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Posted: 1/25/18

TAMIU Graduate Counseling Psychology Program Earns Accreditation

 

Dr. Ediza Garcia
Dr. Ediza García, program director  

The Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) has voted to approve accreditation for Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) through Jan. 2022.

Dr. Tom Mitchell, TAMIU’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, singled out TAMIU program director Dr. Ediza García’s leadership in successfully securing the program accreditation, and noted it joins other accredited TAMIU programs.

“We are most grateful to Dr. García for her leadership in this accreditation. TAMIU joins a select group of only three Texas universities with MPCAC accreditation. It also now becomes our latest College/School or discipline-specific accreditation.  This includes our A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business (AASCB Accreditation); School of Engineering (ABET Accreditation), College of Nursing and Health Science’s Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing (TBON, ACEN) and our Masters of Public Administration (NASPAA Accreditation).  These accreditations ensure the quality and importance of our programs, and enhance career opportunities for our graduates,” Dr. Mitchell explained.

Dr. García was notified by Dr. Eleonora Bartoli, MPCAC chair, of the TAMIU program’s accreditation.

“This was a complex, yet worthwhile endeavor, and I am thankful to my fellow faculty members, College and University administrators for their partnership in helping us successfully obtain this accreditation.  We look forward to continuing to maintain the high standards required of an MPCAC-accredited program,” Dr. García said.

Created in 1995 to accredit terminal programs in psychology, the organization expanded its mission in 2011 to include accrediting counseling programs. By 2015, some 40 programs nationally were MPCAC- accredited.  To date, only 49 programs in 22 states bear the distinction of MPCAC-accreditation.

MPCAC is an independent organization and has no financial or formal affiliation with other professional or trade associations. All MPCAC decisions are solely the product of its own organizational Board.

Its website notes that “specialized accreditation attests to the quality of an educational program that prepares students for entry into a recognized profession. (It) promotes accountability to many constituents. It protects the interests of students, the public, potential employers, and academic institutions themselves. Accreditation indicates that educational requirements reflect current professional norms and that that graduates are prepared for practice at a certain level.”

The TAMIU MACP Program is part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of Psychology and Communication.

The last day for entry into the TAMIU Graduate School for the Spring Semester 2018 is Feb. 5. For Graduate School information, visit offices in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, Suite 206, or call 956.326.3020.

 An MACP Open House providing Program information is scheduled Wednesday, February 28, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center, room 231.  

For additional information about the MACP Program, contact Dr. García at 956.326.3096, visit offices in Anthony J. and Georgia A. Pellegrino Hall 313, or click on http://www.tamiu.edu/coas/psy/mastercounpsy/index.shtml

University news and resources are also available from tamiu.edu and on the University’s social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

For more on MPCAC and its Accreditation process, visit http://mpcacaccreditation.org