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Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to graduate programs in the School of Psychology and Counseling, the following requirements apply.

  1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 on all undergraduate work, or a GPA of 3.0 on the last 64 hours of undergraduate or graduate work
  2. An acceptable score on the GRE (290/3.5) or the MAT (389)
  3. Three positive references from professors, faculty advisors, employers, and/or supervisors who have knowledge of an applicant’s personal characteristics and/or academic abilities
  4. A satisfactory Criminal Background Check for all states of residence for the past five years, along with a residence verification statement. The purpose of the criminal background check is to meet requirements of some field placement sites in which students learn and practice counseling methods. Criminal background histories obtained for employment purposes are not acceptable for admission to the counseling programs. Information received pertaining to criminal background histories will become part of the student’s confidential permanent academic file. Any conviction or pending criminal charges cited in the criminal history will be reviewed by the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies, the Vice President for Enrollment Management, and the Counseling Program graduate faculty. Any allegations or charges of misdemeanor(s) or felony(s) that occur after the Criminal Record Check has been submitted must be reported immediately to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and to the Dean of the School of Psychology and Counseling. Failure to report allegations of such charges may result in immediate dismissal from the program.
  5. A successful interview with faculty in the program

In addition to the requirements listed above, the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program requires applicants to have completed a minimum of 12 hours of psychology or related areas, to include psychopathology or abnormal psychology.  There are no prerequisite courses required for admission to the School Counseling Program.  However, two courses in the program have prerequisites that may be taken concurrently with graduate courses. An undergraduate course in abnormal psychology or psychopathology must be completed before taking the corresponding advanced-level course. Although teacher licensure is not required for admission to the School Counseling Program, applicants without teacher licensure will be required to complete an undergraduate prerequisite course in classroom management prior to the practicum. 

Policy for Admission of Non-Degree-Seeking or Transient Students in Counseling Programs

Students are admitted to the master’s programs in counseling in a selective manner within a cohort model. Students are thus provided an enhanced opportunity to develop professional clinical skills and relationships in a safe environment with their classmates. School of Psychology and Counseling (SPC) faculty regard limiting clinical experiences to its own students critical in maintaining the optimal environment for learning and protecting the intent of the cohort model. Therefore, the SPC has a policy and procedure regarding the admission of non-degree-seeking or transient students to courses within the School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs. The SPC rarely admits students outside the regular admission policy, and will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis. Admission to any course will be by permission of the instructor after consultation with other SPC faculty.

Students requesting admission to courses must meet the following requirements:

  1. Current enrollment in a college or university in a counseling program similar to those offered at Gardner-Webb University, or graduation from a CACREP accredited counseling program;
  2. Submission of an official transcript demonstrating being in good standing and with at least a 3.0 grade point average, or showing the degree conferred; and
  3. An application submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in the standard format, accompanied by a cover letter detailing the courses sought, the reasons they are desired from Gardner-Webb, and the reasons they cannot be taken at the individual’s home institution.

Those courses which Gardner-Webb University considers to be clinical courses cannot be taken by students who are not enrolled in the Gardner-Webb University counseling master’s degree programs. These include at least the following: CEDU 601, CEDU 602, CEDU 621, CEDU 625, CEDU 655, CEDU 670, CEDU 675, CEDU 690, CEDU 691, CEDU 692, CEDU 695, CEDU 696, and CEDU 699.