Home » School Profile » Adams State University

Adams State University

Logo for our profile of Adams State University

Studying Applied Behavior Analysis at Adams State University

Adams State University appears in our ranking of the Top 30 Online Master’s in School Counseling

Adams State University offers two graduate degree programs that appeal to students with an interest in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The first is a clinical mental health counseling that includes two internships. Students can use those internships to gain experience with patients on the spectrum and to work with those who could benefit from ABA therapy. They will also take three required courses such as Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Diagnosis and Psychopathology. The 13 courses and experience that make up the counseling core include a practicum and classes on research and ethics.

A second graduate program is available in school counseling. This program prepares students for obtaining their counseling licenses and working with children in all types of schools. It features the same counseling core, which includes classes such as Lifespan Development, Introduction to Research, Ethics and Professional Issues and Crisis, Disaster and Trauma. This program also features two internships and four courses, including Comprehensive School Counseling and Foundations of School Counseling. Students can work with individuals who have autism and others who are on the spectrum when they do their internships and practicums.

During a practicum, students must have at least 40 hours of direct contact with clients and 60 hours of indirect contact, which can include the time they spend writing about their experiences and working in the office. Their internships must include 240 hours of direct contact with patients and 360 hours of indirect work for a total of 600 hours of work. Adams State University can help students find counseling centers and other places where they can do their fieldwork. As both programs are available online, students have the option of doing fieldwork anywhere in Colorado and other parts of the country. They need to get approval from the university before doing any of that work.

About Adams State University

Adams State University is a small university in Alamosa, Colorado that receives support and funding from the state government. Billy Adams was a local politician who later became the state’s governor. He helped establish a teachers college in the city in 1921 called the Adams State Normal School. Named in his honor, the school helped students complete the training that allowed them to succeed as teachers. Its programs prepared students for working in some of the more rural and remote areas of the state where students typically did not have access to educational opportunities. After serving as a teaching college for a number of years, it would become Adams State College and then Adams State University. Adams State and ASU are some of the other names that the university uses.

Though its educational programs are still popular today, the university now offers degrees in subjects that include business and computer science. The campus is home to historic buildings such as Richardson Hall and more modern buildings that include the Adams State University Theater, which was added in 2001. Six on-campus residence halls are also open to students. They can live in apartments with up to two other students per room and share some communal spaces. The Rex Stadium is another popular spot for students because it offers a rock climbing wall, swimming pool, and courts for playing different types of sports. Around 3,400 undergrads and a few hundred graduate students attend ASU.

Adams State University Accreditation Details

Adams State has accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), which covers both its school and mental health counseling programs. Both programs have the same accreditation for their internships and fieldwork experiences that counseling majors do. ASU also has accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which is the regional accreditation that gives students access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the option to transfer college credits when they enroll in the university.

Adams State University Application Requirements

Though ASU does not have an application deadline for its counseling graduate programs, it recommends that students apply early in the year. Both the online and on-campus programs have a limited amount of space. Once the university accepts enough students to fill those spots, it will close the application. The on-campus programs will only accept students for the fall semester, but the online programs accept new students for each of the three semesters: fall, spring, and summer. There is both an online application and an application fee of $30.

Those who apply before the end of June can use the application portal to submit all their documents. Students who apply after the first of July will need to submit their documents through the mail or send those documents to the university’s admissions department. ASU asks for a typed personal statement of at least two pages but not more than five pages. This allows students to write about their counseling experiences and talk about how they will use their degrees. They can also use the statement as a way to discuss the ABA work that they want to do. They will also need to provide their official college transcripts and two letters of recommendation.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Adams State charges fees of more than $150 per credit hour for graduate students. Those who are Colorado residents pay $406 per credit hour, while those who are not Colorado residents will pay $586 per credit hour. Students enrolled in one of the online counseling programs will pay $453 per credit hour. The online program also provides students with access to digital textbooks and other resources to help them save money.

Those who need financial aid can apply for alternative loans and submit the FAFSA. Alternative loans usually have higher interest rates and require that students use a cosigner to qualify for the money they need. The federal government offers direct loans that have a much lower interest rate. Grad students can pay on their loans while in school or wait until after they graduate to make payments. There are also PLUS loans available that can cover some of the student’s remaining costs after the university disperses their direct loans. Adams State University encourages graduate students with an interest in ABA and counseling to look at other funding sources too such as the grants and scholarships offered by professional organizations and their employers’ tuition reimbursement plans.

Related: