in addictions treatment. The school counseling program offers two tracks for students who either are licensed practicing educators already (Track I) or those who do not have a teaching license (Track II). Completing a master’s degree in professional mental health counseling with the addictions specialty prepares graduates to pursue licensure as professional counselor (LPC) and certification in drug and alcohol counseling as a level 1 Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor (CADC-I)

• Location: Portland, Oregon
• Duration: Two to three years
• Accreditation: The professional mental health counseling program is accredited by CACREP; school counseling is accredited by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and the Council for Accreditation of Educator Programs (CAEP); MMCFC is accredited by COAMFTE
• Tuition: $1,036 per credit

Portland State University

Portland State University was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans and later became a four-year college and then university in 1969.

PSU offers four options for counseling degree programs: a 90-credit program leading to an MA/MS in counselor education with a clinical mental health counseling specialization; a 90-credit master’s in clinical rehabilitation counseling which leads to eligibility to obtain both Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and the National Certified Counselor certifications as well as licensure as professional counselors; the 90-credit marriage, couple, and family counseling degree which leads to state licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC); and finally, a school counseling degree program.

The school counseling program offers students who have a teaching license and two years of teaching experience six additional elective credits (Track I). Students without a teaching license and two years of teaching experience must complete a 6-credit, 200-hour effective teaching sequence to obtain licensure as a school counselor (Track II).

• Location: Portland, Oregon
• Duration: 90 credits, three years
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $463 per credit plus fees, Oregon resident; $690 per credit plus fees, non-resident

Southern Oregon University

Southern Oregon University is a public university founded in 1872. Students in SOU’s counseling program can earn a master’s in clinical mental health counseling either as a master of science or master of arts degree. The curriculum meets state and national standards so that graduates can apply to become licensed counselors in Oregon and throughout the U.S. All CMHC courses are taught in-person on the Ashland campus. Most required classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays only, with the exception of summer term classes.

• Location: Ashland, Oregon
• Duration: 90 credits, two to three years
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $539 per credit, Oregon resident; $643 per credit, non-resident

Western Oregon University

Western Oregon University is a public university established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers. The school offers two tracks for its rehabilitation counseling program. One is a two-year on-campus mental health counseling program. Graduates of this option provide counseling services to the general population of people who have disabilities. Graduates of this track are also eligible to seek licensure as licensed professional counselors.

Track two provides a rehabilitation counseling degree with a focus on mental health counseling with the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind (MHCD) population. This three-year hybrid track is one of two deaf specialty programs in the United States.

• Location: Monmouth, Oregon
• Duration: 90 credits, two to three years
• Accreditation: The rehabilitation and mental health counseling program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
• Tuition: $15,180 per year

Western Seminary

Western Seminary is a private evangelical theological seminary with physical campuses in Portland, Oregon, San Jose, California, and Sacramento, California.

Western Seminary’s master of arts in counseling degree in clinical mental health counseling prepares counselors to bring a Christian perspective to caring for their clients. The curriculum satisfies Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) requirements in Oregon and in many other states. The MA in counseling may be completed in three years by taking courses offered on Mondays at Western Seminary Portland campus in Portland, Oregon. Students may also complete up to seven credits of online courses through the Western Seminary Online campus.

• Location: Portland, Oregon
• Duration: 68 credits
• Accreditation: CACREP
• Tuition: $693 per credit plus fees

Counseling Professional Associations & Resources in Oregon

• Coalition of Oregon Professional Associations for Counseling and Therapy
• Oregon Counseling Association
• Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists
• Oregon School Counselor Association
• Oregon Counseling Association
• Oregon Career Development Association
• Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling
• American Physical Therapy Association – Oregon Chapter
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Oregon Chapter
• Occupational Therapy Association of Oregon
• Oregon Association of Addiction Professionals
• The Oregon Association For Music Therapy
• Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon
• Oregon School Psychologists Association
• Brain Injury Association of America – Oregon Chapter
• Oregon Speech-Language & Hearing Association
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy Center of Southern Oregon

Mental Health Counseling (LMHC) Licenses in Oregon: Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

School Counseling Licenses in Oregon

Substance Abuse Counseling Licenses in Oregon

Rehabilitation Counseling Licenses in Oregon

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Licenses in Oregon

Marriage and Family Therapy Licenses in Oregon

Child (Pediatric) Behavioral Therapy Licenses in Oregon

Counseling Schools & Licensure in Nearby States

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming