College of Education

Admissions | Counselor Education

The Counselor Education department is committed to attracting, enrolling, and retaining a diverse student body. Selection for admission to Counselor Education master's degree programs is based on past academic performance, relevant work/volunteer experience, and appropriateness  of professional goals. The department looks for well-qualified applicants whose career goals are aligned with what the Counselor Education department can help students achieve, and who have a demonstrated commitment to diversity and our department’s mission.

Admissions Timeline
Application OpensSeptember
Final Application Deadline*January 5, 2026
Final Application Materials Due**February 2, 2026
Interview DateMarch 5, 2026
Prerequisite DeadlineBy spring term of first year
OrientationEarly September, Date TBD
Program StartFall 2026

Additional Timeline Information:

*After you submit your application, you will have access to our scholarship application, which is due by February 1st.

**Recommendations can sometimes take longer to arrive. You can submit your application before these have arrived. This deadline is to allow a short grace period for your recommendations to arrive, if necessary.

After submission, your application will be reviewed by staff and faculty. We make every effort to communicate admissions decisions by April.

Admissions requirements

Prerequisite coursework

  • One upper division undergraduate or graduate level psychopathology course, such as COUN 430/530: Introduction to Psychiatric Diagnoses, or PSY 434: Introduction to Psychopathology
  • One upper-division or graduate-level introduction to counseling course, such as COUN 441/541: Introduction to Counseling

Prerequisite course details:

  • Prerequisite courses must be completed within 7 years of applying to the program and you must have received a C or better in the course.
  • We recommend that students complete the prerequisite courses before the program starts in the fall term.
  • We do not require that an applicant has completed these courses before an application; however, many applicants find these courses useful in their preparation.
    • If you would like to get started with a course, you can apply to PSU as a non-degree-seeking student if you have never been a student here before.
  • Admitted students who have not completed the prerequisites before admission notification will be required to complete both prerequisites at the graduate (500) level.
    • COUN 541: Introduction to Counseling must be completed by the end of the fall quarter of their first year.
    • COUN 530: Introduction to Psychiatric Diagnoses must be completed by the end of the winter quarter of their first year.
  • COUN 541 is offered fall, winter, spring, and summer terms
  • COUN 530 is offered winter and summer terms
  • PSY 434 is offered at the discretion of the Psychology Department but is typically offered every term.
    • If you have taken a similar course at another university, we will review it to determine if it can be substituted after you are offered admission to the program. For questions, please contact us at askcoe@pdx.edu.
  • Additionally, all students will be required to undergo a criminal background check prior to beginning the program. More detailed information will be furnished after admission.


Download the presentation!

Required application materials

Below is the list of the materials and information you will need to provide as part of your online application. We recommend preparing these materials in advance of submitting your application.

  • Unofficial Transcripts: from your bachelor’s degree-granting institution and from any institution at which you have earned graduate-level credit
  • English Language Proficiency: Automatically assessed in your application materials. Learn more about your options for proving proficiency.
  • Résumé: that demonstrates prior work and volunteer experience as related to the field of counseling.
  • Statement of Purpose: Please complete a statement of purpose that answers all of the following prompts. We will evaluate your statement based on content, fitness for both the counseling profession and the specialty program to which you have applied, and writing quality/organization. Your total statement of purpose should be no more than 750 words. Please include a total word count with your statement and use the prompts as headers with your response following each prompt. The prompts themselves do not count towards your total word count. The prompts are as follows:
    • Part A: Our ideal student demonstrates the following dispositions required to be successful in our program and post-program as a professional counselor: (i) professionalism; (ii) intrapersonal and interpersonal effectiveness; and (iii) commitment to learning and growth. Please provide examples of your qualities and experiences that demonstrate how you meet these dispositional requirements to become a successful professional counselor. Please also address (i) the PSU counselor education dispositions and how you embody the values, attitudes, and beliefs of a counselor, and (ii) the personal and professional experiences that have prepared you to become a counselor.
    • Part B: Why are you applying to the counseling specialty program you have chosen (Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or School Counseling)? Please demonstrate (i) that you are knowledgeable about PSU’s program and the specialty field as a whole (ii) how your professional goals align with this specialty program.
    • Part C: Describe your interest, knowledge, and personal experience working toward social justice and equity, and how you see your work toward social justice connecting with the practice of professional counseling.
  • Recommendations: Submit contact information for only two references via a form within the application. Portland State University will contact your references and provide them with instructions for submitting recommendation forms.

Admissions Review Process

We review your application for the following:

  • Academic Requirements: Via your transcripts, we assess whether you meet the university’s minimum admissions requirements. Students may have completed their degree in any area of study (social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, humanities and fine arts, etc.), although demonstration of an understanding of social and behavioral sciences is preferred.
  • Résumé: Via your résumé, we evaluate how your experience has prepared you for graduate school and to become a counselor. We value experience, paid or volunteer, in a related human services setting. This includes but is not limited to: schools, inpatient or outpatient mental health settings, child welfare services, etc. Your résumé should also demonstrate other applicable, transferrable skills. We recommend including experiences that may seem less relevant as well as a full picture of your background helps us to fully evaluate your preparation.
  • Statement of Purpose: Your statement of purpose is evaluated for the following.
    • Embodiment of the dispositions, values, attitudes, and beliefs of a counselor.
    • Explanation of how personal and professional experiences have prepared you to become a counselor.
    • Knowledge and understanding of the program to which you are applying and how that program may best support your long-term goals.
    • Interest, knowledge, and a commitment to working with people of diverse backgrounds. Applicants should show a commitment to diversity in this evolving cultural landscape and demonstrate a potential to blend values with knowledge and skills in the counseling field.
  • Two Recommendations: We recommend choosing people that you have a professional or academic relationship with and who can speak to your potential to learn, interpersonal skills, and your accomplishments.
  • Interview: Our final admissions evaluation occurs via an interview. Approximately ⅓ of applicants are invited to the interview and we will provide additional details at the time of invitation.

Ready to apply?

  1. Review PSU Graduate School Minimum Admissions Requirements.
  2. Create an account or sign into the Portland State University Admissions Application system.
  3. Select "Start New Application"
  4. Then select "Graduate Application"
  5. For the college, select "College of Education"
  6. For the program of study, select the appropriate counseling specialty area: "Counselor Education: __________, MS"
  7. Select the term (Fall YYYY)

The counselor education department can defer admission to the program if a student requests deferral prior to May 1st because of an unforeseen situation, which includes, but is not limited to, accidents, medical or dental emergencies, natural disasters, travel emergencies, or family emergencies.

Questions about the application process?

If you have questions about the application process, contact askcoe@pdx.edu.
Learn about available scholarships and financial aid.

Questions? Contact Jesse! about this content

Additional Resources

Acceptance Rates

Each year, the Counselor Education department admits a new cohort of approximately 60 master's degree students, or 15 per specialty area. The department receives over 350 applications each year. The average undergraduate GPA is 3.44. On average, 70% of admitted students have completed at least one prerequisite course prior to or during the admissions cycle.

Materials to support you with your application

*Application materials are subject to change. Check back to ensure that you are using the most up-to-date versions. Sample materials are simply guides intended to help structure your own materials, not a template.

Post-Admissions

You will be notified of your admission decision to the program via an email and a formal digital letter from the Graduate School. After admission, you will be assigned a faculty advisor and a staff student success advisor, both of whom will support you through your program. The college provides an online orientation module to help you take your next steps to begin your program. You will also be invited to a live orientation session to ensure that you’re fully prepared to begin.

A few additional things to keep in mind:

  1. All students must submit their official transcripts to the Graduate School after admission.
  2. If you’re still completing a bachelor’s degree, you must apply for your degree, and it must be awarded by the end of summer term in order for you to begin the program in fall. 
    You must register for coursework in the term that you are admitted in order to validate admission to the program. If you do not, your admission status will be canceled.
  3. If you are unable to begin in your term of admission, the counselor education department can defer admission to the program in the following circumstances:
    1. You must request deferral prior to May 1st because of an unforeseen situation, which includes, but is not limited to, accidents, medical or dental emergencies, natural disasters, travel emergencies, or family emergencies.