Leave with purpose.
Leave with purpose.
Change lives with an online master’s in clinical mental health counseling
Marquette University’s online Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) is built on a tradition of academic excellence and commitment to supporting people with diverse backgrounds and needs. At Marquette, you will gain the insights and experience to pursue a thoughtful and fulfilling career as a clinical mental health counselor—with the flexibility and convenience of an online program.
Whether you choose to specialize in child and adolescent counseling or pursue our general track, you will be focusing on building the skills for a purposeful career improving the quality of lives, identifying the strengths and tools your clients need to succeed, and practicing empathy to help them overcome mental health concerns that hold them back.
Key program highlights
- Complete in a few as 3 years
- 60 credits
- Pursue general track or the child and adolescent counseling specialization
- Three opportunities to start per year
- Dedicated student success coordinators
- Assistance with site placement for field experience
- CACREP-accredited
Close the gap in mental health care
Specialize in child and adolescent counseling
Prepare to make a profound difference in young lives with Marquette’s online master’s in counseling with a child and adolescent specialization. This program equips you to address the unique challenges faced by youth, from trauma to developmental struggles. Through 15 core courses, specialized training, and hands-on practicum experiences at renowned institutions, you'll develop evidence-based skills for this vulnerable population. With childhood mental health diagnoses rising dramatically, your expertise is urgently needed. Join a program designed with a community focus, empowering you to become a trusted advocate while advancing your counseling career with flexibility and purpose.
Remote learning. Collective growth.
Build confidence in your skills.
Find flexibility for your work and life.
Learn from the experts at Marquette.
Train with experts. Practice with confidence.
Marquette’s program includes practicum and internship placements where you'll apply assessment, diagnosis, and intervention skills with real clients. Faculty work closely with you to secure relevant clinical sites—whether you're in Milwaukee or across the country. Through 100 hours of practicum shadowing and 600 hours of internship work, you'll develop confidence while receiving consistent faculty support. Learn by watching, grow by doing, and emerge as a skilled counselor ready to create meaningful change in clients' lives.
Make your mark in mental health care
Marquette University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program delivers an immersive online experience that combines counseling theory with contemporary therapeutic techniques and practical insights from expert faculty counselors. Pair your drive to serve with practical skills and diverse clinical experiences, ensuring you're ready to make a significant impact.
Discover how Marquette's social-justice focused course work and flexible online format can prepare you for a rewarding career in mental health.
Take the first step
Embrace your purpose. Empower others.
Turn empathy into action
While the increased adoption of telehealth services are helping to improve Americans’ access to mental health services, counselors are needed across community settings to guide clients through managing substance abuse, behavioral disorders and more.
Clinical mental health counselors work in various settings, including:
- Community health centers
- Hospitals
- Outpatient and residential mental health centers
- Prisons
- Private practice
National standards. Career advantages.
CACREP accreditation directly enhances your career trajectory and professional preparation. As a graduate of a CACREP-accredited program, you'll find expanded employment opportunities, as many organizations specifically seek counselors from CACREP-accredited programs.2 The accreditation also typically streamlines your path to licensure and supports professional mobility across states.
You can find more information about CACREP by visiting cacrep.org.
Meet your counseling admissions outreach advisors
Miya and Susan, your admissions outreach advisors, are here to guide you through every step of the application process, from answering questions about clinical placement opportunities to helping you understand licensure requirements. Having helped numerous aspiring counselors successfully begin their graduate education journey, they can provide valuable insights about balancing graduate studies with personal and professional commitments. Our admissions outreach advisors are committed to helping you make informed decisions about your counseling education.
Advance social justice and health equity through counseling
Like you, Marquette University is driven by purpose. You’re devoted to social justice and helping people navigate their mental health. Marquette is devoted to providing a transformative education and preparing you to enter the field undaunted by systemic challenges and with the compassion to make a difference. Our department emphasizes the importance of diversity and multicultural influences on development in all of our programs, including our course work and research, as well as throughout our practicum and internship training. The department expects that all faculty and students will engage in respectful explorations of issues regarding diversity and multiculturalism as we develop more fully our commitment to social justice. Faculty and students are all expected to explore their own attitudes, knowledge and behaviors so that the quality of Marquette’s research, teaching and practice reflects its commitment to equity and inclusion.
Success by the numbers
Online counseling FAQs
What is the difference between a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) and a Master of Social Work (MSW)?
What is CACREP?
CACREP-accredited programs:
- Have been evaluated and meet or exceed national standards
- Help you meet prerequisites for licensure and exams
- Prepare you for successful entry into professional practice
- Focus specifically on professional counseling (not psychology or education)
Is the program CACREP-accredited?
Is CACREP accreditation necessary for licensure in clinical mental counseling?
Is there a dual degree or alternative pathway available for online CMHC students who would like to transition into Marquette’s Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology following the online CMHC program?
Individual growth.
Collective change.
Admissions Deadlines
- Retrieved on April 25, 2025, from mchb.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/mchb/data-research/nsch-data-brief-adolescent-mental-behavioral-health-2023.pdf
- Retrieved on April 21, 2025, from cacrep.org/articles/department-of-veterans-affairs-recognizes-cacrep-graduates/
- Based on a limited sample of self-reported data from alumni of Marquette University’s on-campus M.S. in CMHC from 2021-2024.