CES FAQs for Prospective Students

• For our the PhD program, all application materials must be submitted by February 1st of each year.
• Effective Fall 2026, the CES program will admit CMHC and SC students during the Fall and Spring Semesters only. Applications must be submitted by February 1st for a Fall start and by September 1st for a Spring start.
• NOTE: The university must process your application prior to the program receiving it. Please allow for ample time for processing of your application prior to the deadline. Delays in the program receiving materials may result in delayed interviews and term starts.

• Our formal in person interviews take place the second Friday in February for our PhD applicants
• For our master’s programs, our formal in-person interview process will take place the latter half of September and the latter half of February.
• Our faculty will contact applicants who are invited to interview.

After evaluating all required documents and the completion of the in-person interview, CES faculty hold a full faculty vote on admissions for incoming students for our PhD, Ed.S, and Master’s programs. These decisions are then shared with our Associate Dean who communicates decisions with applicants.

• Due to our CACREP accreditation, we are required to stay within specific faculty to student ratios for our programs. The numbers of students we are allowed to accept based on the accreditation standards shift each semester depending on several factors (e.g., number of applicants, number of graduates, number of core faculty, etc.). 

• All information required for applying to our programs can be found on the program pages (above) under the Admissions tabs. When preparing to apply to the PhD program, make sure to also review our “Getting Started” and “Review Application Procedures” page found here.

• No. We do not require the GRE for our master’s or doctoral programs.

• In our program, we have historically received PhD level graduate assistantships which include a full academic year tuition waiver, a stipend, and some health insurance benefits. These budgets typically are provided to programs in March of each year.
• Our program has not historically received master’s level graduate assistantships – although some students have secured assistantships across campus looking on Handshake.
• Many students take advantage of scholarships within our program/college once admitted. Please refer to link for window dates and submission deadlines as awards are not year-round.

• For our 60hr master’s programs, the typical time is three years to complete. This includes summer classes.
• For our PhD full time students, the expected time to completion is 4-5 years with our revised curriculum (effective F26). PhD applicants must have a conferred degree in counseling to be eligible for admission.

• Graduate courses/degrees completed at other institutions are evaluated for equivalency with our requirements on an individual basis once a student is admitted. These equivalencies include but are not limited to the most recent CACREP standards and our CES key performance indicators.

• Students may not automatically change programs, and a re-evaluation is typically necessary. Students would reach out to their advisors for questions related to changing programs.

• No. Professional Counseling degrees (including the PhD in CES) are distinct disciplines that are separate from psychology. For interest in graduate programs in psychology, please contact the Department of Psychological Sciences. Information on the Master’s in Educational Psychology can be found here. 

• You can contact international admissions in the Office of Global Education at 330-672-7970, or email intladm@kent.edu.
• Find additional information on the international student application process.

• The CES faculty aims to submit all admission decisions to the Associate Dean within two weeks of the interview day for those individuals with fully completed applications, including the in person interview. Admission decisions cannot be made until all application requirements are complete. 

• Our master’s programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

If you have questions that have not been answered by our online materials, please contact counselored@kent.edu.