Master of Arts in Counseling Policies

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission into the Master of Arts in counseling program, the student must submit the following:

1. Verification of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions must be provided.
2. A current resume.
3. Two letters of reference.
4. A personal statement.
5. Interview with graduate Counseling faculty.
6. Act 34, 114, and 151 clearances

Students whose native language is not English must also submit an official report of TOEFL scores or other proof of competency in English.

Students seeking admission into the Master of Arts in counseling program may be admitted on a regular or conditional basis. The Graduate admissions committee will review the student’s educational background and work experience to determine the student’s admission status based on the following criteria:

1. Quality of the student’s academic record and educational background;
2. The nature and extent of the student’s work experience;
3. Involvement in community service activities.

Regularly admitted students are students who the graduate Counseling faculty determines have the preparation to successfully complete the program and have the intellectual, emotional, and social aptitude to develop into competent and ethical professional counselors.

Some students may be admitted to the program conditionally and permitted to enroll in a maximum of four courses (12 credits). Upon completion of the four courses and fulfillment of any specified conditions, the student’s record and admission criteria will be reviewed to determine the student’s potential for successfully completing the program. If the evaluation of all relevant admission criteria is positive, the student will be allowed to enroll in subsequent courses as a regularly admitted student to complete the Master of Arts in counseling program according to an individualized program of study developed in conjunction with his or her advisor.

Candidacy

After completing at least 24 credit hours, students will have to advance to the level of Master of Arts in Counseling Candidacy in order to continue in the program. An application for candidacy will be completed during the semester in which the student will complete 24 graduate credits. Each student applying for candidacy status will be evaluated on their academic record, character issues, current abilities, potential as counselors, and appropriate completion of the core courses in counseling. An interview may be required.

Graduate and Non-Degree Students

In certain circumstances, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling, students may be permitted to enroll in a maximum of two courses (6 credits) without completing the regular application process.

Integrated Undergraduate and Master of Arts Degree in Counseling

The Integrated Undergraduate and Master of Arts program allows students who have completed all undergraduate general education requirements and met other academic requirements to enroll in graduate Counseling courses during their senior year. For a complete description of this program, refer to Integrated Bachelor's Degree to Master of Arts.

Financial Aid

Financial aid information may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. Student loans are available to students taking a minimum of six semester hours. For the purposes of the Master of Arts in counseling program, a full-time student is considered to be anyone enrolled in a minimum of nine semester hours.

Degree Requirements

1. 60 semester hours of Counseling. All students must take 48 credit hours of core counseling with twelve additional hours elected from the various areas of concentration.
2. Candidates must complete 48 credits at Waynesburg University, unless special permission to transfer additional credits is granted by the Registrar.
3. Students must achieve a 3.0 academic average in order to graduate from the program. The receipt of a letter grade of C or lower will automatically be reviewed by the Graduate Committee.
4. All students must begin the Master of Arts in counseling program within one year of notification of admission. Anyone who does not meet this deadline will be removed from the files and will have to reapply to proceed.
5. Requirements for the Master of Arts in Counseling degree must be completed within seven (7) years from the registration of the first Master of Arts in counseling class.
6. Deactivation will occur if no registration activity is recorded two years after the last semester of enrollment. Anyone removed for this reason must reapply to continue in the program.

Grading

The grading scale for the Master of Arts in counseling program is available in the Program Guide.

Courses Repeated

A student may take any course for credit if he or she has met the prerequisites for the course and has not already taken the course and received a grade of B or better. When a course is repeated, both the first grade received and the grade earned in the repeated course remain a part of the permanent record; however, only the highest grade is used in computing the academic quotient. Additional credit is not given in cases where the original grade of the course repeated was C. A student who wishes to repeat a course must have the written permission of the director of graduate Counseling programs.

Incompletes

All courses will follow the current Waynesburg University Catalog, which states:

The mark “I” is given if the work of the course is satisfactory but not completed, and may be removed by completing the unfinished work. Under no consideration, however, is the mark, I, given to a student whose work has been below the passing grade C. Such student is given the grade F. Incompletes are not given except in the case of extenuating circumstances (such as serious illness or death in the family). The student is responsible for fi ling a Request for Incomplete Grade form available through the Registrar's Office. Incompletes must be made up in the first eight weeks of the term following the one in which the work reported incomplete is taken. An incomplete not made up will be changed to F.

Academic Progression

All graduate students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible to receive a Master’s Degree from Waynesburg University.

To remain in good standing and progress through the curriculum:

• All courses during the graduate curriculum must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
• A student may receive no more than one grade of C or lower during the curriculum.
• A student may repeat a course only once.
• The student’s cumulative GPA must be at least 3.00.

If the student receives a grade of C or lower, a letter of warning will be sent to remind the student of the academic progression policy and standards. Students’ academic performance will be reviewed at the end of each 16-week session.

If the student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.00, the student will be placed on probation, and must raise the GPA to 3.00 or higher by the completion of the next 6 credits. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if any of the following occur:

• The student receives more than one grade of C or lower.
• The student is unable to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher after completing the next 6 credits following a warning.
• The student is unable to successfully complete a course with a grade of B or higher after repeating the course one time.

Notification of Academic Status

Waynesburg University makes every effort to notify students of their academic status. A certified letter is mailed to each graduate student placed on suspension. Since communication by mail may be delayed or misdirected, it is the responsibility of every student to obtain this information. Non-receipt of a letter by a suspended student will not be considered grounds for claiming eligibility to enroll for a subsequent semester.

Chi Sigma Iota (CSI)

Chi Sigma Iota is the international honor and service society for Professional Counseling. Student must have completed one full semester of graduate work with a grade point average of 3.50 or better. The purpose of the Society is to promote service and learning opportunities for professional counselors. CSI is affiliated with the American Counseling Association.

Additional Note

All other policies and procedures outlined by the current Waynesburg University Catalog will be adhered to by the Master of Arts in Counseling program.