Counseling Degrees at New York University
New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development houses multiple counseling programs designed to prepare mental health professionals for diverse career paths. The flagship offering, a Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, operates as a complete 60-credit program that will give you the skills to become a licensed mental health counselor. This school emphasizes the development of counseling competencies in three core areas: understanding diverse populations throughout the lifespan, promoting social justice and wellness.
You will meet the academic requirements for licensure and diagnostic privilege in New York State upon completion. The program blends theoretical knowledge with practical application through a carefully structured curriculum. Core courses cover human development, counseling theories, multicultural counseling and ethics. These courses provide foundational expertise in mental health counseling.
The delivery format combines flexibility with rigor. You’ll work through online live classes and asynchronous coursework while completing field experiences at NYU Steinhardt-approved sites near your community. This hybrid approach allows you to develop practical skills without relocating to New York City.
Elective courses let you tailor your education to specific interests. Options include cognitive behavioral therapy, substance-related disorders, marriage and family counseling, adolescent sexual decision-making and responses to trauma. You can also work with immigrant-origin youth. Additional specializations address bereavement counseling, career counseling and counseling for special populations such as LGBT individuals, women, people with disabilities and those with addiction disorders.
Field experience forms the foundation of your training. The program requires a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship conducted in accredited mental health facilities. You’ll work on intake assessments, clinical evaluations and counseling strategies during your practicum. The internship provides extensive supervised counseling practice under licensed professionals and allows you to apply classroom knowledge in real-life settings.
NYU offers a doctoral program in Counseling Psychology through the Department of Applied Psychology for those pursuing advanced training. Registered with the New York State Department of Education in 1971, this program produces qualified psychologists with specialized counseling training eligible for state licensure. The program has managed to keep full approval from the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation since 1981.
Both programs share philosophical commitments to developmental client understanding and health-based intervention models. They appreciate how gender, culture, class and institutional contexts shape both clients’ and counselors’ lives.
What counseling programs does New York University offer?
NYU Steinhardt offers three distinct counseling programs at varying academic levels. You can select between on-campus or online delivery formats for the same 60-credit curriculum beyond the standard Mental Health and Wellness degree. The online version offers accelerated completion. Timelines range from 21 to 30 months and depend on your start date.
The Master of Arts in School Counseling gives you the skills to work as K-12 guidance counselors in public and private schools if you’re interested in educational settings. This 60-credit program prepares you for New York State certification and offers two specialized tracks. The general school counseling track provides broad training that covers career counseling and group counseling. The bilingual school counseling track targets work with multilingual student populations as an alternative. It incorporates courses on bilingual education and cultural competency. You will support English language learners after graduation and promote culturally responsive practices. The online format allows completion in as little as 18 months.
Students seeking combined credentials can pursue a dual Master of Arts and Advanced Certificate in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness paired with LGBTQ+ Health, Education, and Social Services. This option provides specialized knowledge and clinical training on issues affecting LGBTQ+ populations.
The PhD in Clinical/Counseling Psychology follows a scientist-practitioner model that integrates coursework and clinical training through practica and externships at the doctoral level. Dissertation research is also part of the model. This small, individualized program matches each student with a primary research mentor. Secondary faculty support other research and clinical roles. You dedicate at least 20 hours weekly to hands-on research training within faculty research teams starting your first semester.
All Master of Arts programs in counseling require passing the Counselor Education Comprehensive Examination during your final term. This terminal experience applies across NYU counseling degrees. The programs hold accreditation from the Master’s in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council.
Internships/Practicum at NYU
Clinical training requirements at NYU combine structured practicum and internship experiences totaling 700 hours of supervised field work. Your practicum demands 100 hours of practical experience, including a minimum of 40 direct contact hours with clients. You develop competencies as a professional mental health counselor under supervision from both your course instructor and onsite supervisors. You must secure an approved field site before starting this course.
The internship extends across two consecutive terms and requires 300 hours per term for a total of 600 hours. You complete 240 hours of direct practice during this period. You train at the same site throughout both terms and dedicate a minimum of three full days or 19 hours per week under direct supervision of a licensed or certified counselor. You participate in weekly university seminars where you discuss professional experiences as a counselor-in-training alongside your onsite training.
Placement sites span a variety of settings: community mental health agencies, chemical dependency treatment programs, college counseling centers, hospital settings, hospice programs, and specialized programs for abused women and victims of violence. A dedicated placement team secures your placement within a 75-mile radius of your preferred placement address. NYU approves all sites.
The placement process begins about 150 days before your term starts. You complete a Fieldwork Intake Form and attend a mandatory Welcome Session. The placement team initiates outreach to approved sites after that. You begin onboarding with your supervisor after site interviews and affiliation agreement signatures.
You cannot complete field placement outside the continental United States or Hawaii. This includes international locations, U.S. military bases, and U.S. territories. You cannot use your current workplace for placement hours either, as differentiating the client base is challenging for meeting program requirements. You must maintain availability Monday through Friday during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and adjust your schedule to match your supervisor’s availability.
What sets New York University apart?
The Center for Counseling and Community Wellbeing anchors NYU’s counseling programs with a mission centered on training the next generation of mental health professionals to the highest standards of professional practice. The Center provides detailed, culturally sensitive, evidence-based assessment and treatment services while advancing the science of human development and mental health promotion through state-of-the-art research. Strong collaborations with community partners, including mental health professionals and hospitals, create opportunities to develop professionally that extend beyond traditional classroom learning.
Research opportunities distinguish counseling at NYU from comparable programs. Faculty and students participate in international research in China, Argentina, Denmark, and Korea. They study developmental processes and contextual influences through collaboration with NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi campuses. Specialized research labs focus on trauma treatment, emotion regulation across cultures, disruptive behavior disorders, and LGBTQ+ psychology. Students in doctoral programs allocate at least 20 hours weekly to faculty research teams beginning their first semester.
The faculty model pairs course leaders who develop online curriculum with course instructors who teach live sessions. This provides you with points of view from multiple professors on the same topics. Varied teaching approaches create a well-laid-out learning experience through this structure.
Admission standards reflect program quality. NYU counseling programs maintain a 9% acceptance rate from 113,578 applicants. Total program cost reaches USD 84,718, though 49% of students receive mid-level financial aid. Graduates earn USD 5,439 more than typical student counseling majors. Job outlook projections show 17% employment growth from 2024 to 2034. Median annual salaries stand at USD 59,190 as of May 2024.
Next steps
Applying to counseling programs at NYU follows a rolling admissions timeline with multiple start dates throughout the year. Submit your application early to receive your admissions decision sooner. Your application package requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university, a minimum 3.0 GPA, a statement of purpose, current resume, official transcripts, and two letters of recommendation.
You pay a nonrefundable application fee of USD 75.00 with any major credit card after submission. Priority deadline applicants receive a reduced fee of USD 45.00. Complete, date, and electronically sign your application by 11:59 p.m. EST on the stated deadline. Decisions arrive via email in late November for Spring enrollment and late March or early April for Summer or Fall enrollment.
Financial aid options help fund your graduate studies. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually with NYU school code 002785 to access Federal student loans. Counseling@NYU applicants receive scholarship consideration based on their admission application without submitting separate scholarship forms. These awards go to select aspiring mental health counselors committed to community work.
Support extends beyond admission through dedicated teams for technology navigation, field placement coordination, and career preparation.