Higher education research platform recognizes top master’s programs across disciplines Hobbs, NM – OnlineMasters.com, an independent higher education research platform specializing in online graduate education, has recognized multiple programs at University of the Southwest in its 2026 rankings. The university earned top distinctions across several online master’s disciplines, reinforcing its leadership in academic quality, affordability, and career-focused education. OnlineMasters.com uses a rigorous, data-driven methodology to evaluate accredited online master’s programs nationwide. Each program is assessed using a proprietary scoring model that measures performance across four core factors: academic quality, graduation outcomes, cost and return on investment, and student support resources. Programs receive an Online Master’s Score ranging from 0 to 100 based on their overall performance. The evaluation process incorporates trusted data from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, NCES College Navigator, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Board, publicly available institutional disclosures, and aggregated performance indicators from recognized ranking organizations such as U.S. News & World Report. All data undergo multiple rounds of internal review to ensure accuracy, consistency, and objectivity. In today’s rapidly evolving workforce shaped by artificial intelligence and technological innovation, graduate education has become an increasingly important differentiator. Online master’s programs that demonstrate strong academic rigor, competitive tuition structures, measurable career pathways, and robust support for online learners stand out in the rankings. University of the Southwest has been recognized for the following 2026 awards: Best Online Master's in Counseling Programs | Ranked 18 https://www.onlinemasters.com/best-degree-programs/counseling/ Best Online Master's in Online Teaching Degree Programs | Ranked 20 https://www.onlinemasters.com/best-degree-programs/education/online-teaching/ Best Online Master's in School Counseling Degree Programs | Ranked 50 https://www.onlinemasters.com/best-degree-programs/counseling/school-counseling/ This recognition underscores University of the Southwest’s commitment to delivering high-quality online graduate education designed to meet the demands of modern industries and support long-term student success. “Being recognized by OnlineMasters.com affirms our commitment to academic excellence and student outcomes,” said Dr. Ryan Tipton, university President. “We are proud that our online master’s programs continue to provide students with the knowledge, flexibility, and career preparation needed to succeed in a competitive and rapidly changing workforce.” ⸻ ABOUT ONLINEMASTERS.COM OnlineMasters.com is an independent higher education research platform dedicated to evaluating accredited online master’s programs across the United States. Led by a team of data analysts and higher education researchers, the organization operates independently to ensure objectivity and methodological integrity. Using verified federal education data, aggregated third-party rankings including U.S. News & World Report, and labor market research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, OnlineMasters.com produces transparent, research-driven rankings that evaluate academic quality, affordability, return on investment, and student support. The platform’s mission is to provide clear, unbiased insights that empower prospective graduate students to make confident, informed decisions about advanced education. To learn more, visit https://www.onlinemasters.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2025 Hobbs, NM — The University of the Southwest is proud to announce the establishment of a new endowed scholarship made possible through the generosity of the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Memorial Foundation. The $25,000 gift will create a permanent scholarship fund to support students pursuing degrees in education and teaching, ensuring that Dr. Trujillo’s enduring commitment to educational excellence continues to inspire future generations. “This gift is not only an investment in our students, but also a profound affirmation of our mission to serve, lead, and transform through education,” said Dr. Ryan Tipton, President of the University of the Southwest. “We are deeply honored by the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Foundation’s trust in our university and moved by their dedication to the teaching profession.” Dr. Karen M. Trujillo was a lifelong educator, mentor, and advocate for New Mexico’s schools. Her legacy as a teacher, administrator, and statewide leader has left an indelible mark on education in New Mexico. Through this endowed scholarship, her legacy will live on in the aspirations and achievements of students who share her passion for teaching. Scholarships from the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Endowed Fund will be awarded annually to students enrolled in the university’s College of Education who demonstrate a strong commitment to entering the teaching profession. This support will help reduce financial barriers, enabling more students to answer the call to educate, inspire, and lead in classrooms across New Mexico and beyond. “At a time when our communities urgently need dedicated and compassionate educators, this gift plants a seed of hope,” said Dr. Tipton. “It will grow into countless stories of service, leadership, and transformation, just as Dr. Trujillo did throughout her remarkable life.” The University of the Southwest extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Trujillo family and the Board of the Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Memorial Foundation for their vision, generosity, and partnership in shaping the future of education.

It is with great joy and anticipation that we celebrate the relaunch of the Southwest Journal of Arts & Sciences (SJAS)  on the University of the Southwest website. On behalf of the editorial team, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Lopez for their consistent support in making this transition successful and to Shaye Smith for the exceptional work on the professional web design. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our authors, editors, and anonymous reviewers for their invaluable contributions to the success of the journal. One new feature I want to highlight is that we became a Crossref member in March 2024. Crossref is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving scholarly communications. Membership enables us to connect our content to a global network of online scholarly research, which includes over 19,000 members across approximately 150 countries. Crossref manages the world’s largest registry of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and metadata for scholarly research, facilitating an average of 1.1 billion DOI resolutions annually. This makes research objects easier to find, cite, link, assess, and reuse. According to Crossref’s monthly resolution reports, all of our DOIs were resolved (accessed) up to 299 times by December 2024. In December alone, our three unique DOIs for dissertations had 97 total resolutions, while our nine unique DOIs for SJAS  articles had 80 total resolutions. For doctoral candidates and research chairs: if you would like a dissertation to be assigned a DOI, please send me the student’s name, dissertation title, URL link, and year of publication. I will ensure that a DOI is added to the dissertation. Additionally, I encourage all scholars to register for ORCID, which stands for Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a free, unique, and persistent identifier (PID) for individuals engaging in research, scholarship, and innovation. Registration is free of charge and allows researchers to be uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time. By using ORCID, researchers can spend more time conducting their work and less time managing it. A link to ORCID registration can be found on the journal website. SJAS  serves as a platform for the exchange of information on topics in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and more. We accept various formats, including full-length and letter-length research papers, reflective articles, review articles, work-in-progress reports on promising developments, case studies, and best practice articles written by scholars such as faculty, staff, and students. SJAS  is published annually, but we are open to publishing additional issues as needed. To ensure the rapid dissemination of information, we aim to complete the review process for each paper within 1–3 months of initial submission. We are currently preparing to publish the 2024 issue, which is expected to be available by April. Please check the flyer and Call for Papers on the journal website. We encourage more contributions to ensure the continued success of the journal and welcome any comments or suggestions that could help us improve its quality. We look forward to reading your submissions soon. You can access SJAS  at: https://www.usw.edu/academics/sjas Best regards, Yusheng Wu Editor-in-Chief

graduate Application Personal Information Legal First Name Middle Name(s) Date of Birth Social Security Number (SSN) Are you a U.S. citizen? * Yes No Do you hold permanent resident status? (I-551) N/A Yes No Do you hold a valid student visa? (F-1) N/A Yes No Do you have an alien identification number? N/A Yes No Have you ever been convicted of a felony? * Yes No Legal Last Name Preferred Name(s) Gender * Female Male Other Confirm SSN If no, what country are you a citizen of? If yes, when was it issued? If yes, what is your visa number? If yes, what is your A-number? If yes, provide an explanation. Contact Information Email Primary Phone Number Confirm Email Alternate Phone Number *Note: DO NOT autofill your addresses. It will not submit properly and you will have to resubmit your application. Permanent Street Address State Mailing Street Address State City Zip Code City Zip Code Emergency Contact Information Emergency Contact First Name Relationship to student Emergency Contact Primary Phone Number Emergency Contact Last Name Emergency Contact Email Emergency Contact Alternate Phone Number Demographic Information Hispanic or Latin American descent? * Yes No Unsure Prefer not to say First generation college student? * Yes No Unsure Prefer not to say List all races you identify with. Options: American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White Prefer not to say Student Intentions Classification You are applying as a... If other, please explain. Residency Status How will you attend class? Start Term What term do you want to begin classes? Degree/Program Leave blank if undecided Are you seeking teacher licensure? * Yes No Have you been recruited for athletics? * Yes No If yes, which team? Will you be applying for/using financial aid? * Yes No Undergraduate Education Degrees granted Date on diploma Institution Name *Note: DO NOT autofill your school address. It will not submit properly and you will have to resubmit your application. Institution Street Address City State Zip Code Graduate Education Have you taken graduate courses? * Yes No If yes, at what college(s)? (List all) List any degrees granted Currently on academic probation/suspension? * Yes No Have you ever been dismissed from a college? * Yes No If yes, provide an explanation. How did you learn about USW? *REQUIRED* I agree that University of the Southwest may contact me about educational services by phone, email, and text message at the contact information provided. Message & data rates may apply. Check to opt out of text messaging. (Phone contact is still required for communicating sensitive information.) *REQUIRED* I understand that USW is collecting personal information data that will be protected and used according to its Privacy Policy. Access Privacy Policy Submit An error occurred. Check that all required fields have been completed.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling MS Back The Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program offers a 60-hour fully online program that prepares students to work in human service settings. The program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) and is designed to meet, and in some instances exceed, professional licensing requirements in many states. It is the individual student’s responsibility to determine the licensure requirements for their own state. Mission Statement: The faculty of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) graduate program at University of the Southwest (USW) is committed to the education and training of professional, competent mental health counselors who are dedicated to the ideals of servant leadership, diversity, and social justice. PLOs: PLO 1: Counseling Orientation and Professional Practice - Understand the history, philosophy, and ethics of the counseling profession and become active members in professional counseling organizations. PLO 2: Social and Cultural Diversity - Apply and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and practices to counsel and advocate for individuals, families, and groups through culturally appropriate practice promoting social justice, equity, and access. PLO 3: Human Growth and Development - Understand the importance of individual and family development across the lifespan and how this affects functioning and behavior. PLO 4: Career Development - Understand the interrelationship between work and mental well-being and strategies for individual career development. PLO 5: Counseling and Helping Relationships - Employ culturally appropriate practice in the education, prevention, evaluation, and treatment of mental and emotional disorders. PLO 6: Group Counseling and Group Work - Understand the foundations, approaches, and strategies to working effectively with clients in groups. PLO 7: Assessment and Testing - Identify and implement appropriate and holistic clinical evaluation and assessment of normal and abnormal development and behavior, including the treatment of trauma and addictions. PLO 8: Research and Program Evaluation - Utilize mental health research and evidenced-based treatments and apply models of program process and outcome evaluation to professional practice. PLO 9: CMHC Specialty Area - Understand and apply a broad range of mental health techniques and interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental health concerns. APPLY NOW! Degree Plan Program Handbook Previous Next Fieldwork Handbook Licensure Disclosures

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