To be considered for admission to the Counselor Education department, applicants must present evidence of qualities consistent with those required for effective counseling practice. Committee members will review each applicant's personally prepared written statement, appraisal/recommendation forms from references, and GRE/Praxis Core scores to assess their personal and interpersonal qualities. Test proficiency and past academic performance will determine unconditional or conditional admission status.
Admission Checklist
Once admitted to graduate school, students may apply for the counseling program by submitting the three items below. Materials must be received by March 15 for the fall semester and October 15 for the spring semester.
- Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Praxis Core score report obtained within the last five years
- Short-answer response section, which reflects your rationale for pursuing a career in counseling and demonstrates an awareness of the characteristics necessary for becoming an effective counselor
- Three appraisal/recommendation forms
Recommendation forms should be completed by:
- A work supervisor or someone familiar with your work performance and ethics
- A faculty member in your most recent academic program of study
- Someone unrelated to you who can attest to your ability and/or character
Admission Criteria
Unconditional Admission Status: Academic proficiency for unconditional admission may be established through satisfaction of the following academic and admission exam criteria:
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 (or 3.25 on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work)
- A minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.5 on 12 or more semester hours in the counselor education program, with no more than one course grade of "C" or lower
- A score of 290 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections, and a score of 3 on the written portion of the GRE
- If applying for the school counseling track, passing scores for Praxis Core Reading 156, Core Writing 162, and Core Math 150
Conditional Admission Status: Academic proficiency for conditional admission may be established through satisfaction of the following academic and admission exam criteria:
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.5
- A minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.0 on 12 or more semester hours in the counselor education program, with no more than one course grade of "C" or lower
- A minimum score of 284 on the combined verbal and quantitative sections, and a score of 3 on the written portion of the GRE
- If applying for the school counseling track, passing scores for Praxis Core Reading 156, Core Writing 162, and Core Math 150
PLEASE NOTE: Students admitted with Conditional status must earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 on the next six hours of course requirements and have no more than one course in these six hours with a grade of "C." Otherwise, they will be dropped from the counseling program.
Information about the GRE and Praxis Core
Departments determine the tests and scores required for admission to their degree programs.
The GRE is an acronym for Graduate Record Exam. Students seeking admission in the Clinical Mental Health exam must take the GRE.
Praxis Core is mandatory for those seeking admission into the School Counseling program have the option of taking either the Praxis Core or the Graduate Record Exam.