This study examined the skill acquisition of students enrolled in an on-campus and online introductory counseling skills course. Participants were advanced undergraduate and entry-level graduate students enrolled in online and on-campus course sections. Results indicated no significant difference between students' basic counseling skill acquisition in either course format. Online learning has become a catalyst for change in distance learning and higher education. In recent years, the use of online, distance courses has increased in higher education. According to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), total enrollments in post-secondary, credit-granting distance learning courses in 2000 totaled 1,363,670, and in the year 2007, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported total enrollments in post-secondary, credit-granting distance learning courses at 12,153,000 (CHEA, 2000; NCES, 2008). Additionally, the NCES reported that 66 percent of undergraduate courses and 60 percent of graduate courses offered at 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting post-secondary institutions are credit granting distance education courses (Parsad, Lewis & Tice, 2008). The increase in distance learning courses offered by degree granting institutions coupled with an increase in enrollment has greatly impacted distance education, as graduate students have become a target population for courses delivered using non-traditional approaches (Albrecht & Jones, 2001; CHEA, 2000; Eaton, 2002; Eduventures ,2006; Parsad et al., 2008). For many students earning college credit, distance education is the best or only option for furthering their education and completing a degree (Albrecht & Jones, 2001; Lorenzetti, 2005; Parsad et al., 2008; Phipps, Wellman, & Merisotis, 1998). Often, students considering or enrolled in graduate level degree programs face the challenge of trying to balance their education with a number of other responsibilities (i.e. family life, employment). Many students look to a distance education or an online setting in order to manage the demands of higher education and allow time for other responsibilities (Lorenzetti, 2005). In order to accommodate the increased demands of students enrolled in graduate degree programs and make higher education more accessible to students, many higher education institutions have increased the number of online courses and programs offered (NCES, 2008; Parsad et al., 2008).