Graduate Programs in Counseling

How hard is it to gain admission?

The ease of being admitted into graduate programs for counseling varies with each school’s level of notoriety and their admissions requirements. While some accredited online graduate programs in counseling may accept nearly every applicant, more traditional schools can be very selective.

Although graduate programs are generally selective, it seems that the overall admissions requirements for state colleges and religious universities are less restrictive than other schools. Some of these schools accept 80-100% of general applications according to , which can increase the likelihood of your application being accepted.

Other, more prestigious schools, such as University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University, have a much lower acceptance rates. All 3 of these universities accept less than 25% of applicants into their graduate programs with the Columbia University only accepting 6 new doctoral students into the counseling psychology program each school year.

When choosing a graduate school for counseling you should consider your test scores, academic history and references and decide which schools are good matches for you. Schools with competitive masters or PhD programs will want to see that you have completed significant studies, including high level courses, in the psychology field, as well as some clinical experiences. Doctoral programs in counseling are also more likely to admit students who have conducted research and have published professional psychological papers.

What related graduate programs should I consider?

If you are thinking of applying to counseling grad schools, there are similar areas of study that you might appeal to you.

Clinical psychologists study human development, including cognitive and emotional processes, from birth to death. A degree in clinical psychology will give you a deeper focus on pharmacological therapy in addition to the therapeutic and communication strategies you learn in counseling programs.

Health and human services is an area that emphasizes human interaction as it relates to society. This degree will give you insight into how government policy affects an individual’s ability to function in everyday life. Even top graduate programs will discuss how counseling can affect different populations within society.

While the best programs teach you how to help others overcome mental, emotional and psychological trauma, biology students learn the physical processes that often create and contribute to these traumas. Students from a biological background have an understanding of human anatomy than many graduate counseling students lack. This is a great field to pursue if you are attracted to the science of mental and emotional health.

Are there any iPhone or iPad apps that would benefit me?

is a great app for students who are in the process for studying for the National Counseling Examination. This app gives you practice exam questions and answer explanations that cover major subject areas like helping relationships, human growth and development and professional orientation and ethics. This free preparation tool will be helpful towards the end of your masters program in counseling.

is an app that is helpful for students in grad schools for counseling or psychology. This free app provides information concerning drug dosages, common side effects and alternate names for different psychiatric medications.

Students who enroll in a PhD can use The Social Express as a tool for doing research with autism students. This app for the iPad provides teaching tips for the instructor as well as visual and auditory clues for the student participating in the lesson. It is an engaging tool for teaching socialization, and a valuable resource for PhD students on the behavioral counseling track.