Psychology and Counseling Programs at Union College
Union College appears in our ranking of the Top 10 Best Online Masters in Psychology Degree Programs.
The Department of Psychology at Union College oversees eight different degree and certificate programs for students in both psychology and counseling. Most students start at the college as an undergraduate in the college’s psychology major. They take 33 credits that make up the core, which include Introduction to Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Lifespan Development, History and Systems of Psychology and Social Psychology. The college requires that they take 12 credits of electives too in either general psychology, experimental psychology or chemical dependency.
Students can also major in substance abuse, which is a program that teaches them how to counsel and help those struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. The core of this program is worth 24 credits and includes Foundations of Chemical Dependency I and II, Recovery and Relapse, Psychology of Addiction and Biological Systems of Chemical Dependency. There is also an internship in that core that requires to spend 100 hours or more working in a rehabilitation center or a similar facility. Substance abuse majors will take an additional 15 hours of electives such as Drugs and Society, Juvenile Delinquency, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Forensic Psychology and Adolescent Psychology. Also available is a chemical dependency counselor certificate program, which is available online for undergrads and includes 21 credits.
At the graduate level, Union College offers three degree programs, one endorsement program, and one certificate program. The endorsement program allows students with a psychology degree to get a clinical psychology endorsement. It requires that they take 12 credits of electives and required classes, including Theories of Personality, Psychology of Addictions and Advanced Forensic Psychology. There are two internships that students must do too. Students can also earn a graduate certificate in chemical dependency counseling.
The general psychology major for graduate students gives them the chance to look at some of the general topics in this field. It is best for those who want to pursue a doctoral degree and those who want to take online classes. Students take 22 credits of psychology foundation classes and nine credits of electives, and they can take electives that count towards a chemical dependency certificate. The college requires that students take two thesis courses in their final year. Those courses help them begin their thesis research and write the final papers that they will submit.
In the college’s clinical psychology graduate program, students must take 48 credits of classes. They can take an extra 12 credits and get a clinical psychology endorsement too. As a hybrid program, it requires that students do practicums in which they will administer psychological tests and measure the responses and answers given on those tests at the same time that they take online courses. The college’s substance abuse counseling program features all online classes. Students will take 60 credits of classes and can then become a licensed substance abuse counselor in Kentucky. Both programs include Introduction to Psychology and Graduate Studies, Statistics for Mental Health Professionals and Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
About Union College
Union College is a small college with an enrollment of around 1,000 students in Barbourville, Kentucky. Established n 1879, it was one of the first colleges to cater to students in the Appalachian Mountains. Many of its early programs focused on education and other practical majors that helped students improve their lives and the area. The Union campus offers a variety of outdoor activities for students because it is close to four major parks. Students typically take classes in the fall and spring semesters, but they can take summer classes and sign up for a study abroad program through the Kentucky Institute for International Studies. Union College has a long-standing affiliation with the United Methodist Church too, which dates back to the college’s early days.
Union College Accreditation Details
The nursing, teacher licensing and teacher education programs offered by Union College have accreditation from multiple organizations and approval from the Board of Education in Kentucky. The college was also regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which gives it the right to offer undergraduate degree programs.
Union College Application Requirements
Union College has policies regarding who it will accept. The college will accept applications from incoming freshmen at any point during their senior years in high school. They need a grade point average of 2.0 or higher and a minimum ACT score of 18 or a GED. Students with a GPA of 3.0 or above only need to score 17 on the ACT. The college also requires that students submit transcripts that show they took the 22 credits that the state-mandated as a college-prep curriculum, which includes math, foreign language, English, social studies and science classes. There is also a $10 application fee.
The psychology and counseling graduate programs available at Union College have entrance requirements that all incoming students must meet. Those requirements include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university. Students will need to provide transcripts that show they took behavioral and social sciences in college and that they earned high grades in those prerequisite classes. Union asks that students submit both an application and their transcripts as well as a GRE score. Psychology majors must score at least 286 on that exam. They will also sign and submit the Student Curriculum Contract, which shows that the student understands all the courses in the program and agrees to meet the minimum requirements needed to graduate.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students who commute to the Union College campus and enroll full-time pay $13,975 per semester in tuition and fees. Traditional students pay the same rate and an additional $3,750 per semester for room and board. Union offers other meal plans and room choices that can increase or decrease the student’s costs. Part-time undergrads can take online classes for $225 per credit hour and $25 in fees each semester. Students in any of the college’s psychology and counseling graduate programs will pay $400 per credit hour. As soon as the college gets the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), it can determine a student’s total costs and create a financial aid package. The graduate and undergraduate students applying to the psychology and counseling degree programs at Union College can get federal loans and grants, access to work-study opportunities and scholarships.
