Online Master’s Degree Programs in Community Mental Health Management
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Psychology is a fascinating and diverse discipline often valuable to professionals pursuing various career paths. Knowledge derived from psychology can be applied in countless ways in numerous settings, including business, human resources, child development, rehabilitation, education, and career counseling.
The need for trained counselors and therapists in the United States is robust. The National Alliance on Mental Health estimated that approximately 51 million adults in the U.S. (roughly one in five adults) experienced mental illness in 2019.
Several factors continue to drive the need for counseling resources. Some of these include the rapid pace of technological and societal change that creates feelings of profound dislocation and alienation for some people, the recent and lingering disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the high prevalence of substance abuse and addiction within the American populace.
Community mental health is one framework in which mental health and related services are conceptualized and subsequently treated. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the genesis of the community mental health concept is attributable to the Community Mental Health Act of 1963. Before the passage of this act, individuals with mental illness in the U.S. were often institutionalized, and the quality of the care they received in such settings varied significantly. After 1963, the model of providing mental health treatment changed from institutionalization to the creation of mental health centers which began offering treatment and other services to people in the communities where they live and work.
This shift in how mental health services are delivered resulted from a change in the theoretical foundation that informs how such services are conceptualized and then offered. The community mental health model is based upon the premise that communities are better able to create, operate and sustain the mental health facilities and programs needed to meet the needs of their population. The American Psychological Association defines community mental health as activities that promote mental health that are performed in the community instead of institutional settings.
Decades after the passage of the Community Mental Health Act, community mental health centers continue to play a vital role in the wellness of the communities they serve. A variety of staff often work at a community mental health center. These include social workers, psychiatrists, counselors, psychologists, and peer support specialists. These centers often serve as a critical resource and stopgap measure when other resources, such as psychiatric hospitals, state departments of public health-operated facilities, and private providers, are insufficient to meet the needs of both individuals and the broader local population. Such centers often provide critical referrals to other local service providers as well as directly contract with these other providers to provide services that effectively sustain a safety net in countless communities throughout the U.S.
Read on to discover community mental health and related academic programs in the United States.
Featured Programs in Community Mental Health
The following guide introduces seven master’s degree programs focused on community mental health or closely related programs such as public health management and community health.
The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) Department of Counseling Psychology offers a master’s degree in community mental health. It is one of five programs offered through this department. This program incorporates social justice perspectives, cultural understanding, and numerous theoretical approaches, including psychodynamics, family systems therapy, trauma-informed therapy, and recovery and resiliency treatment models. It was designed in consultation with leading mental health service providers from the public sector to meet critical standards in professionalism, trauma-informed care, and cultural diversity.
The program features a flexible weekend format that allows working professionals and others with busy schedules to pursue such education nonetheless. Students choose one of two options in this program. They may complete the 60-credit marriage and family therapist (MFT) or 67-credit LPCC tracks.
Graduates are skilled in providing evidence-based, collaborative psychotherapy services. They may practice in numerous settings, including hospitals, clinics, schools, government agencies, and community non-profits. A skilled faculty contributes to a thought-provoking atmosphere that encourages students to reframe their perspectives by learning from related subjects such as social justice advocacy for indigenous communities, social capital, intentional community, psychoanalysis, the discourse of capitalism, and the California Dream.
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
- Expected Time to Completion: 2.5 to three years
- Estimated Tuition: $1,242 per credit
The City University of New York offers a 42-credit master of public health degree in community health. The curriculum focuses on the social and behavioral sciences within the discipline of public health. Students are trained in many competencies to meet the needs typical of urban communities. The nine specific core competencies students develop are evidence-based approaches to public health, public health and healthcare systems, planning and management to promote health, policy in public health, leadership, communication, interprofessional and/or intersectoral practice, systems thinking, and environmental sciences.
Graduates emerge prepared to assume roles where they will plan, manage, and evaluate health programs to reduce social and behavioral threats to community health. Given the curriculum’s focus on social determinants of disease, health inequality, and structural theories of change, graduates are equipped to work in many settings, including service, advocacy, and healthcare organizations.
- Location: New York, NY
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $7,365 for NY state residents with 12 or more credit hours and $620 per credit for students less than full-time (<12 hours); $1,005 per credit hour regardless of course load for NY non-residents
The Wayne State University College of Education offers a 30-credit master of science degree in community health. The program is designed for people seeking to work in community settings such as health departments, local health agencies, non-profit organizations, hospitals, universities, and businesses.
The mission of this program is to advance health equity by creating professionals trained to understand the impact of social determinants and the other structures and factors that influence individuals’ lives, such as families, communities, and local policies. Graduates are trained to see the community as where they will practice their analytical, assessment, planning, advocacy, intervention, and research skills.
Academically gifted students still completing their undergraduate degree are encouraged to consider the Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) program. This program permits students to simultaneously complete master’s degree coursework while completing their bachelor’s degree. AGRADE students have the opportunity to complete both degrees in an accelerated timeline.
The WSU program in Community Health is unique among such programs because it prepares students to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam, offered through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. The CHES certification is the only nationally and internationally accredited health education and promotion certification on the market.
- Location: Detroit, MI
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $736.74 per credit for resident students; $1,595.79 per credit for out-of-state students
The Grand Canyon University College of Humanities and Social Sciences offers a 34-credit-hour master of science degree in mental health and wellness with an emphasis in community mental health administration. The program is delivered in both online and in-person formats. The in-person program consists of evening courses that meet once per week. These formats prove particularly suitable to working professionals, those with families, and others with significant existing commitments for whom schedule flexibility is minimal. Prospective students should note that this program is not specifically designed to prepare students for licensure.
The curriculum features an integration of the topics of health, wellness, and leadership. Students develop knowledge of behavioral, mental, spiritual, and cognitive forms of health as well as key competencies in human resources such as workforce diversity, talent management, and employee development. Particular skills the program emphasizes include program planning and development, such as budgetary concerns, policies, and procedures, as well as communications, ethics, and organizational governance.
Graduates find leadership, administrator, and other critical roles in various settings, including churches, hospitals, and community-based organizations.
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: $565 per online credit hour regardless of residency status
Previously ranked #1 “Best Value College” in America by Money Magazine, the University of Michigan offers a 60-credit residential master of public health degree (MPH) in health management and policy. This program prepares students for leadership in both public and private sectors in careers in public health policy, planning, and advocacy.
The curriculum focuses on factors influencing population health, such as socioeconomic circumstances, cultural values, behavioral risk factors, and environmental conditions. Program content is based upon a set of core competencies necessary to effectively train professionals who will bring excellence to their health management and policy work. The HMP Competency Model provides details regarding these competencies.
Another critical requirement of the master’s degree program is a 10- to 12-week internship students complete during the summer term (May-August) between their first and second years of study. Internship placements are guided by the student’s professional interests and unfold under the mentorship of a preceptor. The internship not only provides students an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a hands-on way but also a means to further develop a network of professional contacts that often prove of value to their future careers. Internship settings include hospitals, health systems, health insurance plans, health departments, community health centers, advocacy organizations, professional associations, think tanks, foundations, and government agencies. Many internships are paid experiences.
Students receive substantial career development support both before and after graduation. During their degree program, students meet with faculty and staff to further refine their career goals and obtain guidance in developing application materials such as resumes and cover letters and how to execute an effective job search strategy. After graduation, students benefit from a robust alumni network throughout the United States and abroad.
- Location: Ann Arbor, MI
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
- Estimated Tuition: Michigan residents pay $16,091 for full-time status (9+ credits), $2,139 for one credit (part-time), and $1,744 for each credit for part-time attendance; non-residents pay $26,542 for full-time status (9+ credits), $3,300 for one credit (part-time) and $2,905 for each credit for part-time attendance
The University of North Dakota College of Education and Human Development offers a fully online master of arts degree in counseling with an emphasis in community mental health counseling. This program is designed to:
- Prepare students to be a culturally mindful and social justice-oriented practitioner capable of working with various client populations, including children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, and the elderly
- Fulfill state licensure requirements in multiple states
- Provide students the foundational preparation for subsequent pursuit of a PhD, PsyD, or another terminal degree program
Students must complete 60 to 65 credits to earn their degree. Throughout their studies, they develop skills in counseling assessment, consultation, teaching and research. They also become proficient in providing access to mental health resources, developing evaluation and interview skills necessary for effective counseling practice, and learning to consistently apply an industry-based code of ethics to ensure the safety of their clients and the growth of their careers.
To graduate, students must complete an internship requirement. Specifically, they complete at least 600 internship hours in service to a population of interest. Of the required hours, 240 hours must be direct client contact hours.
- Location: New York, NY
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two to four years depending on study pace
- Estimated Tuition: Use website tuition calculator to determine costs
The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences within the New York University School of Global Public Health offers a master of public health (MPH) degree program. This program features nine concentrations designed to permit students to specialize their expertise further.
One of the MPH program concentrations is the community health science and practice concentration. This 46-credit program prepares students to develop, implement and evaluate programs and policies designed to create and sustain healthy communities. Health equity is a guiding principle in creating such policies and programs. In addition to traditional classroom based coursework, students must complete a public health internship of at least 180 hours to be eligible to graduate.
Graduates possess the skills necessary to assume leadership roles throughout the world. Particular skills graduates hold include the ability to:
- Collect and analyze community health data and behavioral, social, cultural, economic, environmental, and institutional factors to assess community health and the design of suitable programs
- Identify evidence-based interventions that promote population and community health
- Adapt and implement evidence-based strategies to promote healthy communities and health equity
- Establish effective community partnerships with stakeholders for the ultimate purpose of creating effective population-based health programs
Students are admitted twice a year. In addition to standard application requirements such as an online application, a resume, personal statement, official transcripts, and letters of recommendation, an applicant must also have taken the GRE in the last five years and have a satisfactory score.
- Location: New York, NY
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Expected Time to Completion: Two to four years, depending on the pace of study
- Estimated Tuition: Use the school website tuition calculator to determine cost
Professors to Know in Community Health Master’s Degree Programs
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Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg, PhD - City University of New York
Dr. Nicholas Freudenberg is a distinguished professor of public health at City University of New York School of Public Health and faculty director of Healthy CUNY, a university-wide effort to promote the health of CUNY students to support their academic success. He is also a senior faculty fellow and co-founder of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. Freudenberg was the founder and first director of the CUNY School of Public Health’s Doctor of Public Health program.
Dr. Freudenberg specializes in research examining the impact of food and social policies on urban food environments and health inequalities; strategies to bring the benefits of a college education to more students from historically underserved populations; and public health approaches to reduce the harmful influences of commercial determinants of health. He wrote At What Cost Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health (Oxford, 2021) and Lethal but Legal Corporations, Consumption and Protecting Public Health (Oxford, 2014 and 2016). For over three decades, he has worked to plan, implement, and evaluate health policies and programs to improve living conditions and reduce health inequalities in low-income communities.
He holds DrPH and MPH degrees from Columbia University and a bachelor of science degree from CUNY Hunter College.
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Dr. Melissa Creary, PhD, MPH - University of Michigan
Dr. Melissa Creary currently works as an Assistant Professor in the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She has previously taught courses in race, ethnicity, and culture in health policy, and achievements and challenges in public health systems.
She is the director of the Office of Public Health Initiatives within the American Thrombosis & Hemostasis Network. In her role, she supports the organization’s efforts to consolidate federal programs, establish a Health Equity Program and support medically underserved populations. She previously spent nine years at the CDC Division of Blood Disorders, where she created and co-led the first national program and data collection system for sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Her research and teaching background is at the nexus of public health, science and technology studies, and medical anthropology. She studies sickle cell disease's social, cultural, ethical, political, and historical tensions in the United States and Brazil.
Dr. Creary is a three-time alumnus of Emory University. She completed her bachelor of science in biology, a master of public health in behavioral science and health education, and a doctor of philosophy from the Emory University Laney Graduate School.
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Dr. Cerynn Desjarlais, PhD - University of North Dakota
Dr. Cerynn Desjarlais is the program director for online graduate counseling programs and a clinical assistant professor at the University of North Dakota. She is dedicated to collaborating with colleagues to promote education defined by values such as diversity, inclusion, and equity of access to counseling services. Her research interests include indigenous student success, missing and murdered indigenous women, and multicultural psychology
Desjarlais is a member of the Society of Indigenous Psychologists (SIP), where she serves as the SIP Newsletter co-editor. She is also a member of the American Psychological Association and several APA divisions focused on issues such as women, culture, ethnicity, and race.
She completed her master of arts in counseling and PhD in counseling psychology at UND.
