DCLSC-MS - Clinical School Counseling, MS

Admission to a graduate program is evaluated by both the Graduate School and the department offering the program and both sets of standards and admission procedures must be met for admission to a degree program.

Application Packet Deadlines for Program Admission can be found at the Degree Program Requirement and Deadlines page.

Graduate School Admission

Admission Standards for Graduate School Admission can be found under the Requirements for Admission to the Graduate School on the Graduate School Admissions page.

Admission Procedures

There are two steps to apply for admission to a graduate program.

1. Primary application (https://www.applytexas.org/)

2. Supplemental program application (https://laserfiche.untdallas.edu/Forms/Graduate_Application) which allows uploading of the following supplemental admission requirements:  

• Letters of recommendation (3) from professional or academic references

• Essay – addressing prompt(s)

3. Additional program requirements:

• Valid Teaching Certificate (if applicable)

• Teacher Service Record (if applicable)

• A signed copy of the Acknowledgement of the Requirements for School Counseling Certification in Texas, for candidates without teaching experience (if applicable)

4. Nonrefundable Texas Education Agency technology fee (if offered admission), paid to TEA

5. An individual interview with UNT Dallas graduate Counseling faculty may be required at any of the levels of the holistic applicant review process described below in the Admission Standards section.  The purpose of the individual interview is:

• To assess personal qualities useful for graduate and eventual professional work as a counselor;

• To clarify questions and/or concerns that the committee may have about an applicant's admission materials; and,

• To determine whether the applicant's professional goals are in alignment with the objectives of the program.

To be fully admitted to the school counseling program, the applicant must meet all university program requirements as well as admission requirements specified by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in 19 Texas Administrative Code 227.

The Counseling Admissions Committee will consider all applications through a holistic review process.  After reviewing the pool of applicants, the admissions committee will invite qualified applicants for the required (group) interview.  Applicants invited for the (group) interview will be given specific guidelines for the process. 

*Note: In the State of Texas, applicants must have two years of teaching experience as a certified teacher before they can be eligible for certification as a school counselor.  Effective September 1, 2023, teaching experience is no longer required for certification. 

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all required documentation is received by UNT Dallas by the application deadline (not postmarked).

Dates and deadlines:  https://www.untdallas.edu/gradschool/degree-program-reqs.php

Clinical School Counseling Admission

Admission Standards

• Applicants must have a 3.0 or better GPA on the last 60 undergraduate semester hours of work prior to receiving the bachelor’s degree, or a 2.8 GPA on all undergraduate work toward the bachelor’s degree, to be considered for unconditional admission to graduate studies at UNT Dallas. Applicants who have already completed a master’s degree must have at least a 3.4 GPA on the master’s or meet the undergraduate GPA standards.

• Letters of recommendation should be submitted by professional or academic references and should attest to the applicant's work experience or academic performance and potential.

• Successful applicants are invited to participate in a required, in-person group interview. Applicants invited to the group interview will additionally be required to complete Writing Sample II, an additional, in-person essay component.

• All students granted admission to the master’s program are required to enroll in both COUN 5710 - Counseling Theories and COUN 5680 - Basic Counseling Skills. during the first term/semester of enrollment in graduate school and must receive a grade of B or higher in these two courses. The student's progress is evaluated based on the demonstration of adequate subject matter knowledge and the personal and interpersonal skills required for counseling.

• Throughout the program the student will be routinely evaluated on the criteria of knowledge, personal and interpersonal skills and counseling skills to determine if progress is adequate, if remedial work is needed, or if the student should be withdrawn from the program.

• This degree requires a passing score on the comprehensive examination administered during the student’s internship.

NOTE:  Graduate students apply for and are accepted into specific programs. Students who wish to change from one program to another must meet all admission requirements for the new program.