Academic and Professional Preparation

Students seeking a master’s degree in counseling without an undergraduate background in education or psychology must have a minimum of 12 credit hours in foundation courses. These credits may be earned at the undergraduate or graduate level, but they are not counted as part of the total credit hours required for the degree program. Students must complete the prerequisite foundation courses prior to advancement to candidacy.
 
Foundation courses may include courses in psychology, sociology, and education. The counseling program director may approve other related courses such as management, human resource management, and women’s studies.

Demonstrating the attainment of the foundation requirements may be accomplished by submitting official undergraduate, graduate, or military transcripts and/or submitting official scores from standardized exams such as CLEP and DANTES.

Students are encouraged to contact the counseling program director by e-mail at gradcouns@ed.umuc.edu, telephone, or in person to discuss admission qualifications. During their first two terms, students shall submit to the counseling program director a plan on meeting prerequisite conditions not yet satisfied.