Transfer, Non-degree and Licensure Seeking Students and Graduates

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School Counselors seeking Professional Counselor Licensure

If you have a School Counseling credential and wish to become a Licensure Professional Counselor (LPC), please follow the directions below very carefully.

1. Complete the Licensing Professional Counselor (LPC) application. Any deficits that need to be addressed will be conveyed to you in a letter of response and it will clearly outline the coursework that must be attained from a CACREP-accredited graduate program, if applicable. For information about Kentucky LPC-eligibility, refer to the Kentucky Board of Licensed Professional Counselors “FAQ” link on their website, https://lpc.ky.gov/. You can review Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at https://lpc.ky.gov/Documents/LPC%20FAQ%20Final%2008212024.pdf.
2. Contact the Department of Counseling and Student Affairs by emailing the CMHC Program Coordinator with the information noted below. (See https://www.wku.edu/csa/staff/index.php for faculty contact information.) You should only contact the department after having received a response from the respective state board regarding what courses and/or degree.
   1. Subject Line “School Counseling Seeking LPCA” including the following in the email: the university and name of program you graduated from; date of graduation; and if graduated from WKU, include your #800.
   2. Attachments including (a) documentation from the Boardnoting the specific courses or degree that is required; (b) official transcript/s; (c) a resume that documents your school counseling-related employment including name of school/s, date/s of hire, and role/s; and (d) if employed as a School Counselor within the last 5 years, a brief letter of recommendation from your immediate supervisor. 
3. Conditions and Recommendations for applying will be provided after a review of your email and the required attachments, according to the following:
   1. If you meet the following criteria, you can enroll in courses as a non-degree seeking student after applying and being accepted to the WKU Graduate School.
      1. Conditions for non-degree seeking status: If (a) the respective state board is requiring 3 courses or less; (b) you have practiced in the School Counseling role for 2 consecutive years within the last 5 years and have included a positive letter of recommendation from your supervisor. (See #2 above.).
   2. If you do not meet the criteria outlined above, you will need to apply and be accepted to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program before enrolling in courses. Directions and information are on the Department’s home page.

4. Course Availability, Registration and Prerequisites
   1. Upon completing step #3 above, refer to the “CMHC Fall Cohort” document under Planned Programs at https://www.wku.edu/counseling/cmhc.php to decipher when the courses that you are required to take are offered. Check “Schedule of Classes” on Topnet for specific day/time offerings. Email the assigned instructor of your preferred section to request permission to enroll. They will need to manually register you and are not obligated to enroll additional students especially if the course is already at an enrollment cap.
   2. Be advised that courses are offered once an academic year and internship courses are only offered during the fall and spring. Further, attendance at the Department’s Practicum and Internship Orientation is required prior to seeking or securing placement. See https://www.wku.edu/csa/counseling/internship_manual.php for more information.
   3. The Department of Counseling and Student Affairs requires a grade of B or better in the following 5 courses (or course equivalent if taken at another university) in order to register for CNS 591 Practicum and CNS 596 Internship: CNS 554, CNS 555, CNS 558, CNS 559, and CNS 560. See Course Offerings for a description of these courses. A grade of B or better is required in the Practicum course (or equivalent) in order to register for CNS 596 CMHC MCFC Internship.

Counseling Graduates Seeking Licensure and Credentials in other States

If you are a graduate of any of the Department’s Counseling programs and are seeking licensure or credentialing in another state, and need verification of your degree, curriculum and/or practicum and internship hours, please follow the steps below:

1. Complete the documents required by the respective state. Since the Department is not responsible for maintaining your practicum and internship hours, you will need to complete this section to the best of your ability.
2. When you have filled out all the information on the required documents, email the Department Chair with subject line: “Graduate Verification for Licensure.” In your email, please include the following:
1. What is being requested (i.e., review and signature of a verification form, a cover letter) and for what state/territory
2. Your full name as it was listed on your diploma/transcript
3. 800#
4. The Program you graduate from, and when

Professional Counselor Licensure in Other States

Both the Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a requirement for licensure in many states. Both programs prepare graduates with the requisites to take state professional counselor licensing exams, as well as the academic qualifications required of many state counseling boards. Because no graduate program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, students should consult with the appropriate agency to determine specific requirements, or refer to WKU’s Comparison to Other State Licensure doc. For more information about licensure, students should visit the National Board for Certified Counselors at https://www.nbcc.org/search/stateboarddirectory, the American Association of State Counseling Boards at www.aascb.org, and contact the appropriate licensing body. International students are encouraged to identify and contact their appropriate licensing body.

Professional Counselors Seeking School Counselor Credential

The Department of Counseling and Student Affairs offers a CACREP accredited, 60-hour graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling that offers curriculum eligibility for the Kentucky School Counselor credential. In order to eligible for the School Counselor credential, you would need to have completed this specific CMHC curriculum. The Department does not currently offer another pathway to becoming credentialed as a Kentucky School Counselor.

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Transferring Credits into Counseling Programs

According to the WKU Graduate School Catalog transfer credit(s) may be accepted if earned at regionally accredited institutions of higher education. Students transferring credit from an international institution must submit an official transcript evaluation of credit from an international credential evaluation service recognized by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) before equivalencies are determined. All transfer coursework must be documented on an official transcript with a grade of “B” or better. Transfer credits must be applied toward a graduate program awarded by WKU, are subject to approval by the appropriate academic department, and must comply with all other university policies. Plus and minus grades are recorded as the letter grade only. In cooperative or joint programs with other universities, credits earned in the program at these institutions are not considered transfer credits. At least one-half of credits applied toward degree or certificate requirements must be earned at Western Kentucky University.  Transfer courses must be at least 3 semester credit hours (or at least 5 quarter hours of credit to satisfy transfer of credit conditions for one 3-credit semester course.) Transfer credit also must have been earned within six-years of the time admitted to the program.

Transfer of Credit into the Department’s Counseling Programs involves a thorough approval process that begins only after the student has been admitted to the Department’s counseling program. Any change to the department’s planned programs can compromise a student’s pursuance of state licensure and credentialing. Once admitted to the counseling program, the student should contact their assigned advisor to discuss the possibility of course substitutions. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility that transferred courses meet state licensure requirements. Further, the Department cannot guarantee that course substitutions will gain approval from WKU’s Graduate School or state licensure boards. Clinical courses (i.e., group counseling, techniques, practicum, and internship) are not considered for transfer credit.

Non-degree Seeking Students

Since our counseling programs and courses prepared students for licensure, students enrolled in our courses have been formally admitted to WKU Graduate School and the counseling program. Students who have not yet been accepted into the counseling program may be allowed to take selective courses in the counseling program pending the following: (a) formally admittance to WKU Graduate School and (b) a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA in earned bachelor’s degree.

Many counseling courses are capped for accreditation reasons and are guaranteed to admitted students only. Only 12 credit hours (4 courses) can be transferred into the counseling program. Academic success as a non-degree seeking student in courses does not assure acceptance into the counseling program. (Admittance to the counseling programs depends on an array of criteria all related to potential fit for the Profession of Counseling.)  

If the above criteria have been met, non-degree seeking students can pursue the following process to seek registration in selected courses. Permission to register in these courses is based on the previously mentioned criteria and at the discretion of the professor.

Eligible courses may include the following:

An email should be sent the instructor on record for permission to register. See TopNet for instructor listing. The email should be as follows:

Subject Line: Non-degree Seeking Course Registration  

Email: I am interested in enrolling in your (Name of) Class during the (Name of) Semester. I can confirm that I have been admitted to WKU Graduate School and have an earned bachelor’s degree in with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. My 800# is (800#).