Information for Newly Admitted Applicants
This document is intended for those who have been offered admission for fall and are seeking information regarding official admission documents, registration for fall courses, prerequisites, transfer credits, etc.
Official Admissions Documents
Notice of admission-related information from the MHC Program is unofficial but does reflect the decision of the Program Admissions Committee and will lead to an official offer unless there are unusual circumstances, such as submission of fraudulent documents. You will receive from Graduate Admissions or the MHC Program notice of any outstanding application materials that need to be resolved, such as fee payment or missing official transcripts. The official admissions process proceeds slowly, so it may be many weeks before you receive official documents.
Prerequisite Undergraduate Course Requirements
You are required to have completed a minimum of 15 prerequisite credits in undergraduate courses in psychology, with at least one course in each of the following areas:
- general or introductory psychology
- developmental psychology
- abnormal psychology or psychopathology
- psychology statistics (addressing the specific uses of statistics in psychology research; not general statistics in a math, business or other department)
You must have completed all four of these courses—plus at least one additional psychology course—with a satisfactory grade. Otherwise, you must submit a specific, written plan to satisfy these prerequisites. Options include:
- Take appropriate undergraduate course(s) during the summer before you begin the MHC Program. This is usually the best option, especially if you have only one or two courses to complete.
- Take appropriate undergraduate course(s) during your first semester or during subsequent semesters. It is difficult to complete an undergraduate course while completing four or five graduate courses, plus clinical practicum work, so the summer between first and second years is the most realistic time to complete any remaining undergraduate courses.
- Demonstrate appropriate comparable background in related fields. Usually this requires a list of specific books and/or articles that you have read in the subject area and submission of documents (e.g., case presentations, papers) that demonstrate your knowledge. You may be required to complete additional readings.
- An appropriate alternate plan (e.g., independent study), if appropriate. There needs to be a justification for this as an alternative to regular coursework—most often an option for someone who has a lot of experience in the field but lacks formal course work in one of the prerequisite areas. It is your responsibility to find someone to supervise and evaluate your independent study.
Your admission is contingent upon having your plan approved by the program director as well as on verification of authenticity and accuracy of all your application documents and statements. It is your responsibility to prepare a detailed plan and description of readings, activities, papers to be completed, etc., if anything other than formal course work is proposed.
Transfer of Graduate Credits
Only credits for courses that are directly equivalent to MHC Program requirements may be applied toward this degree. A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions and/or from outside the Psychology Department. Courses that have already been applied to another awarded degree may not be considered for transfer. Your proposal should tell us the number and name of the Brooklyn College MHC course for which you are seeking transfer credit and the details on the equivalent grad course(s) you have completed, including grades, course descriptions, syllabi, etc.
We prefer that you e-mail your transfer credit proposal. We need enough information to understand whether the courses for which you seek credit are directly equivalent in content to our required courses. If a course covers the same material as the MHC course, up to 12 credits may be accepted for transfer. There are three elective credits (one course) for which we can be more flexible in accepting transfer credit. The course must be reasonably related to MHC and not overly duplicative of curricular material from other MHC courses.
Summer Session
There are no summer MHC courses until after the first year, unless you have undergraduate prerequisites to complete. If you wish to enhance your preparation for the MHC Program, we recommend work as a volunteer at a hotline or other setting related to counseling.
Fall Registration
As soon as your admission has been processed you may register for fall MHC courses, and you should do so as soon as possible. Courses are scheduled on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students should expect to be on campus three to four days per week (excluding Fridays). In addition, mandatory practicum client and supervision appointments may be scheduled for you on Fridays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays. You must register for all five courses listed below unless you have an approved or pending request for transfer credit for one or more of these:
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| PSY 7410G | Foundations of Mental Health Counseling |
| PSY 7421G | Assessment Techniques |
| PSY 7431G | Assessment Practicum |
| PSY 7720G | Developmental Psychology |
| PSY 7755G | Psychopathology |
Note: Times are subject to change. See the Bulletin and Schedule for course descriptions, schedule, etc.
MHC program administrative staff will contact you by e-mail to inform you about your section codes. They can be reached by e-mail or by phone, 718.951.5601.
Paying at least part of your tuition is required at the time of registration. If you require more time due to financial aid or immunization certification processing, let us know when you expect to be able to register. We will hold your place as long as these are in process and you keep us informed.
Be aware that this is a full-time program and any outside employment or other activity cannot interfere with your ability to participate in these requirements on a full-time basis. It is usually not possible to schedule practicum supervision and client appointments according your convenience, around your work schedule, etc., so be prepared to set aside other activities to give priority to your program participation.
First Fall Classes and Orientation
Consult the academic calendar to determine your first day of classes, orientation, and other events.
Tuition Monthly Payment Plan
Under the terms of a CUNY-wide program, Brooklyn College students may enroll in the approved budgeted tuition payment plan. To maximize the benefit of this plan, students should complete their enrollment and commence making payments two months before the start of the fall or spring semesters, but can enroll at any time as long as they pay "up-to-date" as of the date of enrollment. There is no payment plan for summer or intersession terms. The enrollment fee is $18. Interest is not charged, but late payment fees do apply.
Accreditation Status
The MHC Program, like all programs in New York State, is registered (approved) by the New York State Education Department and meets all NYSED laws, rules, and regulations, which are based on national accreditation standards. The MHC Program has not yet applied for accreditation, since programs must first operate for three years. The educational programs of Brooklyn College are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
It is unlikely that the accreditation status of the program would impact on students or graduates—especially in New York State—because the program is constructed in compliance with national standards incorporated into NYSED regulations. You may have to submit more detailed descriptive information (e.g., copies of course syllabi, etc.) about the MHC Program to licensing authorities in states other than New York in order for them to verify that the program meets their standards.
If you know that you intend to seek a license in another state, you should check with local licensing authorities—even after attending an accredited program—since each state has its own procedures and regulations. Most state standards are based on the national standards also employed by New York State. For example, not every state licenses master's-level mental health practitioners (approximately 40 states do). Therefore, if you intend to practice in a specific state, you should ensure that they license MHCs and become familiar with the detailed requirements for that state.
Requests to Defer Admission
Although there is no formal deferred admission to the MHC Program, you are welcome to re-apply without prejudice for the next admission date. You can contact Graduate Admissions and request that they reactivate your application file. There is no guarantee of admission a second time, but your chances would be very good, having been admitted previously.
We advise applicants who intend to put off pursuing a degree for financial reasons to consider their options carefully. It usually makes more sense to take a loan than to avoid borrowing through continued work. We understand that debt can be a concern, but often a decision to withdraw does not add up in our view should you put off enrollment for one year solely to earn money.
The annual tuition at Brooklyn College is relatively affordable. Most applicants already have invested substantially (at least their time) in an undergraduate education, so to delay over a relatively small further investment may not make sense in the long run. Admittedly, there may be many factors influencing your decision of which we are unaware.
