Prospective Students
Applying to the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
Incoming Class of 2013 - Information Sessions for Prospective Applicants
- March 14, 2013: Education Building 1214/1216 (ED 1214/1216), C-5 on map
[Park in Lot B4, B5, or B6 ($6 at Kiosk)] - April 18, 2013: Education Building 1214/1216 (ED 1214/1216), C-5 on map
[Park in Lot B4, B5, or B6 ($6 at Kiosk)]
Both presentations will be 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Please note bold and underlined phrases.
Fall 2013 applications for the following programs are CLOSED: College Counseling/ Student Services; Marriage & Family Therapy; School Counseling.
Fall 2013 applications for the following programs are OPEN: Career Counseling; School Psychology; Early Childhood Education; Development, Learning, Instruction & Evaluation.
Applications will be accepted no later than June 7, 2013.
Applicants must submit both an electronic application and paper application for their file to be considered complete. All electronic and paper application materials for Fall 2013 ADMISSION must be received by the department no later than June 7, 2013.
** PLEASE NOTE: Applicants interested in applying for any of the OPEN programs listed above should have completed all prerequisites or be in-progress toward completing any missing prerequisite courses to be eligible for admission. For completed courses, be sure to submit transcript copies and Prerequisite Substitution Request forms (if applicable) with your departmental application. If you are currently enrolled in a course that is in-progress, please submit proof of enrollment with your departmental application packet. For additional information on prerequisite requirements, please review our Prospective Students page. Our list of Pre-Approved Prerequisite Course Substitutions can also be found on our website. For additional information, please contact Shannon Sexton, Graduate Admissions Advisor, via email at epcdept@csun.edu.
Applicant Resources
FOR FALL 2013 ADMISSION, all department and university application materials must be received no later than April 22, 2013 for application consideration.
This date supersedes any other dates that may be noted on any other web page or any other part of this web page. Failure to ensure that all of your application materials arrive by this date may result in your application being rejected. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all materials arrive in a timely manner.
The M.S. programs in Counseling do not have spring entry available.
These are cohorted programs with limited numbers due to specific accreditation standards involved with professional preparation requirements. Please apply by April 22, 2013 for the following programs: Career Counseling; School Psychology; Early Childhood Education; and Development, Learning, Instruction & Evaluation. Applications for the following programs are now CLOSED for Fall 2013: College Counseling/ Student Services; Marriage & Family Therapy; and School Counseling. Note: School Counseling and College Counseling programs start in the summer. All other programs start in the fall.
Potential applicants to our graduate programs are invited to apply during the January and February application period of each year for the following fall term. To be considered for admission,
- All application materials must be received by the Application Deadline.
- Students are only admitted for the fall semester (exception: DLI&E and ECE Programs).
- Students may only apply to one program in the department (other than the joint program in MFT with School Counseling Credential).
Please include the following checklist with your application.
This checklist is for organizational purposes only and is not exhaustive. It is your responsibility that all requirements for admission are met and all application materials received.
Please note that all paperwork submitted to the university becomes university property and will not be returned to the applicant for any reason, nor are we able to provide you with copies. This policy includes any material submitted to the university, including your departmental and university application, checklist, recommendation forms, letters, statement of purpose, transcripts, test results, and any supporting documents. Please make your own copy of application materials before submission or arrange to have additional copies of the supporting documents such as transcripts and letters sent to you from the originating institutions and individuals. Please note that there are no exceptions to this policy. Any requests for copies or for the return of application paperwork will be denied.
No applications will be considered unless all of the following has been received:
- Application for Admissions to the Educational Psychology and Counseling Department
- Two letters of reference of departmental recommendation forms
- Click here to download the departmental recommendation form. (.pdf)
- One program (School Psychology) require letters instead of this form; others will accept letters with the form. Check with your program.
- Application for Admission to the University.
- Submit online (click here), or
- Request paper copy from Admissions and Records, or
- Copies are available at all CSU admissions offices.
- If your cumulative undergraduate GPA is below 3.0, or you are applying to the School Psychology Program (regardless of GPA), a score for the
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- Call 677-2369 for test administration information.
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. It is your responsibility to ensure that these arrive by the Application Deadline including degree verification. A final transcript will also be required for students whose degrees are still in progress.
- Proof of a completed Bachelor's degree (from an accredited college or university)
- Transcript showing degree has been awarded (sent by the Application Deadline); or
- Most recent transcript, if you are currently an undergraduate (sent by the Application Deadline
- A second transcript, if you are currently an undergraduate, after your degree has been awarded. Even if you are accepted to the program, you will not be permitted to matriculate unless this second transcript is received. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the department application.
Individual programs have additional requirements, including completion of specific prerequisites. If there are any prerequisites that you have not fulfilled with CSUN courses, and wish to petition with alternatives, you must also submit
- Request for Pre-Requisite Substitution (.pdf), one form for each substitution;
- Acceptable alternatives from other University of California, California State University, and California Community College Campuses can be found on our Pre-approved Prerequisite Course list (web version | pdf).
In addition, an
- On-campus by-invitation-only interview
is required for admission. Note that because of the large number of applicants, not all applicants will be invited for interviews. You will be notified shortly after the Application Deadline of the final interview date and time after all of your application materials have been received. Since all candidates are interviewed together in a group setting, interview dates can not be rescheduled. Click here to view the current interview schedule (Subject to Change).
For further information, please check the following before contacting us:
- EPC Frequently Asked Questions
- EPC Student Handbook
- EPC Departmental application
- EPC Pre-Approved Course Substitutions (web version | pdf)
- CSUN Requirements for admission to graduate programs
- University Catalog
- CSUN Admissions and Records Office
After submission, please print out your responses to include them in your department application packet. Please refer to the Application checklist to verify all documents are correctly submitted with the department application. You may find the application checklist here (.pdf). In order for your application to be considered complete, please submit both an electronic application and paper application.
Don't forget that you must also submit a separate application for admission to the university (www.csumentor.edu), as described above, and submit all additional required documentation and paperwork.
If after reviewing these links, you have additional questions, please contact our Graduate Advisor, Shannon Sexton at epcdept@csun.edu or the department office at 818-677-2599.
