Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Mental Health Counseling

You’re fascinated by human behavior and think you want to study psychology as an undergraduate. A major in psychology provides excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers. If you already know you want to help people as a mental health counselor, Suffolk’s accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program can help you begin your masters level coursework faster.

A graduate degree is necessary to work directly with patients. In our joint program, you’ll take two graduate-level courses in your senior year, allowing you to complete your combined undergraduate/graduate studies in six years, saving tuition and waiving our GRE requirement.

Your graduate coursework will build on your undergraduate studies and provide the academic and clinical skills to assess, diagnose, and treat clients with a variety of mental health issues. By starting your graduate degree early, you'll become familiar with the professors and curriculum sooner than most, easing your transition to graduate school.

Note for students matriculating into this program spring 2016 and earlier: Massachusetts licensure as a mental health counselor (LMHC) is required to receive third-party (insurance company) reimbursement for counseling services. Eligibility for licensure requires an additional 30 credit hours, including a 600-hour internship.

This program is designed to provide an accelerated path for undergraduate psychology majors at Suffolk to obtain a master’s degree in mental health counseling at a reduced cost. Students benefit from the experience of a smooth transition from undergraduate to graduate study in a familiar environment; many will be able to continue research with faculty mentors.

Courses & Requirements

Learn more about the classes, requirements, and different options available to complete the program.

Admission Degree Requirements

  • Nomination by a member of the full-time department faculty
  • Personal interview with the graduate program director
  • Junior year (first semester) overall (transfer credits included) GPA of 3.0 or higher and a GPA of 3.3 or higher in the Psychology major
    Students who transfer to Suffolk in their junior year are eligible to apply, if all other criteria are met
  • Completion of a minimum of four psychology undergraduate courses at Suffolk
  • Completion of the standard Suffolk University graduate application. Please note that applicants for the accelerated degree will have the GRE requirement waived
  • The Office of Graduate Admission will admit students on the basis of recommendation by the MHC program director

  • Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet all the requirements of the undergraduate Psychology degree program.
  • Students must also meet all requirements for the master’s degree in mental health counseling.
  • The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.
  • Before enrolling in a particular graduate course during the senior year, a student must obtain permission from the MHC graduate program director.
  • Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.

Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree. The exact degree (BA/BS and master’s) will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.