Admission to candidacy is required of all degree-seeking graduate students and serves as an important intermediate check that reveals overlooked or misinterpreted requirements. A master’s student may be admitted candidacy if he or she is in regular status and has completed a set of courses sufficient to satisfy at least one half of the total credit requirement for desired degree.
The student must have individual course grades of C or better and a GPA of at least 3.0, computed for the set of courses provided. A student who is admitted to a graduate program cannot list a course on the Admission to Candidacy form if it is graded lower than C or P, or a transfer course cannot be listed if it is graded lower than B. (See the current graduate catalog for policies on course repetition.)
Applying for candidacy represents an important milestone in student progress toward a graduate degree. Because of the importance of candidacy, a student who has not been admitted to candidacy cannot sit for the Comprehensive Examination or file a Completion of Graduate Degree form.
Applying for candidacy identifies the work accomplished to date and defines the work yet to be completed. The University agrees to offer and the candidate agrees to complete what is listed on the form. The Admission to Candidacy form includes the exact final list of courses to be applied to meet the 60-credit requirement for the graduate degree in counseling. Accuracy and neatness are essential. The form must be signed by the student, Program Advisor, and by the Graduate Program Coordinator. The form is then submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission and Degree Services. Although the Graduate College requirement is that the form is submitted no later than the semester prior to the semester of graduate (exact deadlines are published in the academic calendar), we require submission during one year prior to graduation (typically spring of year 2).
We also require completion of the Department of Counselor Education Admission to Candidacy form. This form is given to the Advisor and is not distributed to the Graduate College.
Once the Admission to Candidacy form is approved by the Graduate College, the student is notified that she or he has been admitted to candidacy, and the form becomes a binding agreement between the student and the University. A change in an approved Admission to Candidacy form cannot be made without an Adjustment of Academic Requirements form that has been approved by the Counselor Education Department and the Graduate College.
The following outlines the items included on the Application for Admission to Candidacy form, completed by student counselors as they prepare for graduation. Student Counselors will be provided a digital copy of the form.
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY FORM
Student Name: [Fill in the Blank]
Cognate: [Fill in the Blank]
Telephone: [Fill in the Blank]
Student ID: [Fill in the Blank]
Students are asked to note the semester and grade for the following:
| Typical Course Sequence | Core Credit Hours |
| FALL: YEAR 1 (9 Credits) | |
| COUN 502 Counseling Theories | 3 |
| COUN 506 Lifespan Development | 3 |
| COUN 533 Introduction to School Counseling or COUN 545 Foundations of Addiction Counseling | 3 |
| SPRING: YEAR 1 (9 credits) | |
| COUN 505 Counseling Skills | 3 |
| COUN 509 Culturally Aware Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 550 Diagnosis, Assessment, & Treatment Planning | 3 |
| SUMMER: YEAR 1 (5 credits) | |
| COUN 501 Foundations and Ethics in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 541 Addiction and the Family System or COUN 535 Classroom Management and Counseling Students with Exceptional Needs | 2 |
| YEAR 2 (Fall or Spring) (3 credits) | |
| COUN 514 Counseling Practicum I (100 hrs, 40 direct hrs) | 3 |
| FALL: YEAR 2 (6 credits) | |
| COUN 513 Group Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 530 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention | 2 |
| COUN 549 Motivational Interviewing | 1 |
| SPRING: YEAR 2 (6 credits) | |
| COUN 512 Research and Program Evaluation | 3 |
| COUN 534 Counseling Children and Adolescents or COUN 548 Addiction and Behavioral Health Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
| SUMMER: YEAR 2 (4 credits) | |
| COUN 504 Assessment and Testing in Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 551 Psychopharmacology | 1 |
| FALL: YEAR 3 (7 credits) | |
| COUN 526 Internship in Counseling I (350 clinical hrs) | 3 |
| COUN 507 Career Development and Vocational Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 568 Seminar: Professional Counseling | 1 |
| SPRING: YEAR 3 (6 credits) | |
| COUN 529 Applied Evaluation of Counseling Practice | 1 |
| COUN 528 Internship in Counseling II (350 clinical hrs) | 3 |
| COUN 567 Clinical Supervision Principles and Practice | 1 |
| COUN 690 Master’s Comprehensive Examination | 1 |
| Masters in Counseling, School Counseling cognate students must take all of the courses: | Core Credit Hours |
| COUN 533 Introduction to School Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 534 Counseling Children and Adolescents | 3 |
| COUN 535 Classroom Management and Counseling Students with Exceptional Needs | 2 |
| Masters of Counseling, Addiction Counseling cognate students must take all of the following courses: | Core Credit Hours |
| COUN 541 Addiction and the Family System | 2 |
| COUN 545 Foundations of Addiction Counseling | 3 |
| COUN 548 Addiction and Behavioral Health Assessment and Intervention | 3 |
Students will also disclose information on elective and transfer credits.
Note: Students will need a total of 5 elective credits. If transfer credits (elective or replacement courses) are included in the student’s plan, the “Application for Evaluation and Acceptance of Transfer of Credits” must be completed and signed to accompany this form.
A minimum of 60 credit hours is required for graduation.
The form requires the following signatures (and dates of signing):