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Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. Program Admissions Information

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MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Doctoral program admission requirements include a master's degree in Counselor Education or a closely related field, including a counseling practicum and internship experience. Applicants with degrees in other counseling fields (i.e., Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling Psychology) are considered but may be required to complete the CACREP master's degree core courses that were not included in their degrees.
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA in the master's program
  • Applicants with at least two years of post-masters counseling experience are given the strongest consideration.
  • Have career goals consistent with the degree offered by the Counselor Education program
  • TOEFL / IELTS  (For all non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents). Learn more about testing requirements.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Semester  Deadline
Fall   April 1

Note: We strongly encourage applications to be submitted by November 1, for full funding consideration. But we will and do consider applications that come in after that date.

Note: Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, contact the executive director for Equity and Access at (540) 231-8771 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061. 

Application Checklist

Transcripts

Include a scanned copy of your official transcripts with your online application, then arrange for an official copy to be sent to both Graduate Admissions and School of Education after you receive an offer of admission.

Graduate School Testing Requirements

The GREs are not required for admission to the Counselor Education and Supervision (Ph.D. in Counselor Education). If you wish to submit scores, please have the testing agency send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for Counselor Education and Supervision (Ph.D. in Counselor Education). You can include references/recommendations email addresses in your online application.

Curriculum Vitae/Resume and Short Answer Questions

Please submit your latest Curriculum Vitae/Resume.

Your answers to 5 Short Answer Questions is required by the program

Short Answer Guidelines:   In a separate document, please answer each of the following questions, restating the question at the beginning of your response. The faculty expects your responses to be composed entirely by you, without editing or review by others. Please make sure your name appears on the sheet before uploading the file, and limit your responses to no more than 250 words per question. The Graduate School application widget will allow the upload of a PDF or Word document into a your application record.

  • Describe your personal strengths in working with people and organizations.
  • Describe your limitations or challenges in working with people and organizations.
  • Please give evidence of your commitment to complete a master's program. (This may include how you have planned for personal, financial, family, and work commitments).
  • List professional organizations to which you belong, and briefly describe your involvment with each of them.
  • Please describe ANY criminal or civil legal action which has been taken against you in the past (or is still pending), and the resolution of that action (exclude traffic violations).

Interview with members of program faculty

As a part of the application, candidates are required to have an interview with members of the Counselor Education program faculty. If you are shortlisted, a faculty member will contact you by telephone or email to arrange an interview. 

Applying as an International Student

International students might be required to submit TOEFL scores, immigration documents, and other additional materials with their application. However, because this program is only offered on our Roanoke campus, we do not accept applications from international students for this master's program with a visa other than an F1 or J1.

The Graduate School requires that all non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents demonstrate English proficiency to ensure they enter the university with sufficient English skills necessary to function in a graduate program.

A TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test score is the most common way international applicants demonstrate English proficiency. We require a minimum TOEFL score of 90 (IBT) or an IELTS score of 6.5 for admission. Test scores should be sent to us using ETS institution code 5859. See this page if you qualify for an English language proficiency test waiver.

  • Prospective residential on-campus international students might be required to submit immigration documents and other additional materials with their application. Please consult with Graduate Student Immigration Services.

Additional Information/Supporting Material

Applicants are welcome to submit any additional information with application material that would be useful in the evaluation of your application.

Applying for Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

We offer some fully-funded graduate teaching assistantships for full-time enrollment in the program. A question on the application for graduate admission asks whether you want to be considered for a teaching assistantship. Check yes, as most of our students are fully funded.

Application Fees

Degree-seeking students must include a $75 fee with their application. If this poses a financial hardship, check with the Graduate School to see if you qualify for a waiver or reduced fee. All application fees are non-refundable.

To apply to the graduate program, students must submit the Virginia Tech Graduate School online application. 

 Send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.

There is a discount for in-state K-12 teachers; use this application form in order to receive the reduced costs. Otherwise, as with on-campus students, we refer you to the VT Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for information on financial assistance. Generally, distance learners may qualify for federal loans if they take 5 or more credit hours per semester.

Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.

The Graduate School sends an official offer of admission to applicants upon the recommendation of the department faculty.

After you have received your official offer of admission from the School of Education, please arrange with your institution(s) to send your official transcript(s) showing degree conferral to Graduate Admissions and to the School of Education at the addresses below:

To:
Virginia Tech Graduate Admissions
120 Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown
Mail Code 0325p 155 Otey Street NW
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061


To:
Virginia Tech School of Education
Office of Academic Programs

1750 Kraft Drive (0302)
Suite 2000
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

Office of Academic Programs Support

Kathy Tickle
Enrollment Services Specialist
1750 Kraft Drive (0302), #2065
540-231-9721
ktickle@vt.edu

Kathy Tickle
Enrollment Services Specialist
1750 Kraft Drive (0302), #2065
540-231-9721
ktickle@vt.edu

For Further Information, Contact the Program Leader:

Dr. Fullen smiles for the camera. He poses in the warm environment of the Inn at Virginia Tech
Matthew Fullen, Associate Professor and Program Leader, Counselor Education

Dr. Matthew Fullen

1750 Kraft Drive (0302), #2062
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-8652 | mfullen@vt.edu