Top Counseling Schools (TCS), a website that ranks counseling programs both nationally and by state, has named Neumann’s master’s degree in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling as the top value counseling master’s degree in Pennsylvania.

According to TCS, “Neumann’s M.S. in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling is easily one of the top counseling master’s degrees in the country, presenting a masterful blend of social psychology and spiritual doctrine to ambitious students at a competitive price point. This program benefits from accreditation from CACREP” and is also a member of the Atlantic Region of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. TCS notes that this combination of affiliations “opens the doors to an enormous range in career opportunities in both secular and religious institutions.”

The ranking was created using the online directory of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) to find the accredited counseling programs in Pennsylvania. TCS then ranked the schools based on their program completion rate, job placement rate, licensing exam pass rate, accreditation length, research productivity, and tuition and fees. Additional sources used included College Navigator and Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators.

The director of Neumann’s program in Pastoral Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Suzanne Mayer, ihm, Ph.D., noted that she finds it especially gratifying that the TCS, in identifying Neumann’s program as number one, specifically noted the University’s dedication to the “Franciscan tradition.” Sister emphasized that “TCS’s recognition of the importance of attention to diversity and acceptance of all cultures touches into the heart of what is most pastoral and inclusive in our program.”

TCS ranked Neumann’s master’s degree in counseling as a better value than similar programs at Shippensburg University, the University of Scranton, Duquesne University, and other well-known colleges.

The TCS website states that its purpose is to contribute to the academic mission of higher learning institutions by providing pertinent and objective information that counseling students and professionals find relevant to the field of counseling.