Prospective Students
Our admission process begins when we receive your application through the School of Graduate Studies. In order to be considered for admission for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate program you must submit your online application to Graduate Studies.
Degree Map
Clinical Mental Health Program Degree Maps
GRE test scores
The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program does not require the GRE for admission.
Goal Statement (Letter of Intent)
- A brief explanation of why you want a career in mental health.
- Explain what sparked your interest in the discipline of Clinical Mental Health Counseling and/or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPC/LPCC)
- A narrative of how your personality, motivations, and experiences all come together to make you a great candidate for the CMHC program at St. Cloud State.
- Short-term and long-term goals. What do you plan to do with your degree and how will the degree help you achieve your career goals.
- Strengths you would bring to the CMHC program at St. Cloud State.
Letters of Recommendation
You will submit your recommendation letters using the links in your online application with Graduate Studies.
We prefer you seek recommendation letters from:
- Licensed Mental Health Provider (LPC, LPCC, LMFT, LP, LICSW)
- Speaks to your motivation and potential for success in the career.
- University Instructor
- Speaks to your aptitude to perform graduate level work.
- Supervisor who could speak to:
- Speaks to your ability to relate to others, capacity for collaborative work, maturity, emotional stability, attitudes toward supervision, maturity, problem-solving skills, capacity for leadership, self-discipline, and integrity.
Interview
Applicants who meet the program’s minimum requirements will be invited for an interview.
This will be a group interview, where groups of 6-8 applicants meet with faculty members and current students. The interviewers will pose a series of questions to the group, varying the order of those who answer, with each applicant being given time to formulate an answer to the questions posed.
Following the interview, applicants will meet with current students for a question–and–answer seminar where applicants can ask current students about such things as their experiences as graduate students, program expectations, etc.
Applicants are then invited to join the current students on a tour of the St. Cloud State campus. Generally the entire interview process lasts from 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and applicants must be in attendance for the entire process. There are no make-up interview dates.
To prepare, you can work on your stress management and your presentation skills. It is equally important to be able to speak about your experiences and goals as it is to have them documented in your application.
After the interview
Faculty discuss the results of the interview, share their impressions of each applicant on an individual-by–individual basis.
Admission Decision
We will contact you about our admission decision with one of three designations:
Admission – The faculty would like to invite you to be a part of the 18 member CMHC cohort.
Waitlist – The faculty would like to invite you to be a part of the program, yet we are limited in how many students we can accept per accreditation. Once admission candidates have made their decisions (by April 17) the program director will notify you of two options:
- Guaranteed admission the following academic year
- Possibility of enrolling part-time
Non-Admission- The faculty will recommend that you obtain experience (paid or volunteer) in the area of interest and re-apply for the following year.
Overall, we believe in being transparent with the admission process because we want applicants to recognize the rigor in bringing new students into the program.
This is an important part of the gatekeeping function of faculty in the counseling profession: We must ensure that graduates are fully capable of fulfilling the duties of a professional counselor (academically, professionally, and personally/interpersonally and that evaluation process begins during the application process).