MA in Counseling Admissions

Applicants must complete the online application for the MA in Counseling in PSYCAS. The application for Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 will be available starting September 8, 2022. If you plan to apply for the online program, before applying, please make sure you are located in a state in which we are authorized to provide online education. 

A nonrefundable application fee must be paid to complete the application. In PSYCAS, the first application fee is $80, and subsequent application fees for additional programs are $40 each. PSYCAS offers a fee waiver opportunity for students who qualify.

PSYCAS APPLICATION FEES AND FEE WAIVERS

Transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions attended must be sent directly from the institution, even if a degree was not awarded. Official transcripts should be mailed or electronically delivered by the issuing institution directly to the PSYCAS Transcript Processing Center. Instructions for submitting transcripts can be found on the PSYCAS website.

After enrolling in the program, conditionally admitted students must submit final official transcripts directly to the Office of Admission as soon as possible. Failure to submit final official transcripts by the first day of classes will result in a registration hold. Any student who does not submit final transcripts by the end of the first quarter will be dropped from their courses.

International Applicants

If you attended an institution outside of the US, PAU requires that your transcript be evaluated and, if applicable, translated. You may select any vendor that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Please visit www.naces.org/members for a complete list of members. Your course-by-course evaluation should be sent directly to PSYCAS. More information on submitting foreign coursework to PSYCAS can be found within the application and via the Applicant Help Center.

Palo Alto University has partnered with the following agencies to provide applicants with convenient ordering sites and direct delivery of evaluations to the Office of Admission. If choosing one of these agencies, applicants are encouraged to use the links below. (*Discount available via link.)

• International Education Evaluations, LLC
• SpanTran: The Evaluation Company

The resume or CV should list professional and academic experience, education, awards, publications, etc.

WRITING A RESUME FOR GRAD SCHOOL - PREP SCHOLAR

Letters of recommendation from three academic or professional references are required. Personal references, such as family, friends, therapists or informal mentors, will not be accepted. If you have questions about whether a recommender is acceptable, please reach out to your admissions counselor.

Letters are requested and submitted through the PSYCAS system. Applicants will electronically submit the names and email addresses of their recommenders who will receive a request to complete the recommendation form. Three letters are required.

SUBMITTING EVALUATIONS TO PSYCAS

The purpose of the personal statement is to provide a sample of the applicant’s ability to write in an academic and professional manner, as well as to learn about any qualifications or life events that were not captured in the application.

• What does being a professional counselor mean to you?
• Why have you chosen to pursue a career in professional counseling?
• How have your previous school, work, or training experiences prepared you to pursue graduate studies in counseling?
• What personal characteristics and strengths will contribute to your being an effective counselor?

WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT - PURDUE UNIVERSITY

For international applicants remaining in their home country and applying to the online format, and those whose undergraduate studies were in a language other than English, the TOEFL or IELTS exam is required. Scores can be submitted through PSYCAS. For international students who earned their bachelor's degree in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries, these exams are not required.

After adding a college or university to your application, click the "Order" button under your school’s name. Select Option 1 to order an electronic transcript or Option 2 to submit a copy via mail. All transcripts should be sent directly to PSYCAS electronically or to the following address:

Additional Information about Transcripts

• Classes taken during high school do not need to be entered. However, if you attended a college or university both in high school and in college, those courses will appear on that school’s transcript and will be reflected in the GPA calculation on that transcript.
• PsyCAS requires transcripts from all colleges and universities attended post-high school graduation. This is the case even if transfer credit appears on a more recent transcript.
• All students must complete manual entry of their courses into PsyCAS in addition to sending transcripts. This can take time and is tedious! Please plan ahead. This is required so that we can fairly calculate GPAs for students who attend different schools with different grading scales.
• List all institutions on your application even if the coursework completed there was transferred to another institution.
• Report each institution only once, regardless of the number of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.
  Send official transcripts directly to PSYCAS for each institution.

No. The MA in Counseling does not require prerequisite courses.

Formatting:

• Maximum of 2 pages
• 1.5 line-spaced
• 12-point font
• 1-inch margins
• The paper should address the following questions:
• What does being a professional counselor mean to you?
• Why have you chosen to pursue a career in professional counseling?
• How have your previous school, work, or training experiences prepared you to pursue graduate studies in counseling?
• What personal characteristics or strengths will contribute to your being an effective counselor?

We recommend a 3.0 cumulative GPA. However, we do a comprehensive review of all your application materials.

Admitted students can request to transfer up to 9 semester units or 13.5 quarter units of prior graduate work. Previous coursework cannot be more than 5 years old and must be completed with a grade of “B” or better. Transfer coursework is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and students must submit a comprehensive syllabus for each requested transfer course. A Palo Alto University faculty member then reviews the documentation and either accepts or rejects the course for transfer credit. Students have access to the transfer unit request form after they confirm their enrollment in the program.

Not all courses are eligible for transfer credit – only those listed below. Students should also be aware that in order to receive transfer credit, the previous course must be at least as many units as the PAU equivalent. For semester-based programs, courses to be reviewed for transfer must be 3 units, and for quarter-based programs, courses to be reviewed for transfer must be 4.5 units to be considered.

• CLIN601: Multicultural Counseling Theories and Techniques (4.5 units)

• CLIN604: Addiction Counseling (4.5 units)

• CLIN610: Legal & Ethical Foundations (4.5 units)

• CLIN618: Family Systems Theory (MCFC) (4.5 units)

• CLIN619: Couples Counseling (MCFC) (4.5 units)

• CLIN634: Human Sexuality (4.5 units)

• CLIN651: Community Mental Health (4.5 units)

• CLIN680: Psychopharmacology (4.5 units)

• COUN600: Counseling Theory (4.5 units)

• COUN603: Appraisal & Assessment in Counseling (4.5 units)

• COUN612: Life Span Development (4.5 units)

• COUN634: Diagnosis (4.5 units)

• COUN641: Research & Program Evaluation (4.5 units)

• COUN661: Career Development Theories and Techniques (4.5 units)

• Approved Counseling Elective (CMHC) (4.5 units)

No. If admitted to the program, students will let us know their preferred cohort via their Enrollment Agreement form. The Counseling Department will try to match students to their preferred cohort; however, cohort assignments are based on space availability and are not guaranteed.

Report all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the programs you are applying to. Failure to report an institution may cause your application to be undelivered. This can significantly delay the processing of your application. Report all institutions attended, including but not limited to:

• Courses taken in high school for college or university credit
• Summer courses
• Community college courses
• US military academies (note that this does not include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)
• Post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work
• Study abroad, Canadian, and foreign work, etc. 

How you enter transcripts for study abroad programs will vary given the nature of the courses and whether you took them from your home institution or another institution. Please read the instructions from PsyCAS carefully to determine how to enter these courses.

More about Study Abroad Coursework

We will review your application when it is complete (including all transcripts and 3 complete evaluations) and verified by PSYCAS. To check the status of your recommendations and evaluations, navigate to Supporting Information, then Evaluations.

Please review our list of unauthorized states. If you are located in an unauthorized state, we will not be able to consider your application for admission. If you live outside of the US, you may apply, but please check your country’s counseling licensure information to determine if this program meets your professional needs.

PAU State Authorizations

Fortunately, students do not select an area of emphasis until the second quarter of the program.

You can learn more about each area of emphasis by visiting the:

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Marriage, Family, Child Counseling pages.

Three letters of recommendation are required from professional and/or academic references. Professional references may include managers from part-time employment, or volunteer coordinators if you have volunteer experience. If you have no work, school, or volunteer experience, we recommend volunteering with a local organization to gain experience. You may reach out to your Admissions Counselor if you have concerns about your references.

You will confirm your final cohort preference if you’re admitted and commit to attending PAU. Cohorts are assigned based on space available and not guaranteed. Students receive their cohort assignments and class schedules approximately one month before classes. Requests to change cohorts must be evaluated by the department at that time and changes are not guaranteed.

The most important piece of advice is to respond to the questions asked in the prompt and to adhere to length and style requirements. Beyond that, the statement of purpose is the primary way for the Admissions Committee to hear your voice. There is no need to rehash your resume – take the opportunity to talk about your passions and interests specific to counseling.

You are welcome to address personal circumstances or hardship in your application if it helps frame your interest in the field. Please remember, however, that your statement of purpose is not a diary entry or a counseling session. Oversharing can raise concerns about boundary issues and personal judgment. If you address a past hardship, we encourage you to provide analysis and self-reflection of the situation, rather than just a description of what happened. If the situation is too fresh, and you feel you cannot distance yourself enough to provide analysis yet, it may be best to choose another topic for your statement of purpose.

The following sections are optional:

• Experiences
• Achievements
• Licenses and Certifications
• Fellowships

While it is not required that you also enter work experience, volunteer experience, etc into PsyCAS, it can help helpful to at least enter the highlights of your experience in this section so admissions committee members can see it at a glance. Feel free to include unpaid or internship experiences if they are related to your interest in counseling.

Students can request to transfer up to 9 semester-units or 13.5 quarter-units of prior graduate work after they are admitted into the program. Prior coursework cannot be more than five years old. Transfer coursework is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Students must submit a course description and supporting documentation (e.g. a comprehensive syllabus) for each transfer course. A Palo Alto University faculty member then reviews the documentation and either accepts or rejects the course for transfer credit. Transfer credit requests must be made by the posted deadlines and will not be accepted after the first day of classes.