Master of Science in Professional Counseling

1. Graduate application:  Submit a graduate application (with non-refundable fee of $40). Apply now
2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have your transcripts sent to the Graduate and Professional Studies office (gradtranscripts@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations:  Submit three letters of reference as part of the required recommendation forms (completed by work supervisors or professors). The forms will be distributed as part of the online application process.  ?
4. Statement: Submit a statement of purpose. View guidelines
5. Resumé:  Submit your current resumé through your Application Status Page.
6. Background check:  Successfully complete an approved background check. (Alternatively, verification may be submitted by your current employer.) Download Instructions
7. Criminal-Record Release and Declaration:  Submit the Criminal-Record Statement. Your signature on this form gives the School of Education and Psychology permission to retain your criminal-history record and affirms that you are not a registered sex-offender.  Download form
8. Personality test:  Complete a personality test, as required by the School of Education and Psychology.  Contact graduate programs manager, Mikhaile Spence, for information and instructions.
9. Interview:  After submitting items 1—8, schedule an interview with the faculty. Schedule Faculty Interview

Application deadlines

Term	U.S. Residents	International
Fall	June 1	April 1
Winter	October 1	September 1
Summer	April 1	Not applicable

International students

Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States are considered international students and must meet additional requirements for admission.

• View international-student admission requirements »

  1. All non-U.S. transcripts must be submitted through one of the following approved credential evaluation agencies:
     • SpanTran: use this link to send to Southern
     • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc (ECE): www.ece.org
     • World Education Services: www.wes.org
     Evaluations are to be sent directly to Southern, Graduate Studies, by the service. All evaluation reports are considered to be advisory. Southern reserves the right to make final equivalency decisions.
  2. Certification of English proficiency.
     See School specific requirements in the Graduate Catalog. Scores are valid for two years from the test date. Learn more at:
     • ets.org/toefl »
     • englishtest.duolingo.com/en »
  3. Submit Declaration of Finances.
     International students must have financial resources sufficient to support themselves for the calendar year, in addition to an international-student deposit of $3,000 (USD). Download Form

  • • To be issued an I-20 Form, students must also provide a letter from financial sponsors (including their name and address), as well as copies of bank statements for the last three months showing the balance history for the student's account or the financial sponsor's account.

International students who will be coming to Southern's campus need some additional information about travel documents and living on campus.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the International Student Services Coordinator at 423.236.2845 or internationals@southern.edu.

More Information

Is Counseling the Right Career Path for You?

Explore our counseling blog posts to learn about different career paths you can take with a Counseling degree and how to know whether earning an MS in Professional Counseling is right for you.

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