BECOME A FUTURE HILLTOPPER
With The Department Counseling & Student Affairs
Application Deadlines
February 15th for fall admission
September 15th for spring admission
Late submissions are not accepted at this time.
The CMHC or MCFC Group Interview is scheduled via ZOOM on the last Tuesday in March (for fall admission) or on the last Tuesday in October (for spring admission) from 11 to 1 pm CST. Since alternative interviews are not extended, applicants should plan ahead and reserve the respective date/time pending they are invited to participate.
Step 1: Apply for Fall Admission
Deadline: February 15th for fall admission. Late submissions are not accepted at this time.
- Applications for the CMHC Digital Pathway are reviewed for fall admission only.
- Students accepted to the CMHC Digital Pathway are registered by the Department in April of the same year; and so should confirm financial readiness and aid options before applying and accepting admission.
Step 2: Attend Mandatory Orientation
- All newly admitted students must attend the Counseling New Student Orientation:
- Fall Admits: First Tuesday of May, 12–1:30 PM CST (via Zoom).
- Spring Admits: First Tuesday of December, 12–1:30 PM CST (via Zoom).
- Students who cannot attend must complete an online tutorial course before their first semester.
Application deadlines do not apply to the Student Affairs program; students are admitted to the Student Affairs program on an ongoing basis.
Questions related to counseling admissions and applying should be directed to the Department's Admissions Coordinator, Rhonda Jones.
Counseling and Student Affairs Graduate Programs
Start Your Application
Applicants should review The Graduate School Admission Requirements and submit their graduate application online. To view the status of an application and to submit supporting documents, applicants should log in to their application status portal.
Upon receiving a copy of their background check, applicants should upload it into the Portal. (See Step 2 below for information on applying for a background check.) Applicants should also request their official transcripts through WKU’s Official Transcript Request. Applicants who expect to graduate within the semester of their application should upload a copy of their current official transcript in the Portal and then re-submit a copy of their transcript when it confirms a completed degree. The Department must have access to the final transcript that includes the degree awarded no later than one month prior to the semester of enrollment. Invitations for admittance cannot be extended until the latter is uploaded and meets academic requirements (i.e., minimal GPA for WKU Graduate School). Pending upon this final transcript, previous program acceptance for admission can be retracted.
1. A Statement Of Interest
A statement of interest of no more than 6 pages in length (including a cover page), written in APA format, includes correct spelling and grammar, and organized according to the prompts below. (Purdue's Online Writing Lab includes a review of APA Style.) Applicants who submit Statements of Interest that do not adequately meet expectations (i.e., excessive writing and format errors; failure to address all prompts; and/or career objectives and personal/interpersonal dispositions that are incongruent with program objectives) may be denied admission or asked to reapply with an updated Statement of Interest for the next admissions cycle.
- Discuss how your career objectives and personal and interpersonal dispositions are fitting for the counseling or student affairs profession. Provide support for and specific examples of why you believe your interests, as well as personal and interpersonal dispositions (including interpersonal skills and experiences, as well as ability to handle stress and emotional triggers) are appropriate and fitting for the profession.
- Briefly discuss how you will be successful in forming effective relationships with clients through both face to face and digital delivery of individual, couples and/or family counseling. Be specific and provide examples. Consider ways in which you may need to grow to be success in either type of delivery and/or with a given population.
- Briefly describe your aptitude for graduate-level study through both face-to-face and digital delivery modalities. Provide evidence for why you believe you are ready for graduate studies. Given that courses are offered through both face-to-face and delivery, respond to the following questions: If you are accustomed to face to face learning, how will you adjust to digital learning? If you are easily distracted, how will you remain focused and attentive during zoom class meetings? How will you seek and maintain relationships with instructors in both face to face and digital settings so as to assure your success in the course?
- Describe your experiences with persons from different backgrounds. More specifically, discuss how you have formed and maintained relationships with persons from different backgrounds and cultures from your own in both individual and group contexts. How do you maintain respect for these differences? In what ways will you need to develop in order to be culturally sensitive when providing counseling services? Use specific examples.
2. An Updated Resume that Includes Reference List
Applicants should submit an updated resume that includes 3 references who can speak to their academic and professional readiness, as well as fit for the Counseling profession. All references should include titles, affiliation, phone number, and email addresses. Counseling faculty may contact references at their will. Current WKU undergraduates may seek the WKU Career Center for resources related to resume building.
3. Background Check For Your Program
Download The Counseling Background Check
Download The Student Affairs Background Check
Applicants must upload a copy of the background check into the application portal.
Applicants to either the CMHC or MCFC program should select the link “Counseling” above; Student Affairs applicants, should select the link “Student Affairs” above and then proceed with the directions and fee. All questions should be directed to the Verified Credentials Client Services Team at 1-800-938-6090. The Background Check is forwarded to the Graduate School, however upon receiving it from Verified Credentials, applicants must upload a copy of it into the application portal.
The background may take weeks to be processed; this process should be initiated well in advance of the application deadline as it could take a month to process.
4. Additional Requirements
A writing sample may be requested once a completed application has been received.
Based upon a holistic review of their application materials, highly reviewed applicants will be invited to an on-line admissions group interview scheduled on the last Tuesdays of March and October from 11-1 pm CST. Since the Department does not offer an alternative admissions date or time, applicants should arrange in advance to attend.
During the interview, applicants are reviewed by faculty on skills related to but not limited to listening, awareness of self and others, ability to collaborate and communicate, as well as respect for others. Based upon a collective evaluation of the application materials, as well as the demonstration of skills, applicants will receive an invitation for admission, denial and/or waiting list. Those invited for admission will need to accept within one week of the invitation. After which, that slot will be offered to another on the admissions waiting list.
Visit our funding opportunities webpage If you wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship in the department and/or other opportunities around campus or the community.
For information regarding the transfer of credit, see Info for Students, “Transfer, Non-degree, and Licensure Seeking Students” at https://www.wku.edu/csa/licensure.php
Program Coordinators
The Program Coordinators who will oversee the application process are as follows
| Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling |
Dr. Jill Duba Sauerheber |
| Student Affairs | Dr. Aaron Hughey |
For Joint Undergraduate-Master’s Programs (JUMP) in Counseling
Students must apply to the JUMP in Counseling in order to be considered for admission. In order to apply, students must be a WKU undergraduate student in good standing (must have a GPA of 3.00 or above) who has 60 undergraduate hours completed but no more than 100 undergraduate hours completed. At the time of the application, the student’s transcript must include having completed at least one semester at WKU. For more information, click Apply Here below. Applicants to the JUMP in Counseling are eligible for the CMHC residential pathway only.
Department of Counseling
and Student Affairs
Gary A. Ransdell Hall 3036
1906 College Heights Blvd. #51031,
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1030
(270) 745-4953