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Requirements

We have a number of requirements for our masters in counseling students, including the will to work hard and help people.

Application Requirements

Completed applications for the masters in counseling are due by March 1st. Only completed applications are reviewed by faculty. If you apply, it is the your responsibility to check on your materials and ensure they are received by the deadline. 

Applicants must meet the academic requirements set by the UL Lafayette Graduate School and the Department of Counseling's GRE requirements in addition to completing the Grad School application and submitting the following:

  • Official GRE test scores.
  • A resume of counseling related work or volunteer experiences.
  • A 500-750 word writing sample responding to the following prompt:
    • The Counseling Program at UL maintains the following as its mission statement: “The mission of the Department of Counseling at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is to develop Professional Counselors who embody ethical practice, respect for diversity, and a strong professional identity by integrating, theory, research, and practice into a competency-based curriculum, for service to K-12 schools and in various mental health settings.”

1. How do your personal career goals relate to the Mission?

2. Given that “respect for diversity” is integral to our mission, how do your previous experiences, interests, and worldview support your potential for success in building interpersonal relationships with culturally different individuals?

3. The choice to become a professional counselor sets in motion a number of consequences that have the potential to affect multiple aspects of your life. Among these are your relationships, financial situation, lifestyle, family life, and self-image; therefore, self-care for counselors is an important skill set. In what ways are you helping yourself prepare for those potential changes and a heavy workload?

After you submit your application, you may be invited to interview with the admissions committee. Invited applicants will meet individually and in groups with a panel of interviewers. The interviewers will be faculty members from the masters in counseling program, and occasionally community professionals. The interview session will last approximately two hours and interview questions are not shared in advance but generally address the applicant's experience, goals, and communication skills.

There are no required undergraduate majors to enroll in the masters in counseling program. Typical majors include psychology, sociology, child and family studies, and education.

Admission Timeline

Students are admitted once per year in the fall. Applications are to be completed by March 1st. Applicants will be notified when their completed applications are received and again when the application has been reviewed by the masters program's committee on admissions.

On average, we receive approximately two or three times as many applications as we have available space. We do not accept a specific number of candidates per year. Rather, a number of factors are considered, including number of current students graduating, faculty work load, and departmental resources.