Educational psychology—CSPP track admissions information and application materials

Deadline

All application materials must be received by CSPP and the Graduate School Office of Admissions by December 1 for admission in September of the following year. Complete review is guaranteed only for applications received by this deadline.

If you are already a University of Minnesota Graduate School student in another department or track, you must fill out a Change of Status/Readmission Application [.pdf] in place of the Graduate School application. In addition, please complete the CSPP Change of Status Application.

The application requirements and deadlines are different for the school counseling licensure-only program (K-12).

Application instructions

____ Complete and submit Graduate School application (Apply Yourself) online by following instructions provided below and on the Graduate School Web site.

____ Write Personal Statement using CSPP-specific essay instructions provided below, upload statement to Apply Yourself.

____ Complete Graduate Program Additional Application (link provided below), upload to Apply Yourself.

____ Send official GRE score to the Graduate School using institution code 6874.

____ Mail all transcripts to Graduate School.

____ If applicable, send official TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB scores to the Graduate School (for more information about these tests, see the Graduate School Web site.

____ Mail copy of unofficial GRE score (and, if applicable your unofficial TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB score) to CSPP.

____ Mail all transcripts to CSPP, unofficial transcripts accepted.

____ Submit three letters of recommendation, mail to CSPP or submit electronically via Apply Yourself.

Applications to the CSPP program at the University of Minnesota must be submitted online using the Graduate School Web application, Apply Yourself. When beginning your application using Apply Yourself, indicate “Ed Psych-Counseling and Personnel-MA,” “Ed Psych-Counseling and Personnel-PhD,” or “Ed Psych-Counseling-Spec Cert” as your proposed major and degree objective.

Please follow the instructions provided within Apply Yourself and note the CSPP-specific requirements as described below. Please note that while most materials will be submitted online, some materials must be mailed to CSPP. Please read all instructions to ensure that your application materials are complete and submitted online and/or received by mail on or before the December 1 deadline.

Statements

The following instructions apply to the Statements section of the Apply Yourself application.

When creating a Personal Statement, applicants to CSPP must create an essay addressing the following CSPP-specific items rather than using the instructions provided on the Apply Yourself Web site.

This statement should outline your interests and professional goals. This statement is an integral part of your application. Please include the following: How did you become interested in this profession? Discuss your motives for pursuing this profession. What do you consider to be your strengths (specific skills, talents, aptitudes)? What do you consider to be your weaknesses? What aspects of or specific issues in counseling interest you most? What kinds of work do you see yourself doing five years after you complete your degree? Please describe briefly any participation in research, counseling activities, or employment which might be relevant to your application. What specific factors have led you to apply to Minnesota for this specialization? Discuss your expectations of this graduate program.

The statement is a very important source of information about who you are and what your goals and motivations are. It is also an example of your communication skills and organizational abilities. Take care to answer the questions posed above, but write the statement like an essay.

Submitting the Extenuating Circumstances and Diversity statements in Apply Yourself is optional, however, you are encouraged to complete either or both statements (per the instructions provided in Apply Yourself) if you feel that submitting such essays will add important information to your application.

Graduate program supplementary information

These instructions pertain to the Graduate Program Supplementary Information section of the Apply Yourself application.

Graduate Program Addition Application: All applicants must complete the Graduate Program Additional Application [.doc] and upload this form to the Apply Yourself site. Please keep the completed form to a single page.

Writing Sample: Uploading a writing sample in this section is optional.

Description of Research or Work Experience: Uploading a description in this section is optional.

Resume’ or CV: Uploading a detailed resume’ or curriculum vitae (CV) is strongly encouraged. Please include past professional, academic, and volunteer experiences as they relate to your work in the fields of psychology, counseling, education, and research.

Other Information: It is not necessary to include any additional information in this section.

Test scores

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing) is required of all applicants for admission and must have been taken within five years of the application date. An official score report must be sent to the University of Minnesota Graduate School, institution code 6874.

To make arrangements to take the GRE, contact your nearest college or university counseling/testing center or contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Graduate Record Examination, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton NJ 08541-6000 or 1-866-473-4373.

The University Counseling and Consulting Service Testing Center provides test administration, scoring, and score reporting services to the University and surrounding community. The Computer-Based Testing Center on campus administers the GRE General and TOEFL examinations.

The TOEFL, MELAB, or IELTS English language test is required for some international applicants. For more information about the TOEFL, MELAB, and IELTS tests, please see the Graduate School Web site.

Official score reports from the GRE and (if applicable) the TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB must be sent to the Graduate School. It may take several weeks for official score reports to reach the University. Be sure to take any required exams well in advance of the December 1 deadline to ensure that your score will be received prior to the deadline. Unofficial score reports or photocopies of official score reports from the GRE and (if applicable) TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB must be submitted directly to CSPP via postal mail, preferably along with any other application materials sent directly to CSPP.

Transcripts

All applicants, including current students and graduates of the University of Minnesota, must submit transcripts from all colleges and universities the applicant has attended. The applicant is responsible to submit applications to the Graduate School, per the requirements outline in Graduate School admissions policy.

Applicants must also mail transcripts reflecting all undergraduate and graduate work directly to CSPP. Unofficial transcripts (photocopies or copies issued directly to students) are acceptable. If possible, please send transcripts along with any other application materials sent directly to CSPP.

CSPP will not be responsible for forwarding copies of your transcript(s) to the Graduate School, nor will the Graduate School notify us if they have received additional copies of your materials.

Letters of recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. Using the Recommendations link within Apply Yourself, fill in the names of three endorsers of your choice. Complete the information requested and indicate whether the endorsers will submit the recommendation form and letter online or via postal mail. If an endorser will mail their letter to CSPP, the applicant will print the required forms from the Apply Yourself site and distribute them to the endorsers.

Letters that are not submitted online must be mailed to CSPP. These letters may be mailed directly from the endorser to the CSPP program or sent to the applicant first in a sealed envelope with the endorser’s signature across the seal. In either case, be sure that your endorsers are aware of the application deadline.

Additional Graduate School/Apply Yourself application information

The Graduate School has a frequently asked questions page for additional information about the application process, transcript requirements, financial aid, etc. Questions regarding the Graduate School application should be directed to the Graduate School Office of Admissions at 612-625-3014.

Graduate School diversity statement
The Graduate School and Educational Psychology Department embrace the University of Minnesota’s position that promoting and supporting diversity among the student body is central to the academic mission of the University. A diverse student body enriches graduate education by providing a multiplicity of views and perspectives that enhance research, teaching, and the development of new knowledge. A diverse mix of students promotes respect for, and opportunities to learn from, others with the broad range of backgrounds and experiences that constitute modern society. Higher education trains the next generation of leaders of academia and society in general, and such opportunities for leadership should be accessible to all members of society. The Graduate School and its constituent graduate programs are therefore committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities through recruitment, admission, and support programs that promote diversity, foster successful academic experiences, and cultivate the leaders of the next generation.

Additional CSPP application information

CSPP has a frequently asked questions page for additional information about the application process, the program, financial aid, etc. Questions about the CSPP application process can also be directed to the CSPP administrative assistant at 612-624-0590 or to the CSPP program office at 612-624-6827.

Once materials are submitted to the University, they are not returned to applicants. This means that should you not be accepted for admission, transcripts, letters of recommendation, test profiles, and other materials will not be returned to you. Neither can we favorably act on requests to copy materials and send them to other institutions or other programs at the University of Minnesota. Provided that you have not waived your rights, you may request to see these materials.

Please note that Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology does not admit part-time students.

All application materials must be received by December 1 for admission in September of the following year. Materials can get lost in the mail. It is a good idea to make copies of your correspondence and applications. It is your responsibility to ensure that your materials arrive by the deadline.

Applications lacking required materials may not receive full consideration in the admissions process. Incomplete files and late applications may be reviewed, but complete evaluation is guaranteed only for materials received by the December 1 deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to check with the program, preferably by email (cspp-adm@umn.edu) to see if the application is complete and ready for review.

Expectations regarding student self-disclosure while enrolled in CSPP

The practice of counseling requires significant self-disclosure and personal introspection for the person receiving counseling. Counseling students must become very familiar and comfortable working with the process of individual self-disclosure and introspection. Therefore, it is an essential training component of the CSPP program to provide assignments and classroom experiences that call for students (i.e., counselors-in-training) to self-disclose and personally introspect about personal life experiences to an extent not expected in their academic disciplines. As such, the CSPP faculty is committed to and expects an atmosphere of respect and confidentiality among our students.

These expectations are in accordance with the American Psychological Association (APA) whose comments regarding the ethics of requiring self-disclosure in an academic program are as follows: Psychologists do not require students or supervisees to disclose personal information in course- or program-related activities, either orally or in writing, regarding sexual history, history of abuse and neglect, psychological treatment, and relationships with parents, peers, and spouses or significant others except if (1) the program or training facility has clearly identified this requirement in its admissions and program materials or (2) the information is necessary to evaluate or obtain assistance for students whose personal problems could reasonably be judged to be preventing them from performing their training- or professionally-related activities in a competent manner or posing a threat to the students or others. (APA, 2002, 7.04).

Because (1) and (2) above apply to our program, we require self-disclosure in our academic program. In summary, we require that our students be willing to engage in self-examination (i.e., to disclose personal information in an academic context), and to learn to interact in an ethical and facilitative manner with individuals who are both culturally similar as well as different from themselves, in terms of both demographics and values.

This statement has been adapted from the following other universities and/or Counseling Psychology Program statements: Auburn University, Miami University, University of Missouri-Columbia, and the University of North Dakota.

Mailing instructions to CSPP

All materials such as unofficial GRE scores, transcripts, and (non-electronically submitted) letters of recommendation must be mailed to:

Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology
Department of Educational Psychology
250 Education Sciences Building
56 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Please note that an additional copy of all transcripts as well as official score reports must be sent separately to the Graduate School. See instructions above and the Graduate School Web site for details.

August 2008