Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Chair: Heather Helm, Ph.D.
Location: McKee 248
Telephone: 970-351-2731
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/applied-psychology-counselor-education/
This program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
The master's degree in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling/Therapy is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). The degree prepares professionals for specialized work with couples and families and is focused on training in relationship, interpersonal interaction, and systems theory.
Program Requirements:
The prospective student must apply for admission to and be accepted by the program area faculty. Admission to the program requires a GPA of 3.0 or better, on a 4.00 point scale, from the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress. If the applicant's GPA is below 3.0, the Graduate Record Exam (General Test) score must be submitted. It is recommended that the applicant have a total score that meets or exceeds 1000 on the Verbal and Quantitative subtests, or 291 total on the new scoring scale, and a minimum of 3.5 on the Analytical Writing subtest. Attendance at a pre-admission workshop is required for this admission process to be completed. When attendance at the preadmission workshop is an extreme hardship for the applicant, special arrangements are made.
Acceptance is based on consideration of the following criteria:
- Clarity of career goals.
- Intellectual qualities.
- Professional judgment of appropriate personality characteristics as evidenced by a structured interview, interpersonal communication style and personal references.
Admission
Location: Greeley
Start Term: Fall and Summer
General Master's Degree Admission Requirements
Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling/Therapy M.A.
Admission Deadline
- Fall and Summer Admissions to Graduate School: Dec. 1
- Fall and Summer Admissions to Department: Dec. 1
- Applications are pre-screened by the department. Selected applicants are invited to pre-admission workshop where evaluation processes are involved.
- Fall and Summer starts offered
Admission Requirements
Applicants must apply to the Graduate School at the University of Northern Colorado before the program area reviews the applicant’s request for admission. Failure to submit all required materials will delay the evaluation and screening of your application.
Each applicant must:
- Possess a baccalaureate degree from an Institutionally Accredited college or university or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 scale) for the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress.
- If you are still completing your bachelor's degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA, and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.
- If you have completed a master's degree, or at least 18 credit hours towards a master's degree, the GPA of your master's work will be used.
Take the following steps to be considered for admission:
Step 1: Complete the Application
Complete the online application.
- Answer the application questions.
- Send your requests for letters of recommendation.
- Request three (3) academic or professional letters of recommendation from those who can attest to your academic potential and abilities. You will be asked to supply information for your recommenders in the application. Recommenders will be asked to complete an online reference form instead of being asked to upload a letter of recommendation.
- Submit the application and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- Domestic Students: $50 non-refundable application fee
- International Students: $50 non-refundable application fee
- The Graduate School is waiving application fees for all current UNC students and alumni! (The waiver applies only to the UNC Graduate School application.) Click for details.
Once you submit your application you will be assigned an Admissions Portal, allowing you to upload supplemental items, as listed below, and track your application through the admissions process.
Step 2: Request Transcripts
Request one official transcript from any Institutionally Accredited college or university where a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned or is in progress (if you have earned multiple degrees, bachelor’s level or higher, an official transcript is required from each college or university where a degree was conferred). If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Office of Admissions reserves the right to request that applicants provide official transcripts from other colleges or universities as needed. Applicants who have earned or are directly pursuing a higher degree from a regionally accredited institution without receiving a bachelor’s degree (e.g., PharmD) may be eligible to apply to the Graduate School without the conferral of a bachelor’s degree.
Exceptions: If an applicant intends to use Veteran’s Education Benefits, an official transcript from all colleges or universities attended will be required in order to maintain compliance with Veteran’s Affairs policies.
Official transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent via mail directly from the educational institution in an unopened, sealed envelope or through an electronically secure digital program from the issuing institution.
Mailed transcripts should be sent to:
University of Northern Colorado
Office of Admissions
Campus Box 10
501 20th St
Greeley, CO 80639
Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent directly from the educational institution to: grad.admissions@unco.edu.
The Office of Admissions does not accept email, scanned or PDF transcripts directly from applicants. All official transcripts, submitted as part of the application process, are retained by UNC and not returned to applicants or admitted students.
UNC retains submitted transcripts, from institutions other than UNC, for admitted students for up to five years after graduation or date of last attendance at UNC. Transcripts provided by applicants who were not admitted, denied admissions or did not complete their application are destroyed after one (1) year. The Office of Admissions will make every attempt to use previously submitted transcripts if they are within these timeframes. However, if the Office of Admissions cannot locate previously submitted transcripts, the transcripts fall outside the timeframes listed above or they are considered illegible, applicants must provide new transcripts.
Applicants with academic credentials from outside the U.S. will need to follow the requirements for submission of foreign transcripts. Click on the Transcripts tab for information about international transcripts.
Step 3: The GRE May Be Required
The GRE is required by the program if your cumulative GPA is below 3.0. If you need to take the GRE, official scores (less than five years old) are required. UNC's institutional code is 4074.
Required minimum scores:
- 140 Quantitative;
- 146 Verbal Reasoning;
- Combined score of at least 297;
- Analytical Writing 3.5
Please note, UNC does not accept GRE Subject Test scores.
Step 4: Supplemental Items
Log back into the Admissions Portal to submit the following:
Two years of work experience recommended and attendance of pre-admission workshop.
Once you apply to the UNC Graduate School and your application packet is complete, your application will be reviewed by the Graduate School and then sent to the faculty/program for an admission recommendation. The timing of the admission decision depends on each individual program’s deadline and review process.
International applicants (non-U.S. citizen/non-U.S. Permanent Resident) please refer to the International Admissions Requirements page for further information about submitting transcripts, English proficiency scores, passport copy and financial documentation.
For More Information
For more information about the admission process, please email the Office of Admissions at grad.admissions@unco.edu or call 970-351-2881.