The College of New Jersey, in partnership with the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree, launched the first-ever master’s-level Registered Apprenticeship for Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the United States. This milestone reimagines graduate education by creating an apprenticeship degree pathway where aspiring counselors earn a master’s degree while gaining paid, hands-on clinical experience.
Traditionally, CMHC programs require unpaid, year-long practicums or internships, forcing many students to take on additional employment and prolonging their time to degree completion. By replacing this model with a structured, paid apprenticeship degree, the TCNJ-NCAD partnership removes these long-standing obstacles and transforms clinical placement into a core, paid part of professional preparation.
The program creates immediate value to TCNJ learners and across the healthcare ecosystem:
Students earn income while completing the program and build clearer pathways toward Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor credentials, accelerating time to completion and affordability.
Employers gain a practical solution to expand their pipeline of supervised professionals.
Communities benefit from expanded access to mental health providers during a time of critical national shortage.
“Our program exists to try to knock down barriers for those who are already in the behavioral health field,” Sandy Gibson, TCNJ professor of counselor education and program visionary, said.
Sandy Gibson, chair of the Department of Online Counselor Education
For TCNJ’s spring 2026 cohort, 70% of incoming mental health master’s degree students prefer to utilize the apprenticeship degree pathway.
“The significance of this initiative extends beyond a single institution,” Gibson said. “It is a structural intervention that addresses affordability, access, and labor market alignment in a single model. At a time when the country is experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals, this apprenticeship program offers a compelling response: reducing barriers to entry by paying students for their clinical work and creating stronger employer-connected pathways into the profession.”
The TCNJ-NCAD model offers a blueprint for other institutions seeking to expand access to graduate healthcare education. Looking ahead, the partnership is exploring opportunities to expand regional employer partnerships, increase program reach across diverse healthcare settings, and develop additional specializations such as addiction counseling. So far, 11 mental health agencies have already committed to the program.
Learn more about TCNJ’s online Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling.