Admission Instruction and Requirements

1) Personal Information: (please complete all of this section)

• Complete this section carefully and accurately. Enter your undergraduate cumulative GPA from your UG transcript (please do not combine with any other transcript GPAs)
• You will upload unofficial transcripts (including other transcripts if you have) in the Program Materials section (not Academic History section). Official transcripts should be sent to the Division of Graduate Studies directly. (You do not need to enter transcript manually)

You will need to upload following REQUIRED documents:

• CV/Resume
• Personal Statement
• Affidavit of Sole Authorship
• Unofficial Transcripts
• Summary of Experience Form 

Note: please DO NOT upload any of the following:

• GRE score
• Bank Statement
• Copy of Passport
• Financial Statement
• Or any other sensitive information

Completing the Program Material Questions:

Degree Objective- read this carefully

Specialization:

__ Career Counseling (M.S. in Counseling)

__ Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S. in CMHC)

__ College Student Personnel (M.S. in Counseling)

__ Gerontological Counseling (M.S. in Counseling)

__ School Counseling (M.S. in Counseling)- PPSC will be automatically added

__ Marriage, Family and Child Counseling (M.S. Counseling, Concentration in MFCC; also known as MFT)

• You must select one specialization (if you are interested in multiple areas of specialization, you may choose a secondary area that becomes your emphasis)
• Please note that if you are interested in pursuing the MFT license , the State's licensing regulations require that you select MS Counseling Concentration in MFCC as your primary degree objective.
• If you wish to pursue your Marriage and Family Therapy License (LMFT), the State's licensing board requires that you be enrolled in the MS Counseling Concentration in MFCC as your primary degree objective.
• If you wish to pursue the Professional Clinical Counselor License (LPCC), the State’s licensing board does not require students to obtain their degree in any one particular MS degrees. However, the M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) provides a curriculum that is fully aligned with and approved by the State’s LPCC licensing requirements. It is possible to apply for the LPCC through other specialization pathways; however, you are likely to have curricular deficiencies that require additional outside coursework.  
• It is essential that you select the correct degree objective. Once the application has been submitted, you will not be able to change your degree objective and if it is incorrect (e.g., M.S. Counseling and you really wanted MFCC), your program will be in jeopardy and you may not be able to pursue the path you intended (e.g., you may not complete the program to become licensed or certified later).

Emphasis area (Department Certificate Program - Optional):

All of the specialization areas, (except for MFT- MFCC) can be selected as an emphasis. Please note that admission to a specialization area does not guarantee admission to an emphasis. 

ACADEMIC RECORD

You may list any additional evidence of professional work such as honors received, papers presented, publications, projects, etc.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN AND FLUENCY LEVEL

Indicate languages spoken and fluency (other than English).

LIST OF COUNSELING COURSES

If you have previously taken or are currently taking a course in the Department of Counseling at SFSU, list all courses. 

Please do not use this section unless you are applying for multiple campuses

Please upload a CV/Resume that highlights no more than your last five places of counseling-related employment, and no more than your last five places of non-counseling related employment.  Include volunteer or unpaid experience, notable leadership activities, community contributions, language skills, or other experiences. List any academic awards or honors received, leadership positions, and any professional publications and/or peer-reviewed presentations. Please limit your Resume/CV to a maximum of 3 pages. 

Please upload your personal statement (1300 words or less) via MS Word or PDF format. Take time to think through what you will write.  All students in our program are expected to engage in self-reflection and analysis of highly sensitive issues (e.g., cultural experiences and perspectives, family, history, sexuality, personal psychological issues). This is standard practice in most high-quality counseling programs. YOU MUST BE THE SOLE AUTHOR OF THIS PERSONAL STATEMENT.

It is helpful if your statement helps us to get to know you, your reasons for applying to the program and the specialization (and emphasis if relevant) how your experiences have led you to this point. The following areas are helpful to address:

• Why are you choosing to pursue this program and this specialization?
• What experiences have you had that brought you to this point? How have your work and/or volunteer experiences contributed to your potential as a counselor?
• How have your experiences shaped who you are and prepared you for a graduate program in counseling? 
• What experiences have contributed to your understanding of yourself and others in terms of cultural identity and how that relates to your experiences and goals?
• Be sure to limit your statement to no more than 1300 words, double-spaced, 12-point font, typed pages. Content will vary depending upon your experiences and personality. Pay attention to grammar, organization, and correct language usage

Affidavit of Authorship - In addition to the Personal Statement, you will need to sign and upload the Affidavit of Authorship (form is available below) confirming that you are the sole author of the Personal Statement you have included in your application. 

Upload Summary of Experience Form in the Program Materials Section. There 3 sections to the Summary of Experience form applicants should upload. Please be as specific as possible. Please indicate "NA" on the form if you intend to leave the form blank. Make sure you have filled out the form completely and clearly, so the reviewers have all the information needed.

• Start and end dates with month/Year (ex, 04/20-12/22)
• Role and position
• Organization (title, address, supervisor contact if available)
• Average hours/week
• Total # months in the position (do not use years, calculate and input months)
• Describe the populations you worked with in terms of demographics and indicate whether and how you used bilingual skills
• For counseling related experience, please explain how you think it is relevant to counseling

Note: e-official transcripts are encrypted, and the Cal State Appy will not accept uploading e-official transcripts

You may only upload an unofficial copy of transcript that shows overall undergraduate program GPA. However, you may upload any other unofficial transcripts to the documents section of this application if you attended other colleges, university or study abroad (other transcripts are optional).  The Division of Graduate Studies may request all of official transcripts from you at any time during the application process in order to complete reviewing process (for any official documents related inquiry, please contact the Division of Graduate Studies directly. The department does not need any official document).  Photographs of documents are not accepted (unless the documents are absolutely clear and readable).

It is essential that your letters of recommendation are included in your application. Instructions and an optional recommendation form are separately available below. Your recommender is welcome to use their own professional letterhead instead of the recommendation form if they choose. The form contains guidance about useful areas for your recommenders to address. Letters of recommendation must come from individuals who know you in an academic or professional capacity and can speak to your potential as a graduate student in counseling. Supervisors, professors, mentors are all appropriate. Friends, relatives, peers, are not appropriate recommenders. Make sure to talk with potential recommenders in advance and ensure that they will be able to provide a thoughtful and thorough letter of recommendation in a timely way. When you log into CAL STATE APPLY, you will provide their name and contact information. The recommenders will upload the letter to CAL STATE APPLY directly.

Two (2) professional letters of recommendation are required with this application. These letters of recommendation MUST come from professional affiliations (e.g., professor, college counselor, agency professional supervisor) and should reflect your academic and/or professional potential. Personal references are not appropriate (e.g., friends, family, clergy, therapists). Applications with fewer than 2 letters will not be reviewed. If more than 2 letters are submitted, the additional letters will be eliminated.

The recommendation form below is optional (not required to use for a recommendation). Recommenders can use their own letterheads or a blank form (must be formatted to doc or pdf).