Accreditation & State Authorizations

Accreditation

Pacific Oaks College is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001. WSCUC is an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The College has been accredited since 1959. For additional information see www.wscuc.org.

Program Specific Approvals

School of Human Development and Education
Courses in the credential programs meet the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) requirements for a California Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential or Preliminary Education Specialist Credential.

School of Cultural and Family Psychology
The M.A. in MFT program satisfies all of the requirements of SB 33 and the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (Business and Professions Code Sections 4980.36c, d e 4980.39, 4980.40, and 4980.41).

The MFT program prepares graduates to apply for an Associate’s number and to sit for the California MFT exam to earn a Marriage and Family Therapist License awarded by the California Board of Behavioral Science.

The Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Board on Accreditation.

State Authorizations

For information on where Pacific Oaks College is currently authorized, licensed, registered, exempt or not subject to approval, please visit https://www.pacificoaks.edu/state-authorizations/.

Program Disclosures for Licensure for CA Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)

Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy - Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Specialization

Students wishing to qualify additionally for licensure as a Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the state of California, may do so via selection of the LPCC Specialization, which include the following courses, totaling 5 credits: MFT 670 Career Development Theories and Techniques (3 credits); MFT 681 - Advanced Topics in Addictions Counseling (1 credit); and, MFT 683 - Advanced Topics in Psychopharmacology (1 credit). With the addition of these 5 credits, students will be eligible to sit for the LPCC exam. 

Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (All Specializations)

The MA in MFT programs satisfy all of the requirements of SB 33 and the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (Business and Professions Code Sections 4980.36c, d e 4980.39, 4980.40, and 4980.41).

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&division=2.&title=&part=&chapter=13.&article=1.

• Integrates Marriage and Family Therapy principles throughout the curriculum.
• Integrates the principles of mental health recover- oriented care and methods of service delivery in recovery-oriented practice environments, among others, throughout the curriculum.
• Integrates an understanding of various cultures and the social and psychological implications of socioeconomic position, and an understanding of how poverty and social stress impact an individual’s mental health and recovery.
• Encourages students to develop personal qualities that are intimately related to effective practice including integrity, sensitivity, flexibility, insight, compassion, and personal presence.
• Provides students with the opportunity to meet with various consumer and family members of consumers of mental health services to enhance understanding of their experience of mental illness, treatment, and recovery.

The Master of Social Work (MSW) program prepares graduates to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in the state of California through a comprehensive curriculum centered around culturally appropriate practice while including extensive opportunities for real-world training through required field education and internship hours. The MSW program’s CSWE accreditation allows MSW program graduates to apply to become registered in California as an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW), the precursor to the LCSW.