Application Process

Application Deadline

Spring 2022 Application Period: August 1, 2021 - October 1, 2021

Fall 2022 Application Period: October 1, 2021 - March 1, 2022

Undergraduate GPA Required

Graduate program applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester (90 quarter) units attempted and a minimum of 3.0 on any post baccalaureate work at Fresno State. Applicants with a GPA of 3.0 and higher will be given priority.

GRE Requirement

You are required to take the GRE regardless if you already possess a post baccalaureate degree. The GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) is a standardized test taken by students who are applying to postgraduate programs in the US and in some other parts of the world. We will accept GRE scores taken within the last five years. There is no minimum score for the GRE to guarantee admission in to the MS in Counseling program. The GRE will beused as an assessment tool to determine a prospective candidate’s qualification for entry in to the program.

Prerequisite Courses

It is recommended that these courses be completed or in progress prior to applying to the program.  Please highlight the courses on your unofficial transcripts.  These courses cannot be older than 10 years:

• COUN 174 OR PSYCH 174 - Introduction to Counseling

• COUN 176 - Counseling and Mental Health OR PSYCH 166 or 66 - Abnormal Psychology

• ERE 153 - Educational Statistics OR the following Fresno State equivalent courses: PSYCH 144 or 143, SWRK 171 or 176, SOC 125, DS 123, or HS 202

Application Highlights

• Statement of Purpose

  • This is a 2 page (single-space, 12 size font, 1-inch margins) typed statement of your purpose for applying to the program.  Focus on your present situation and your short and long-term professional goals.  Make sure you address the following areas:

    • Immediate educational goals that align with the curriculum of the counseling program

    • Evidence of motivation to pursue and succeed in the counseling program

    • Long-term career goals in relation to the counseling profession

    • Evidence of experience with competencies related to the program (e.g., reflection, critical thinking, professional ethics, valuing diversity, collaboration, life-long learning)

• Letters of Recommendation

  • The General Program Recommendation with Letter Upload is required to be submitted by your recommender.  Request letters of reference from instructors, supervisors, or other individuals who are in a position to evaluate you in terms of your potential for graduate study in the program.  Three recommendations are required. 

  • In the "Recommenations" section, you will provide your recommender contact information.  Once you have saved an electronic recommendation, an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf.  Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.  

Interview Requirement