Northwestern College Online Master’s in Counseling Programs
Northwestern College is a private Christian college offering an online master of arts in clinical mental health counseling and an online master of arts in school counseling.
Both programs are fully online and include synchronous virtual class meetings, self-paced weekly assignments, and practicum and internship experiences. They are designed for working professionals and combine academic study with hands-on learning. Northwestern also emphasizes a faith-integrated approach, multicultural awareness, and ethical practice in both programs.
The master of arts in clinical mental health counseling is a 60-credit program that can be completed in two years across six consecutive semesters. It prepares students for licensure as professional counselors and includes courses such as introduction to family counseling; diagnosis and psychopathology; foundations of addictions counseling; psychopharmacology and neuroscience; professional orientation; and research and program evaluation. Students also complete a pre-practicum, practicum, two internships, and a capstone.
The master of arts in school counseling is a 48-credit program that can be completed in less than two years across five consecutive semesters. It prepares students to support students in elementary and secondary school settings and includes courses such as foundations of school counseling; child and adolescent diagnosis and treatment; school counseling practice and programs; assessment and diagnostic processes; ethics; and research and program evaluation. Students also complete a practicum and two internships.
Admission requirements are similar for both programs. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, official transcripts, a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0, an updated resume, a background check through CastleBranch, two virtual interview review steps, and no GRE or application fee. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission. Northwestern College graduates have a more streamlined process and do not need to submit undergraduate transcripts from NWC.
Northwestern College is located in Orange City, Iowa. It is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The clinical mental health counseling program is CACREP-aligned and will apply for CACREP accreditation, while the school counseling program is approved by the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners and aligned with ASCA standards.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
MA in School Counseling
101 7th Street SWOrange City, Iowa
Program Essentials
Master's Degree
Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
No
2 – Two in-person experiences required
60
Fall, Spring
Complete in as few as 2 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
CA
Program Tuition
60
$590.00
$35,400.00
$590.00
$35,400.00
Program Essentials
Master's Degree
Counseling: School Counseling
Yes
0 – No required campus visits
48
Fall, Spring
Finish in less than 2 years
Program Admissions
No GRE required
3.0
CA
Program Tuition
48
$590.00
$28,320.00
$590.00
$28,320.00
Tuition is calculated based on credits, at the published tuition rate. Rates may change, so please check here for the latest tuition information. For programs with variable tuition rates, we use the rates for part-time students. “Resident” and “non-resident” refer to the student’s school-recognized state residency status. Tuition number represents the cost of tuition for the entire program, not per semester or year. Estimated total tuition does not include additional fees.
Farheen Gani
WriterFarheen Gani has researched degree programs and salaries in counseling since 2020. She has written about topics such as genetic counselor salaries and family and human development bachelor’s degrees. She writes about healthcare, technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.