University of Louisville’s Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) Program

View our Counseling & Psychology pathway here.

Service members with experience as a Behavioral Health Specialist (Army MOS 68X) looking to continue their education has several options that lead toward licensure in the counseling and mental health field. The fastest of these begins with the University of Louisville’s Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program. The OLL program is an undergraduate degree program that awards students credit based on their previous work experience. Through this Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), soldiers and service members can bring in up to 48 hours of credit through work specialization and experiential learning. This is three times the number of credits that can be transferred into other programs such as Social Work or Psychology, while still leading toward a certification and licensure in similar work. Students in the OLL program who are granted the full 48 PLA hours only need to take 31 hours of general education courses (Cardinal Core) and 12 core classes, meaning the program can be completed in as little as 2-3 years.

Students who graduate with the BSOLL Counseling and Human Relations track are automatically accepted into the University of Louisville’s Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services program which includes tracks in Counseling Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Each are 60 credit hour graduate programs that prepare students for professional licensure. The Counseling Psychology pathway prepares students for LPA (Licensed Psychological Associate), which can be converted to Psychological Practitioner license after 5 years of practice. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling track prepares students for certification as a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA), which can be converted to certification as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) after accruing 6000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

This pathway is the only one that can reward service members and veterans for their prior work experience, meaning it is likely the shortest path to professional licensure in the counseling field. Other options include beginning with an undergraduate degree in psychology or social work before continuing to a master’s degree, but only 15-18 credit hours would be transferred to the university from previous military experience.