Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or a recognized international equivalent

• Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 or GRE general test with minimum scores of 150 Verbal, 141 Quantitative, and 4.0 Analytical

• Official transcripts from each institution attended

• Personal  statement  detailing  professional  goals

• Three  letters  of  recommendation  from  professional  or  academic sources

• Resume

• Personal Interview

• Cleared Criminal Background Check

UTRGV Graduate College Admissions:
https://tinyurl.com/yafl6lnw

Department of Counseling Website: Admissions Requirements: https://tinyurl.com/y7sc3v2d 

• After a review of the application materials, each candidate is interviewed by at least two program faculty

• Candidates are asked a series of standardized questions and rated by faculty

• After all candidate file reviews and interviews are completed, program faculty meet to discuss and vote on each candidate.

• The successful candidate meets all of the admissions requirements, has relevant background experiences, appropriate letters of recommendation, a coherent statement of purpose, and performs satisfactorily in the faculty interview.

All candidates who are offered admissions must attend the department New Student Orientation covering the following items:

• Program Requirements
• Degree Plan
• Texas Education Agency Educator Code of Ethics
• Distributed Campus Acknowledgment
• Registration Procedures

• Maintenance of >3.0 GPA

• Satisfactory Goodness of Fit (Professional and Personal Disposition) Review by Faculty Each Regular Semester Completion of 60 SCH

• Pass the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE)

Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam:
https://tinyurl.com/yac8q6t5

Per CACREP and TEA requirements, students complete the following requirements in the field courses:

COUN 6365: Practicum

• 40 hours of direct client contact (30 on a school campus)
• 60 hours of indirect client contact
• Site Observation by program faculty

COUN 6369: Counseling Internship I

• 120 hours of direct client contact (≥ 65 on a school campus)
• 180 hours of indirect client contact
• Site Observation by program faculty

COUN 6370: Counseling Internship II

• 120 hours of direct client contact (≥ 65 on a school campus)
• 180 hours of indirect client contact
• Site Observation by program faculty

Blackboard Student Info Hub: Practicum Handbook
https://mycourses.utrgv.edu/

In order to be endorsed by the program faculty for school counseling certification in the state of Texas, students must complete the following requirements:

• Score of ≥ 80% on the TExES Representative Exam administered in COUN 6344 School Counseling
• Successful completion of COUN 6344 School Counseling
• ≥ 160 direct contact hours on a school campus
• 3 Site observations by program faculty totaling 135 minutes

• All students are provided with a copy of the UTRGV Department of Counseling Student Handbook during the New Student Orientation
• The Student Handbook is always available to students on the Department of Counseling Student Information Hub on Blackboard.

Blackboard Student Info Hub: Student Handbook
https://tinyurl.com/y9l2f99v