St. Cloud State University

Graduate Programs-College Counseling & Student Development

Candidacy and Proposed Program of Study ("Blue Forms")

Admission to graduate studies does not constitute candidacy for a degree. Rather, a student who has been admitted to graduate study is advanced to degree candidacy upon the recommendation of the College Counseling & Student Development faculty.

Advancement to degree candidacy requires that the candidate must:

1. Have completed between 12 and 24 semester hours of graduate study at St. Cloud State University with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.


2. Have submitted to their adviser one completed program form signed by the student.


3. Have clearly demonstrated the aptitude and ability to pursue graduate work and exhibited a commitment to College Counseling & Student Development as a profession.


4. Have demonstrated potential for a successful career in the field of College Counseling & Student Development.

Admission to degree candidacy is not an automatic process, but rather all program faculty approve the advancement to candidacy only after careful evaluation of all pertinent factors. Proposed program of study forms may be obtained from the department secretary, Room A-253 of the Education Building. Note that it is important to have blue program forms submitted before completing an internship placement request form. (See section on "Supervised Internship" above.)

Academic Review and Retention Policy

The College Counseling & Student Development program faculty meets regularly to discuss the progress of students in the program. The following elements are reviewed: Academic progress and promise; counseling skills acquisition and development; personality traits or personal issues that may be interfering with progress in the program; legal and ethical issues. In the event that there is faculty concern about a student regarding any of these areas a faculty member will meet with the student to discuss necessary remediation and steps to take toward improvement or to offer assistance to the student in finding a more suitable field of study. While there was preliminary evaluation of a prospective student's suitability for counseling at the time of admission, evaluation also occurs throughout a student's course of study. During the pre-practicum core courses evaluations are made by faculty as to whether students have developed the skills and personal characteristics necessary to proceed to practicum. During practicum regular evaluations are made by faculty to determine whether the student is prepared to proceed to internship or whether the practicum experience needs to be repeated or other assistance is necessary to continue in the program. During the internship, regular assessments are made by the site supervisor documenting the pre-professional progress and readiness for recommendation for graduation and licensure.