We Offer Flexible Scheduling, Small Class Sizes, Expert Faculty,
and Online Support
The M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling includes a stimulating and instructional residency requirement. Residency is a time for the cohorts to gather together for approximately one weekend to strengthen and continue building community. Students are required to attend three on-campus residencies at specified times during the program prior to taking practicum and internship courses.
Quality distance learning programs present both benefits and challenges for students. A key challenge faced by students and faculty within the program is to find alternative ways to create the personal interaction and connectivity that develops more naturally in the traditional face-to-face classroom course. Residency offers an incredible opportunity for cohort members to meet and build relationships with one another, faculty and staff. In addition, residencies provide enriching in-person networking and mentoring opportunities for students with faculty and peers.
It is during residency that the faculty and students truly become colleagues; engaging in both personal and professional dialogue, establishing friendships as well becoming professional equals. Residency provides students with the opportunity to practice and gain mastery of the skills they have acquired in each course. Students will also participate in workshops and presentations aimed on preparing for internship and licensure.
Students should budget for the following residency costs: 1) transportation, 2) textbooks purchased prior to residency, 3) hotel accommodations and 4) food costs. Students are responsible for making their own travel, lodging and other meal arrangements. Some students consider bringing their families with them during residency, but this is generally discouraged. Students’ daily schedules during residency are occupied with many activities that they are required to attend. The coursework is intensive and requires a considerable amount of study and preparation time, and students typically do not find the residency period conducive to being able to spend time with their families.
The program is committed to the historical foundations of the doctoral degree in which a community of scholars is created among faculty-mentors and student-scholars. Keiser University mirrors this historical tradition by the utilization of student cohorts, intensive on-campus residencies and a variety of interactive discussion modes that extend beyond topical course discourse. In view of this goal, the waiving of residency requirements will not be considered.
