College of Education

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How do I know if I'm ready for a PhD program? 

Admission to the program is by application to the Oregon State University Graduate School. Admission requirements for the Oregon State University Graduate School may be found at the admissions website.

Prepare for Graduate School

Prerequisites:

The minimal prerequisite is a master’s degree in counseling or a related field. Academic background, personal and emotional suitability, volunteer or paid experience in the helping professions, and the educational and professional goals of each candidate are evaluated before admission is granted. Screening includes, but is not limited to, a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the last 90 hours of undergraduate and graduate work, three letters of recommendation including one from a recent or current clinical supervisor, and a writing sample. Applicants who meet the initial application criteria are screened and top candidates are invited for in-person interviews. Final cohort composition is determined based on application strength, interview performance, and program resources. 

Candidates will complete the following to apply for admission to the doctoral program.

• Upload into the online application (NOTE: Paper applications will NOT be accepted.)
  • Unofficial copies of all transcripts*
  • A current resume detailing educational, work, and volunteer experience and relevant skills.
  • Writing Sample
• Program Application Materials (this will be completed within the online application):
  • Certification of Accuracy
  • Criminal Records Disclosure
  • Two general letters of recommendation
  • One letter of recommendation from a current or recent clinical supervisor attesting to your counseling skills.
  • Pre-Requisite Information Technology Competencies
  • Completed OSU Master’s Program Content Checklist
• Applicants who did not graduate from a CACREP/CORE accredited programs, must fill out the Entry Level Requirements Form.

*After completing the online application please submit official transcripts to the Graduate School.

Criteria for Admission:

Candidates are assessed on the basis of their fitness with the vision and mission of the University, the Graduate School, College of Education, and the Counseling Academic Unit. Consistent with CACREP’s (2016) standards, “admission decision recommendations are made by the academic unit’s selection committee and include consideration of each applicant’s (1) relevance of career goals, (2) aptitude for graduate-level study, (3) potential success in forming effective counseling relationships, and (4) respect for cultural differences.”

Criteria include: 

• academic background, as evidenced by undergraduate GPA and references, 
• alignment of professional goals and personal qualities with the counseling profession, as evidenced by personal statement and references, 
• applicability of educational background to the counseling profession, as evidenced by transcripts, 
• relevance of work/volunteer experience to the counseling profession, as evidenced by résumé and references, 
• presence of, and investment in, cross-cultural experiences and social justice, as evidenced by personal statement and references. 

Applicants selected by the admissions committee on the basis of their application materials will be required to attend a face-to-face group interview conducted via a virtual meeting platform, typically held in February or March. Applicants with specific questions regarding application materials or previous coursework may contact the Counseling Head Advisor.

Links:

Graduate School
Office of Admissions
Financial Aid

Matriculation Requirements

All admitted students to the OSU Ecampus Counseling program must:

(a) verify they accept the offer of admission;

(b) sign a Memorandum of Agreement to secure their matriculation to the program;

(c) have graduated from a master’s degree program in counseling or related area, annotated on transcript, by the time of enrollment. Students accepted to the program while completing master’s requirements must submit an updated transcript prior to enrollment in courses. Any student with a GPA of less than 3.0 is admitted on a conditional basis per OSU Graduate School guidelines. These students must maintain a 3.0 GPA during their first 18 credits of study.

(d) newly admitted students must pay a $350 matriculation fee,

(e) and attend a new student orientation. 

As per CACREP Standards, we conduct an audit of all matriculating students’ graduate study to assess whether students meet standards of entry-level CACREP graduates. For example, all students must complete coursework in (a) all of the CACREP entry-level core curricular standards, (b) all of the CACREP entry-level professional practice standards with regards to fieldwork, and (c) curricular requirements of a CACREP specialty area. Students who did not graduate from a CACREP program and are missing coursework or professional practice standards must address this in the first years of the program, such as taking additional coursework or fieldwork experiences. In such cases, this extends the length of the students’ program of study.

Contact: 

Misty De Lei, counseling head advisor at [email protected]