Professor and student walking outdoors on campus

A collaboration between the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Southern Maine, the Counseling 3+2 — Psychology program provides you with an accelerated pathway to a career in the counseling field.

Interested in a career in Counseling? Want to fast-track your college degree(s) with a focused program of study? Have the motivation, compassion and maturity to jump-start your career path in counseling? If so, the University of Maine at Farmington Counseling 3+2 — Psychology program may be perfect for you.

In this program, you earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) followed by a Master of Science in Counseling at the University of Southern Maine (USM) — all in five years instead of six.

  • 3 yrs – B.A. in Psychology at the University of Maine at Farmington
  • 2 yrs – M.S. in Counseling at the University of Southern Maine

This allows you to graduate ahead of time while preparing you for a professional career where you can help meet Maine’s growing mental health needs.

Counselors help individuals, families, and groups with mental health challenges, such as depression and PTSD; drug and alcohol abuse; life transitions, such as adjusting to college; and other difficult life situations.

Save more than $5,500 per year in tuition. This University of Maine at Farmington program qualifies for the NEBHE Tuition Break.

Through the NEBHE Tuition Break program, students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont receive a $5,670 tuition discount on all UMF degree programs.

Note: For this particular program, the NEBHE tuition break applies only to the courses you take at UMF.

What does the accelerated pathway to a Master’s Degree in Counseling involve?

At the University of Maine at Farmington

You will work to meet all requirements for a B.A. in Psychology at Farmington in three years, gaining practical skills through counseling courses, an interactive, discussion-based seminar each semester, mentorship, experience in the field, and collaboration with peers.

As part of your Psychology degree at Farmington, you will fulfill the requirements for the Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician Community (MHRT/C) certification, allowing you to gain practical work experience while pursuing your Master’s degree in Counseling at the University of Southern Maine.

In your third year at UMF, a streamlined grad school application process will pave the way to help you gain early acceptance to the University of Southern Maine’s Master of Science in Counseling program.*

At the University of Southern Maine you can choose from:

Mental Health Counseling prepares you for licensure as a counselor (LCPC or LPC) while School Counseling prepares you for certification in School Counseling with the option of pursuing additional coursework to earn licensure (many students choose to earn this after they graduate while they are working in the field).

* Note: Participation in this 3 + 2 Program does not guarantee admission to the M.S. program at USM. Also, you are not required to pursue graduate school at USM.

You may also enter UMF’s Master’s in Psychology – Creative Arts Focus program

In addition, the University of Maine at Farmington Counseling 3+2 – B.A. in Psychology to M.S. program provides an accelerated pathway to earning UMF’s unique Master’s in Psychology – Creative Arts Focus.

That UMF Master’s degree program provides a solid clinical foundation while integrating the creative arts into the practice of counseling and psychotherapy. It offers students across Maine and beyond the training and experience necessary to deliver a variety of counseling services. A special focus on creative arts allows our graduates to work with the unique needs of individuals for whom traditional talk therapy is inappropriate, such as those with dementia and autism.

See More About UMF’s Master’s in Psychology – Creative Arts Program

FAQ

  • Completion of an undergrad degree in three years and the opportunity to enter the workforce one year earlier, saves you money and time
  • A program of study focused on counseling where you begin to develop the professional skills needed to be an effective counselor
  • Close collaboration and mentoring from Farmington faculty and upper-level UMF students
  • Participation in an interactive seminar — allowing you to develop counseling and leadership skills while preparing you for similar courses in graduate school
  • You’ll work closely with fellow students and faculty mentors
  • Students will be selected based on their potential for completing an accelerated degree and continuing to a Master’s degree program in Counseling
  • Specifically, applicants will be chosen based on their academic strengths, previous experience relevant to counseling, and their interest in the 3 + 2 program
  • You can still benefit from all aspects of the 3 + 2 program. By majoring in Psychology at Farmington, you will have the opportunities in Counseling course offerings, the MHRT/C courses sequence, mentoring from UMF faculty to help prepare for graduate school and a career in counseling, and a heavier course load to accelerate your degree
Got questions? Ask a professor in this program

Contact Us

Office of Admissions
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine USA 04938-1994
tel  207-778-7050
fax  207-778-8182
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfadmit@maine.edu