College of Education and Human Services - Western Illinois University

Admission to the Counselor Education Department involves application and acceptance by the WIU School of Graduate Studies, completion of a Counselor Education Department application packet, and participation in a screening interview.

**NOTE: Students must complete two separate application processes: The School of Graduate Studies application is to be completed on-line. The Counselor Education Department application materials can be found on the bottom of this page, printed, and then returned to the Counselor Education Department located at the WIU-QC campus.

**FOR SCHOOL COUNSELING APPLICANTS WHO ARE NOT TEACHER CERTIFIED, CONTACT THE COUNSELOR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR APPLICATION AND REFERENCE FORMS. DO NOT PRINT AND USE THESE FORMS FOUND ON THE WEBSITE.**

1. Applicants should apply to the School of Graduate Studies for admission to WIU. There is a $30 non-refundable fee required. See www.wiu.edu/grad/ and click on Apply Online. (This fee is sent to the Graduate Office - not the Counselor Education Department!)

Please apply to the School of Graduate Studies AT LEAST ONE MONTH prior to the CNED deadline. As a part of the Grad School application, you will be asked to request your transcripts which can take several weeks to be received by WIU. After the School of Graduate Studies processes your transcripts, they are then forwarded on to our Department and are a required part of your CNED application. Do NOT have your transcripts sent directly to the Counselor Education Department - they must be official transcripts sent directly to the Macomb campus.

2. Applicants should complete the Counselor Education Department application form and supply two letters of reference using the forms provided. There is also an essay required (directions for this are found on the second page of the application). We do Department screenings twice a year - spring and fall. The deadlines for materials to us are February 1 and September 1, respectively. It is the responsibility of the applicant to monitor the status of the receipt of all application materials to the Counselor Education Department by the above stated deadlines.

The Counselor Education Department has a GPA requirement of at least 2.75 cummulative or 3.0 Graduate or 2 year GPA.

3. Once the School of Graduate Studies has processed their application and the Department has received all of the appropriate materials, a screening interview with the Department Selection and Retention Committee will be scheduled. This committee determines admissibility. Screenings occur twice yearly.

4. Students must be screened prior to completing nine semester hours of counselor education courses at WIU.

The Selection and Retention Committee will assess the candidate in several areas. Of primary concern is whether the applicant will be comfortable and competent in academic endeavors. Second, a professional judgment about the applicant's personal awareness will be made. The counselor education curriculum requires students to be aware of their own affective and cognitive development and be willing to take risks and present themselves in an open manner. Third, the candidate's awareness of the needs of others and acceptance of human rights will be assessed. These personal characteristics are necessary for the student to be successful in the department.

Admission Packet

The following forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05 or higher. Click the graphic below to download the free application.

**PLEASE SEE NOTE ABOVE IF YOU ARE A SCHOOL COUNSELING APPLICANT WHO IS NOT TEACHER CERTIFIED**