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College of Education

Marriage, Couple, and Family Admissions

Counseling: Marriage, Couple, and Family

Admissions

Prerequisite Coursework

Qualified applications must be a graduate of an accredited college or university (BA, BS or BSW degree).

Prerequisite courses include:

  • 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 that 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 Erica Soule 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.


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Yearly admissions timeline:

  1. Mid-September: Application opens
  2. January 1st: Application due
  3. January 1st - Mid-February: Application review by the department
  4. Mid-February: Interview request notifications sent to qualified applicants
  5. March 7th, 2024: Interviews
  6. April: Admissions offer notifications sent to admitted applicants​​​​​ no later than the beginning of April

Our master’s degrees begin in the fall of each year.

Admissions instructions

  1. Check the application deadline for your program.
  2. Review PSU Graduate School Minimum Admissions Requirements.
  3. Learn about our application review process.
  4. Make sure you have everything ready from the Application Checklist.
  5. Create an account or sign into the Portland State University Admissions Application system.
  6. Select "Start New Application" and then "Graduate Application." Do not select "Non-degree". You will not be able to upload the necessary documents with the non-degree application, and your application will not be considered.
  7. For the college, select "College of Education"
  8. For the program of study, select "Counselor Education: Marriage, Couple, and Family, Master’s"

To validate your admission you must take a course during the term in which you have requested to be admitted. Should you not take a course in that term, your application will be cancelled and you will need to reapply to the next cohort.

Questions about the application process?

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

Application checklist

  • Program-specific application
  • Résumé: Applicants are asked to upload a resume on the ‘Employment’ tab that demonstrates their prior work and volunteer experience, as related to the field of counseling.
  • Statement of purpose: Directions can be found within the online application on the ‘Program materials’ tab
  • Two electronic recommendation forms (forms are provided within the application)
  • English Language Proficiency: Applicants who are non-native English speakers and who do not hold a degree from Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, or Zimbabwe must submit valid proof of proficiency. Please visit the Graduate School to learn more about your options for proving proficiency.
  • Unofficial transcripts are accepted by the College of Education for the program application. You only need to submit transcripts from institutions that you earned a degree from and where any graduate coursework was taken. Additional unofficial transcripts may be sent in if it significantly improves your application GPA. If admitted, you must send in official transcripts from each degree-granting school and any graduate school. More information on submitting official transcripts can be found on the Graduate Admissions page.
    • Acceptable unofficial transcripts are:
      • Web-based transcripts downloaded from an institution: institution and student name must be visible on transcripts
      • Photocopies of official transcripts: these must include the front and back of all pages, including transcript key
    • Previous applicants:
      • If you’ve previously submitted official transcripts to PSU, you are still required to upload unofficial transcripts to complete your application.
  • After you are admitted, you must submit official transcripts to:
    • The Graduate School
      Portland State University
      PO Box 751
      Portland, OR 97207 - 0751
      Electronic official transcripts should be sent to graddocs@pdx.edu

Retention of Student Documents

All application documents submitted to PSU become the property of the University and may not be copied or returned to a student. Transcripts from other institutions cannot be copied. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email askcoe@pdx.edu.

It is a University requirement that students register and pay for at least one credit in the term they are admitted. Failure to do so will result in automatic cancellation of your admission. If you need to change the term for which you intend to begin classes after you have submitted your application, please contact your department at askcoe@pdx.edu to discuss your options.