Master of Arts in Mental Health
Upgrade your career with a master’s degree that makes a difference
The Master of Arts in Mental Health (MA.MH) is a two-year online program at the University of Guelph designed to give you the best non-clinical mental health training possible in Ontario.
If you're a professional in a field such as teaching, human resources, social work, policing, or nursing, this course-based master's degree is a flexible pathway for you to upgrade or enhance your education so you can address our society's growing demand for mental health support through your existing or future career.
The Master of Arts in Mental Health is part of the Relational and Psychotherapy Training Program (RPTP) at the University of Guelph. If you're interested in practicing psychotherapy and registering with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), check out our immersive clinical training programs, the Master of Relational and Family Therapy and the Master of Psychotherapy.
- Completely Online Degree
- Complete your degree anywhere with 100% online delivery
- One of a Kind
- The only non-clinical program in Canada with a systemic relational influence
- Create Meaningful Impact
- Graduate prepared to shape workplace policies or advance social policy
Foundations of Mental Health
Our societal landscape is shifting to place greater emphasis on understanding mental health as a distinct yet integral part of a person's overall physical health and wellbeing.
In response, the Master of Arts in Mental Health will provide you with practical knowledge of mental health to take back and apply to your existing or future career path. Infused with systemic thinking and equity, diversity and inclusion, the program will teach you to consider mental health in the context of relationships and broader social systems.
You'll be able to use the ideas learned in the program to influence or shape workplace or social policies or develop programing related to improving mental health within the workplace and community.
The Master of Arts in Mental Health Program Timeline
The MA.MH is a six-semester course-based program.
The MA.MH will begin in September each year. The two-semester Transitions and Mental Health Capstone course must be taken in your final two semesters of study, but the other courses can be taken in any order.
The program includes 11 courses that are delivered online – your class will meet virtually at scheduled times to learn together:
- Issues in Family-Related Social Policy
- Resiliency and Trauma Informed Practice
- Sociocultural Attunement and Humility
- Foundations of Relational Family Therapy
- Professional Ethics and Issues in Relational and Family Therapy
- Research in Relational Family Therapy
- Perspectives on Health and Well-being
- Gender, Sexuality and Clinical Interventions
- Theoretical Understanding of Collaborative Post-Modern Therapy Models
- Theoretical Understanding of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy Models
- Transitions in Mental Health Capstone
Visit the Graduate Calendar for more information on the program courses.
Meet the Faculty
Applying to the Master of Arts in Mental Health
- Completion of an honours (four-year) baccalaureate degree with a minimum 75% average in the last two years of study.
- Completion of a social science or equivalent research methods course with a grade of 70% or higher.
Note: Requirements may be in progress at the time of application.
Prospective graduate students must apply to the University of Guelph online, through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC). Please visit the Graduate Studies website to learn more and begin your application process.
After submitting an online application for the MA.MH program, you will be invited to submit required documents through the University of Guelph's online system, WebAdvisor. Download the MA.MH Application Checklist.
- OUAC Application Deadline: March 11, 2024
- Supplemental Documents Deadline: March 22, 2024
Questions about applying to the program? Email rptp@uoguelph.ca.
Domestic tuition, including compulsory fees, is approximately $3,000 to $3,300 per semester.
International tuition, including compulsory fees, is approximately $7,400 to $8,500 per semester.
The Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition offers financial support to qualified graduate students through a combination of financial planning support, scholarships, Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, and other employment.
Search entrance scholarships for graduate students at the University of Guelph.
You are also encouraged to apply for government-funded awards and external awards.
Learn more about funding your graduate education on the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.
Other Programs
Master of Relational and Family Therapy
The Master of Relational and Family Therapy program is rooted in the practice of relational and systemic psychotherapy, where therapists work with a client in the context of their many relationships and broader social systems.
Master of Psychotherapy
The Master of Psychotherapy program has a more traditional psychotherapy focus. Students complete two in-person practica at the Maplewoods Centre and a one-year externship, gaining direct clinical experience in a placement with a community-based service provider.
Program Info Webinar | Fall 2023
Interested in applying to the Master of Arts in Mental Health, the Master of Psychotherapy, or the Master of Relational and Family Therapy?
Watch our webinar, recorded November 24, 2023, to learn more about the programs and how to apply!
Download the webinar transcript
Watched the webinar? Consider completing the webinar feedback survey to let us know how we can improve.
Get in Touch
Questions about the Master of Arts in Mental Health program? Contact:
Shauna Porter
Graduate Program Assistant
Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition
Email: rptp@uoguelph.ca