The Counselor Education Master of Education (MEd) degree prepares students for professional
careers as either school counselors (48 hour program) or counselors in clinical mental
health or private practice settings (60 hour program).
Some courses require outside field experiences, coordinated by the faculty, to help
students gain a sense of professional responsibilities and expectations in the field.
Courses are offered during evening hours, on Saturdays, or in hybrid or online formats
to accommodate those who may already be working.
Areas of Study:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- School Counseling
Admission Requirements
- At least a 2.5 undergraduate GPA
- Passing a criminal background check (see COE Graduate Program
section of catalog for complete requirements).
- Required Assessments for Admission
A. GRE or MAT (All applicants must submit scores that are within the last
five years.)
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE must have been taken within the last five years)
Regular admission: minimum of 300 on the test overall
(Or a score of at least 146 on the Verbal subtest)
- Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT must have been taken within the last five years)
Regular admission: minimum of 388
B. Successful performance on the GACE Program Admissions Assessment.
Passing scores include a score of 250 or above. (All applicants for School
Counseling must submit scores that are within the last five years). School
Counseling applicants may exempt GACE Program Admission with:
SAT – composite of 1000 using verbal and math scores
ACT – composite of 43 using verbal and quantitative scores
GRE – combined score of 297 using verbal and quantitative (re-centered
from 1030)
- Three Letters of Recommendation Applicants will include at least
three professional recommendations using specified forms.
- Personal Autobiographical Essay Applicants will write an
autobiographical essay in which they discuss their reasons for wanting to
become a counselor, what attributes they may possess which would
contribute to their effectiveness as a counselor, what personal
characteristics they possess that might hinder their relationships with
clients, and how they are planning to address those issues. The essay
must be double-spaced and three pages in length.
- Personal Interview The personal interview with the faculty is the final
requirement for full admission into the program. Shortly after the
admissions deadline, faculty will select applicants to be invited to the
interview based on the quality of the previous criteria.
The interview is designed to assess:
- Applicants’ potential for forming effective interpersonal
relationships in individual and group contexts
- Applicants’ openness to self-examination and personal and
professional growth
- Applicants’ potential to develop knowledge, skills and dispositions
in the field
- Applicants’ potential to work effectively with diverse populations
- Applicants’ emotional stability
- Applicants’ receptiveness to supervision
- Degree to which the Program’s objectives and mission are
consistent with the vocational and professional goals of applicants
- The degree to which applicants display the potential for
success in the counseling program and profession. After the
interview, applicants are evaluated by the faculty with a rubric
which considers all of these factors, including both academic and
non-academic issues.
- Passing score on the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE)
Basic Skills test (School Counseling program applicants only)
