Admission Requirements

Graduate counseling program admission requirements

1. Completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher, or 3.00 for the last 60 hours of course work.
3. Submit application for admission.
4. Submit $55 application fee.
5. Official MAT or GRE test score reports (waived if undergraduate GPA is less than a 3.0).
6. Two letters of reference, on the following department form. Completed reference forms are emailed to Lisa Monkres at LMonkres@MissouriState.edu or Dr. Karrie Swan at KarrieSwan@MissouriState.edu.
   1. Download the counseling program master’s degree applicant reference evaluation form (.pdf).
7. Two official copies of transcripts showing your bachelor’s degree and any course work taken since then (transcripts must include the last 60 hours of credit).
    

Graduate counseling program admission process

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty, and a subset of applicants, selected upon the basis of credentials and references, will be invited for an interview on campus, after which applicants will be selected for admission. Applicants will be ranked by the admissions committee and selected applicants will be invited for admission into either the clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) or school counseling (SC) program options.

We have moved to a cohort system to allow students to progress through the program more smoothly and predictably.  This means that fall admissions are the primary (but not sole) time to admit students to the program. Students are encouraged to select either the full-time cohort or the part-time cohort, depending on their needs and desires. Approximately 45 students will be selected for admission each year, distributed among the two option areas.

Selection for admission is not based solely on academic credentials, but also upon the faculty’s assessment of candidates’ personal development, interpersonal relationship skills, emotional and psychological maturity, and potential for professional growth and success. These include the following professional dispositions: Openness to diverse others, being non-judgmental, comfort with ambiguity, openness to feedback, openness to change, self-awareness, and empathy. The small group interview interactions provide opportunities for this assessment, and allow potential candidates to assess their goodness of fit with the counseling profession and our programs.