LCU: Graduate Behavioral Sciences Degree

Graduate Counseling

If you’re interested in pursuing a graduate degree that will help you change the lives of other people, you have come to the right place. In our graduate programs, we help equip you to strengthen families and marriages, resolve conflicts between people and groups, assist individuals in overcoming addictions and other destructive behaviors, and help clients deal with emotional and spiritual problems.

At Lubbock Christian University, you will enjoy small classes taught by experienced professionals who are still involved in their professions. All of our faculty members hold doctorates and continue to work as counselors, diagnosticians, human service professionals, and consultants. Our professors will help you examine professional research and theory from a Christian worldview, while continuing to write and contribute to scholarly research.

Our Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling offers three different emphasis to meet your needs: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy. We also offer a School Counseling degree for non-Texas residents. At LCU we are dedicated to nurturing compassionate, skilled, and culturally competent therapists. Our program combines theoretical knowledge and practical experience, equipping our students to address the diverse challenges in today's dynamic world. Join us on a transformative journey as we explore the intricacies of human connections and empower you to make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals, couples, and families.

Emphases in Mental Health Counseling

This emphasis allows you to sit for the LMFT licensing exam in Texas. This specific training prepares graduates to engage in therapeutic work with individuals, couples, and families, covering a broad spectrum of counseling settings. The designation refers more to the approach—an LMFT is trained to help each client within the context of his or her social environment and relationships, past or present.

Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy

Graduates from this emphasis will receive the academic and experiential foundations that will enable them to specialize in a variety of counselor roles, such as community mental health counselors, pastoral counselors, drug and alcohol counselors, trauma counselors, college counselors, and relationship counselors.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Emphasis in School Counseling will help prepare you to serve the personal, academic, and career needs of children and adolescents. This track prepares students to become a certified school counselor in Texas.

School Counseling

Graduate Counseling Programs

Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Master of School Counseling

Master of Guidance and School Counseling

Tara Donai

Administrative Assistant

Tara.Donai@LCU.edu 806.720.7842

Departmental Mission

The Mission of the Clinical Mental Health Program aligns itself with the mission of LCU and the Graduate Department of Counseling by training ethically- and spiritually-aware mental health counselors who possess the knowledge, values, skills, and personal disposition to promote mental health and holistic wellness of clients across diverse populations.

Additional Information

The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and MS in School Counseling programs have a two-phase process for admissions. The first phase is the standard application process for Graduate Studies and has the following requirements:

Undergraduate degree in phsychology or related field
Graduate Application
$60 application fee – if not submitted with the application, may be paid online, by calling 806-720-7599, or by mailing a check or money order made out to “LCU.”
Credit Agreement – Students may fax (toll-free: 1-866-784-5663)
Official undergraduate transcript(s), showing a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree awarded, and any previous post-baccalaureate or graduate work. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for unconditional admissions consideration.
- To be considered official, all transcripts must arrive sealed in the university’s envelope, bearing official marks/seals. E-scripts are considered official only when sent directly from the university to GraduateAdmissons@lcu.edu.
- Courses taken for the degree must include a minimum of 39 upper level hours. Hours awarded for life or work experience will not satisfy upper level requirements. Vocational courses will not be counted toward the 120 academic hour requirement. Evidence of grade point averages, degrees, and test scores must be on official transcripts or official score reports. Students on probation or suspension at other institutions are not eligible for admission.
Three letters of reference are required. See admissions coordinator for details regarding reference requirements. Applicants will personally complete the first section of the electronic form.
- Academic Reference
- Personal Reference
- Professional Reference
Proof of meningitis vaccination. Applicants who will be 22 years old or older by the first day of the start of the semester are exempt from this requirement. Please see Meningitis Vaccine Requirements for more information.

Application items should be submitted no later than four weeks prior to the beginning of a session. Any items that need to be mailed should be submitted to Lubbock Christian University, Attn: Marcia Crabtree, Department of Psychology and Counseling, Graduate Programs, 5601 19th Street, Lubbock, TX 79407.

Approved applicants proceed to the departmental interview phase of the admissions process. This second phase has the following requirements:

Personality assessment and $35 testing fee. Applicants can pay online and forward the receipt to the admissions coordinator, who will set up the personality assessment and send completion instructions.
Two short counseling essays. Questions provided upon approval to move onto the departmental interview phase.
Professional résumé.
20-minute interview with graduate faculty panel.

After both phases of the admissions process are completed, applicants will be notified of their admission status. Applicants are not accepted until an official letter of acceptance is issued. For further information regarding the application process, please contact us at 806-720-7823.