Program Admission
Admit Terms and Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.
Program Requirements
Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.
- Evidence of academic aptitude for graduate-level study that includes at least one of the following:
- A 2.75 overall undergraduate GPA, or a 3.0 GPA in the second half of the undergraduate degree program.
- A graduate GPA of 3.3 on a previously completed advanced degree.
- GRE scores may be submitted as evidence of academic aptitude; scores may not be more than five years old. The student must score at the 50th percentile or above to be accepted. The applicant must meet the 2.7 minimum GPA required for graduate school admission.
- Applicants not meeting other criteria but having acquired knowledge of the counseling field based on five years of related experience may be eligible. Students applying under this provision must contact the coordinator of advising for specific procedures before applying to the Graduate School.
- Students without a valid Michigan teaching certificate may also be required to meet the following additional criteria:
- Experience: Three to five years of documented work experience, most of which involves working with school‐aged (K‐12) children or adolescents. This experience may consist of paid, professional roles or structured volunteer experiences in organized work settings. Activities such as parenting, babysitting, and daycare do not qualify.
- Previous Coursework: Nine semester hours of undergraduate social science coursework, including coursework specific to foundations of education. If this coursework has not been completed before admission to the COUN program, students must complete it within the first 12 hours of the COUN program.
- Personal Statement A statement focusing on the applicant’s motivation and rationale for seeking admission to the specific counseling program and their background and goals related to professional studies.
- Résumé A focused summary of program-relevant educational, career, and/or life experiences. The resume should also document all paid or unpaid work experience with school-aged youth.
- Three Recommendations Request recommendation forms from three professional supervisors and/or supervising professors that address the applicant’s professional work quality. Applicants may request recommendation letters in addition to completing the recommendation form. Applicants are encouraged to ask recommenders to submit a recommendation letter if this could enhance their application materials. Recommendation forms and letters must come directly from your reference.
Application
Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.
- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.
- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.
Domestic Applicants Domestic applicants are required to submit only the transcript from the institution granting their bachelor’s degree if either of the following criteria is met: 1) Lists 30 or more credit hours with an overall GPA of 3.0 or over OR 2) Lists 60 or more credit hours with an overall GPA between 2.7 and 2.99. Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript. The University may ask applicants to submit additional transcripts after applying.
International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.
For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.
Admissions Process
Admission to the program is selective. The selection process is designed to assess the candidate’s suitability for graduate study and a professional career counseling career. Candidates selected are expected to make major commitments to their graduate training.
Each applicant will receive a rating on the following criteria: academic potential; the quality, extensiveness, and relevance of career/life/educational experiences relevant to the field of school counseling; professional goals/objectives; and recommendations. Based on these ratings, applicants may move to the second phase of the process.
Applicants admitted to the second phase of the admission process will be invited to campus to participate in a personal interview. They will also receive information about programs of study, faculty expectations, and related topics such as professional counselor licensure. Applicants may be asked to submit additional materials at this time. Admissions decisions will be made based on an evaluation of all materials and the interviews.
The admissions appeal procedure allows each applicant to appeal the admissions decision formally. Appeals must be based on an applicant’s perception that his/her due process rights were violated during the admissions process. The procedure is not intended for applicants who do not meet the minimum standards for admission as outlined above. An appeal must begin within five working days of the start of the semester following the admissions decision. Applicants wishing to appeal must contact the Coordinator of Advising to obtain written information regarding the appeal procedure.
Program advisors will be assigned after students have been admitted to the School Counseling Program. The advisor will assist the student in developing the program of graduate study that is required for full admission to the school counseling program. Students must meet with their advisor to develop a formal program of study before completing 12 credits toward their degree. The advisor must approve all courses and subsequent changes. Transfer credit can be used toward graduation only if it has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor and is within Graduate School guidelines. The master’s degree program must be completed within a six-year period.
Critical Graduation Information
Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.
Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.
In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.
The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.
- A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
- No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
- Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
- Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
- The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
- Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.
