Student Handbook
The Master of Arts in Counseling program at EMU strives to achieve the highest standards of professional excellence in providing psychologically and spiritually grounded training for counselors. We seek to create a community atmosphere within the program, a community bold with creative ideas and open with honesty, partnering in the inner work counselor training requires.
Admission To Candidacy
When students have been admitted to graduate study and enter upon their graduate work, they are not yet candidates for a degree. Before they proceed too far it is necessary for the faculty to decide whether they are acceptable students and suitable candidates for degrees. This is the point in the student’s graduate career known as “Admission to Candidacy.”
The student should normally have met all requirements for admission to candidacy upon completion of one year, or 30 graduate credits, in residence. Admission to candidacy is required for work in the program beyond 36 semester hours, and is a prerequisite to enrolling for internship credit or the second year counselor formation courses.
To be admitted to candidacy the student must have completed 30 semester hours in the counseling program with a 2.50 minimum GPA, obtained satisfactory practicum references, met the competency assessment criteria, actively participated in the advising process and met all first year advising objectives, and obtained the formal approval of the faculty of the Master of Arts in Counseling program.
Students are reviewed for admission to candidacy during the semester in which they are expected to meet the requirements. For full-time students this would normally be toward the end of their second semester.
A student who completes 30 hours of graduate work in counseling with a 2.50 minimum GPA, but is not admitted to candidacy (or chooses not to continue into internship), is eligible to receive a Certificate in Counseling.
A student must complete the Master of Arts in Counseling degree within three years after admission to candidacy.
The admission to candidacy review is the first opportunity for the faculty to give the student a formal evaluation using the Counselor Formation Assessment Scale (CFAS) LINK FOR WEB] Feedback from the individual site supervisor and the faculty group supervisor are very important sources of information in this evaluation. The faculty and staff assessment of class performance and relationships with peers is also used in completing the CFAS evaluation.
A student must obtain an average of 3.0 on the CFAS to be admitted to candidacy. If a student does not meet the criteria for admission to candidacy the faculty may, at their discretion, propose a timetable for remedial work prior to admission to candidacy. Any remedial work, and full admission to candidacy must be obtained before the student can begin an internship assignment.
Admission to Candidacy Procedures
The following schedule applies to students completing the admission to candidacy process during the spring semester. In the less typical case of someone ready for admission to candidacy during some other time period, the following procedures should still be followed in the order given, with a timetable agreed upon by the student and advisor.
- After the spring semester advising session, the department administrative assistant will identify students who are projected to have completed requirements for admission to candidacy by the end of the academic year in June. Each student will be given a written summary of the goals and procedures of the admission to candidacy process.
- Students will indicate their intent to seek admission to candidacy by submitting any requested materials to the department administrative assistant. This typically includes a statement of personal and professional development goals.
- The department administrative assistant will give a copy of submitted materials to the student’s advisor, and schedule time during faculty meeting for an initial review of potential issues that the faculty should be aware of in working with the student toward admission to candidacy.
- The advisor will request additional advising sessions as needed for the admission to candidacy process.
- The department administrative assistant will make sure that the advisor and small group supervisor receive a copy of the practicum evaluation.
- Following receipt of the practicum evaluation, the advisor will lead the faculty in reviewing the student’s academic performance, practicum ratings, advising history, and any other materials deemed pertinent to the decision to admit to candidacy.
- At this time the faculty will either move to admit to candidacy, to admit to candidacy provisional on satisfactory completion of requirements, to require further work or documentation of work prior to admission to candidacy, or warn the student of potential denial of admission to candidacy.
- The student will be advised by the advisor, in writing, of positive action taken. In the case of a deferred decision or likely denial of admission, the faculty will devise further review and decision processes as seem appropriate, and the student will be advised by the advisor and director, in writing, of such processes.
- Upon completion of the required work, a final letter of admission to candidacy, or denial of admission to candidacy, will be written by each advisor. The original will be sent to the students and a copy attached to the practicum evaluation, application and goals. Students denied admission to candidacy are eligible to apply for a Certificate in Counseling. Such a request will be reviewed by the faculty and director for approval.
Exceptions to these procedures must be approved by action of the faculty, with rationale recorded in the student’s records.
