Master's Degrees Admission Process and Requirements
The Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology offers a Master of Arts degree program in school counseling or a Master of Science degree program in clinical mental health counseling, with the option to specialize in addictions counseling or child and adolescent counseling.
Prerequisites for admission
Applicants to all graduate programs in the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology should have graduated with, or be about to graduate with, a bachelor's or a master's degree from an accredited institution appropriate to their chosen field of graduate study. Experience in human service (field work, or service learning, or volunteer or employment) is helpful.
Admission Process
For more information on the application and admission process for the online Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, please visit that program's How to Apply page.
Admission applications that are incomplete or received after the deadline will not be reviewed. To ensure your file is complete and on time, please contact the Graduate School at 414-288-7137 or email at gradadmit@marquette.edu.
- Master's admission applications due to the Graduate School: Saturday, February 1, 2025
- Master's virtual interviews (approximately 8am-4pm CST): Friday, February 28, 2025
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Materials to be submitted for application
All of the following materials must be submitted to the Graduate School by the appropriate deadline.
- Graduate School application form and application fee
- Transcripts.
- If coursework was completed within the United States, submit copies of all current and previous college/universities except Marquette.
- If coursework was completed outside of the United States, a transcript evaluation is required. A copy of a course-by-course evaluation is approved for the application process.
- Test scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test are normally required, not the GRE subject test (psychology). Please see the GRE website for score reporting schedules. NOTE: The GRE is optional for 2024-2025.
- A statement of purpose. Please use the guidelines listed on the Marquette Graduate School webpage on drafting a SOP.
- Resume or Vita.
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can address one's academic and professional potential.
- International applicants only must submit a TOEFL score or other acceptable proof of English proficiency.
For further application information, please contact the Graduate School at 414-288-7137, find Marquette's admissions materials online or email Coreen Bukowski, academic coordinator.
After all applications are reviewed, the highest-ranking applicants will be contacted for an interview, which is required for admission. International applicants and others for whom the timeline/CST wouldn't be conducive can request to interview over the phone on a mutually agreed date/time prior to the listed interview date. Master's interviews will be held virtually via TEAMS periodically all day (8am-4pm CST) on Friday, February 28, 2025.
Applicant evaluation by departmental faculty
Department faculty comprehensively review applicant files, emphasizing all aspects of applicants' backgrounds. Our assessments of potential for graduate study and success in the field are based on all components of the application, and we do not use cutoff scores with regard to previous grades or test scores. The previous median GRE combined test score of our recent master's in counseling students was 303, and the median undergraduate GPA was 3.5. The median score on the GRE writing assessment for master's students was 4.5. The faculty admits students with lower test scores or grades when there are significant compensating factors that are important for determining success in the field. If relevant, applicants should highlight these factors in their Statement of Purpose.
Those applicants who are judged to show good potential for graduate study in our department are then invited for an interview with the departmental faculty and a group of current graduate students. After the interviews have been completed, faculty review each application and make a decision about admission to the program.
Tuition and financial aid information
Tuition for a graduate education student can be found on the Graduate School tuition page. This level of tuition is fairly competitive with other institutions.
Most of the scholarships and assistantships that we offer go to doctoral students, but occasionally there are assistantships given to master’s students. Master’s students who are primary and secondary school teachers in southeastern Wisconsin are eligible for two scholarship opportunities: the Milwaukee Area Teachers Scholarship, which provides scholarships for K-12 teachers from the greater Milwaukee area, and the Catholic Schools Scholarship, which covers part of the tuition for students employed by Archdiocese of Milwaukee schools. These scholarships are available only to students enrolled at Marquette. More information is available at the Graduate School's financial aid page.
We will not know the number of assistantships available to next year's students until our admissions offers are sent out during the middle of the spring semester.
You are welcome to visit the department to find out more about our programs. We are located in room 146 of the Walter Schroeder Health and Education Complex, 560 N. 16th Street. See our campus map we are building number 29. Please contact Coreen via email or 414-288-5730 to let us know you are interested in visiting or would like someone to contact you. Contact the Graduate School to schedule a campus visit/tour.
Marquette's Graduate School also holds a fall open house. Stay tuned for more information.
We look forward to meeting you!
