Application Process for School Counseling Program
Butler is eager to receive applications from educators, behavioral health professionals, and other persons having earned the minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Application for admission to the School Counseling program must be completed online through the Office of Admission. Formal admission must be granted in writing by the Office of Admission.
Application Timeline
- Applications may be submitted any time after the start of the fall semester. The process of reviewing applications and scheduling interviews begins each January.
- Personal interviews are scheduled after complete applications—including test scores, if required—are received by the College of Education’s Office of Graduate Studies.
- The selection process begins on February 1 and continues until the cohort is filled. A cohort consists of 24 members and begins each fall.
2023–2024 Academic Year
- August 21, 2023: Orientation
- August 28, 2023: First day of classes
Classes meet on Mondays starting at 4:30 PM.
The application process involves:
1. Apply for Admission
Applications are available online.
An official transcript for all colleges or universities previously attended must be mailed directly from the issuing institution. The institution must be a regionally accredited college or university, and the transcript must indicate the date the bachelor’s degree was conferred. International students must hold a degree from an institution recognized by the government or educational ministry within the country.
- Candidate must offer two individuals who will provide recommendations. Recommenders will receive an email with instructions for submitting their letter of recommendation.
- Submit a professional statement.
- Submit a resume.
- Submit official transcripts or copies of official transcripts from all colleges and universities where candidates:
- Earned a degree
- Earned more than 15 credits (undergraduate and graduate)
- Completed any program prerequisite (regardless of number of credit hours)
- Completed courses for which candidates are applying for transfer credit
Transcripts
Copies of official transcripts may be uploaded in the online application for application review only. Applicants who receive an offer of admission will be required at that time to submit official final transcripts issued directly from the institution(s) for verification prior to enrollment. More information is available in the application for admission.
2. Interview
The College of Education contacts each prospective student for an interview once his/her application is complete. During the interview the candidate must present evidence of how the applicant demonstrates the Core Values of the College of Education.
The two letters of recommendation are to be written by counseling, educational or behavioral health professionals whenever possible. Writers of recommendations are encouraged to address how the applicant exemplifies the following College of Education dispositions or attitudes listed below. (It is not necessary to address all eight.)
- Displays appropriate level of professional behavior
- Takes responsibility for one’s own behavior
- Shows an appreciation of diversity and similarity
- Shows caring, concern, and patience
- Demonstrates appropriate professional ethics
- Shows an appreciation for knowledge and skill in the profession
- Shows appropriate engagement with the teaching, learning, and mentoring process
- Demonstrates the ability to collaborate with others
The candidate is encouraged to submit a professional statement that exemplifies each of the College of Education’s Commitments:
- Pursue a Just and Equitable Society. We aspire to embody and enact anti-racist and identity-affirming teaching, scholarship, and professional practices. This means providing maximum access and opportunities to notice, name, and interrogate our own practices and those of others. We commit to dismantling systems and policies which have historically been used to marginalize and which persist in denying full educational access to all learners. Simultaneously, we uphold, strengthen, and create systems and policies that promote just and inclusive practices.
- Learn from, Contribute to, and Apply Theory and Research. We work to integrate theory and research to inform, interrogate, and renew our professional practices. We are intentional and transparent in engaging with research to assess what is working within our practices while also challenging who we are and changing our practices to interrupt inequitable systems for all learners. Using the research we create and seek, we confront what is difficult in our individual and collective work to transform ourselves and impact communities.
- Embody Inclusive and Responsive Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring. We demonstrate transparency in the ongoing and intentional development of our professional identities through self-examination and self-transformation. We are engaged and active contributors to our professional practice through collaboration and solution-focused advocacy. We commit to keeping our teaching practices relevant and engaging for all students across all identities. Our teaching and mentoring must reflect what we hope to see revealed in our students’ professional practices.
In addition to the items listed above, international applicants must submit the items listed below:
- Academic records (transcripts) in their original language along with an official English translation.
- Official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) indicating a score of 550 or above (79 if taking the computerized TOEFL), unless their native language is English or they have already received a baccalaureate or equivalent degree from a regionally accredited university in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada (excluding French Quebec), English-speaking Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. This requirement is waived for students who successfully complete level five of English instruction at the American Language Academy on the Butler campus.
- Proof of financial support for educational and living expenses while at Butler University. The documents required are official bank statements and affidavits of support from all sponsors. Visa documents will not be issued until the university is assured that the annual costs can be met.
- A clear copy of your passport
Applicants desiring to appeal an admission decision must submit a letter outlining the basis for their appeal to the College of Education Graduate Committee.