Master of Science in Counseling, Catholic Anthropology Concentration

Your first step is to get in touch with any questions or submit the simple application for admission. After acceptance to the University as a candidate for graduate studies, we will assist you every step of the way toward acceptance into your academic program so you can enroll and begin your classes!

The Human Person: Created, Fallen, and Redeemed

Explore the classical, Christian vision of full human flourishing. This course proceeds from the perspective of natural law and thus sees human persons as a unity of body, soul, rational intellect, will, and passions who are created to find happiness in freedom through virtue and called by God to particular vocations. It also examines related dimensions of emotions and experience. Students will learn the dynamics of this integrative, holistic, and transformative vision in its biblical, theological, and philosophical grounding, as well as its embedding in biological, psychological, and socio-cultural contexts.

Holistic Flourishing and Integration

Engage in the Christian vision of the human flourishing in terms of its conviction that the human person is an integrated unity designed to live in mutually enriching relationships with God and other persons in true freedom and happiness. Particular diagnoses, such as depression and anxiety, are considered from psychological, theological, and philosophical perspectives with a view towards the proper understanding of Catholic anthropology and its successful integration into clinical practice for the sake of client growth, healing, and flourishing.

Vocation and Virtue as Man and Woman

Reflect upon the nature and discernment of particular vocational states in life, asking what it means to receive and thrive in a call to be single, married, ordained, or consecrated. This course makes note of the comprehensive union of male and female in marriage as a natural and sacramental institution divinely ordained for the good of children, adults, families, and societies from the perspective of Catholic teaching as shaped by classical, legal, philosophical, biblical, and theological sources. The course involves the analysis of issues pertinent to clinical practice such as disorders and difficulties related to singleness, romance, marriage, and family.

Human Flourishing in Life and Implications for Clinical Practice

Encounter models for the integration of the Christian vision of the human person into life in general and counseling praxis in particular. Drawing on the theological, philosophical, and psychological foundations of Catholic anthropology, the course examines the human, religious, and spiritual resources necessary for the mature discernment of vocation, the free exercise of virtue, the operation of reason, the cultivation of healthy relationships, the process of personal growth, the avenues of healing, and, ultimately, growth in faith, hope, and love.

Caring for the Human Person: Towards an Integrated Practice

Examine the emotional, passional, rational, sensory-perceptual, and cognitive dimensions of the human person. This course involves deep exploration of the integration of the theological, philosophical, and psychological grounding of the Catholic vision of the human person into aspects of clinical practice such as psychological evaluations and assessments, case conceptualization, and ongoing counseling of clients.

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The following will be needed when you have applied for admission so we can get you accepted into the graduate program. The preferred application date for the fall semester is March 1 with the final application deadline of July 1.

• Official transcripts showing a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Preference is given to candidates with a degree in Psychology, Education, Social Work, Criminal Justice, or a closely related human service field.
• When submitting your official transcripts:
  • You can request transcripts at most schools by going to the National Student Clearinghouse or by contacting the registrar’s office.
  • Have your transcripts sent to:
    Office of Admissions
    University of Mary
    7500 University Drive
    Bismarck, ND 58504
  • Or request to send electronic transcripts to registrar@umary.edu
  • Graduated from the University of Mary before? Then we’ll get your Mary transcript for you!
• Application/enrollment fee - This will be collected at the time you fill out the online application.
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Two references (include contact information as part of the application)
• Two to four-page statement of purpose indicating why you are applying to the University of Mary’s graduate counseling program; why you would like to become a counselor; how the Benedictine values will shape your education and future work; and what you could contribute to our program. 

Selected candidates will interview with the counseling program faculty. After all admissions materials have been submitted and an interview has been conducted, an admissions decision will be made. Students who do not meet one or more of the above requirements may be considered for admission, upon careful review of their transcripts, professional/work experiences, and in-person interview. If offered admission, background checks will be required prior to beginning the program.