St. Mary’s University was founded in 1852 as St. Mary’s Institute by the Brothers of the Society of Mary. Known as Marianists, the founders brought Catholic education to San Antionio. The school began over a livery stable with twelve boys enrolled. Within a year, there were more than 100 boys enrolled at the school, requiring a new building to be built on Water Street. By 1890, enrollment had grown to the point that the downtown building was no longer suitable, and the West End Town Company agreed to sell 75 acres of land for $1 on the condition that a college be built there within one year. In 1894, St. Louis College opened, only accessible by horse and buggy. The location was often called the Woodlawn Campus. Eventually, all classes were moved from the downtown location to the Woodlawn Campus and renamed St. Mary’s College in 1923. In 1927, the college gained university status.
The mission of the Department of Counseling and Human Services is to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills to obtain positions as professional counselors. Students are taught to integrate Marianist values with the needs of the community in order to promote justice, peace and human dignity necessary in a global society.
Graduates of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, which replaced the Community Counseling and Mental Health Counseling program in 2009, are prepared for positions in institutions and agencies providing services to those suffering from issues related to:
- Alcohol and drug addiction
- Socioeconomic status
- Unemployment
- Aging
- Gender
- Culture
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Chronic Illness
- Developing transitions
- Interpersonal, family or community violence
Through knowledge of etiology, diagnosis and treatment, graduates provide assistance to individuals, families and communities in order to address issues that commonly face people. The program is 60 credit hours, which includes a 700 clock hour clinical practicum. Graduates meet the academic requirements for licensure in Texas.
Students who complete the Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision degree program at St. Mary’s are prepared for positions as advanced educators, clinicians and researchers who are able to integrate the Marianist values promoting justice, peace and human dignity into their work with those in need. There are three levels to the program:
- Praxis
- Theory
- Philosophical Foundation
It is structured for full-time study and takes approximately three years to complete, with the third year consisting of a residency.
For both the Master’s and Doctorate level degrees at St. Mary’s, students must provide GRE or GMAT score as well as two official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. For those who already have a graduate degree, test score requirements are waived. Students will also need to provide two professional recommendations as part of the application process.
Accreditation
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs