School Counseling & Mental Health Counseling

Mental Health Counseling, MA

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admission Office where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information. The review of the application and the admission decision is made by program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria including the following:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, preferably with a major concentration in psychology, the behavioral sciences, and/or human services.
• Minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
• Writing sample (to be completed at the time of personal interview).
• Three (3) letters of recommendation for academic and character references.
• Personal essay describing professional intent and pertinent background.
• Admission interview with the program director and/or faculty representative.
• Personal experience in counseling or growth-oriented processes is highly desirable.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program.  As such, candidates who do not fully satisfy one of the quantified criteria are still open to apply.

Note: Preferred application deadline for fall semester is August 15 and for spring semester is January 15.  All others will be reviewed based on available space.

Prerequisite Requirements – Semester Hours: 18

Note: Students must complete all prerequisite course work listed below prior to beginning the first sequence course in the counseling curriculum (COUN 223, Theories and Principles of Counseling).  The courses may be satisfied at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and online courses are accepted as long as they are from nationally accredited institutions and documented on transcripts.

• child psychology - 3 semester hours
• adolescent psychology - 3 semester hours
• personality theory or abnormal psychology - 3 semester hours
• psychology and behavioral sciences  (three other courses from areas such as social psychology, learning theory, behavioral science research methods, statistics for the social sciences, psychology of exceptionalities, family development theory, socio-cultural foundations, etc.) - 9 semester hours

Mental Health Counseling, Adv. Cert.

Admission Requirements

1. Master’s degree in counseling within the last 10 years, with relevant post-master’s experience;
2. GPA in previous master’s degree of 3.2 or better;
3. two letters of recommendation from human service professionals; and
4. demonstrated activity within the field of counseling

School Counselor, MSEd

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admissions Office, where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information. The review of the application and the admission decision is made by program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria, including the following:

1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3. 0.
2. Three letters of recommendation for academic and character references.
3. Personal essay describing professional intent, goals, and objectives.
4. Personal interview with the program director.

Note: The preferred application deadline for the fall semester is August 15 and for the spring semester is January 15. All others will be reviewed based on available space.

Prerequisite Requirements - Semester Hours: 9

Students must complete nine semester hours in psychology and behavioral sciences (e.g., peer counseling, human services, human development, social psychology, cross-cultural issues, human sexuality, selected sociology, and psychology courses by program director approval). All prerequisite course work must be completed prior to beginning the first sequence course of the counseling curriculum. The prerequisite courses may be satisfied at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and online courses are accepted as long as they are from nationally accredited institutions and documented on official transcripts.

School Counseling, Adv. Cert.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admission Office where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information. The review of the application and the admission decision is made by the program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria including the following:

• Applicants must have completed a master’s degree in School Counseling leading to initial certification as a school counselor or its equivalent, and/or hold initial certification as a school counselor.
• A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all graduate work.
• Three (3) letters of reference for academic and character references.
• A detailed resume including related professional experience.
• Personal interview with the program director.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program. As such, candidates who do not fully satisfy one of the quantified criteria are still open to applying.
Note: The preferred application deadline for the fall semester is August 15 and for the spring semester is January 15. All others will be reviewed based on available space.

Addiction and Substance Abuse, Adv. Cert.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission is made to the Graduate Admissions Office where directions are given for securing transcripts of previous schooling and other necessary information. The review of the application and the admission decision is made by program faculty and is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria including the following:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, preferably with a major concentration in psychology, the behavioral sciences and/or human services.
• Minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.
• Writing sample (to be completed at the time of personal interview).
• Three (3) letters of recommendation for academic and character references.
• Personal essay describing professional intent and pertinent background.
• Admission interview with the program director and/or faculty representative.
• Personal experience in counseling or growth-oriented processes is highly desirable.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program. Consequently, candidates are welcome to apply if they do not meet one of the criteria but feel that other aspects of their experience may compensate.
Prerequisite Requirements - Semester Hours: 18

Note: Students must complete all prerequisite course work listed below prior to beginning the first sequence course in the counseling curriculum (COUN 223, Theories and Principles of Counseling). The courses may be satisfied at either the undergraduate or graduate level, and online courses are accepted as long as they are from nationally accredited institutions and documented on transcripts.

• child psychology - 3 semester hours
• adolescent psychology - 3 semester hours
• personality theory or abnormal psychology - 3 semester hours
• psychology and behavioral sciences (three other courses from areas such as social psychology, learning theory, behavioral science research methods, statistics for the social sciences, psychology of exceptionalities, family development theory, socio-cultural foundations, etc.) - 9 semester hours