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C.A.S. and Non-degree Requirements

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You must submit all of your required documents online, including your academic transcripts and letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.

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Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Counseling Application Requirements

Current students and graduates of the Human Development and Education (HDE) School Counseling Strand, Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) and the Risk and Prevention (R&P) programs who wish to continue their studies may apply to pursue initial licensure as a School Counselor.

HDE master's students who have met the course requirements for the School Counseling Strand are eligible to apply for the C.A.S. program. HDE, PSP, and R&P alumni who are interested in returning to HGSE to complete the C.A.S. should contact Mandy Farhoodi-Moberger in the Human Development and Education office to determine their eligibility to apply, which is based in part on their previous coursework and practicum experience.

Your statement should be your own original work and may not be written, in part or in whole, by a third party. It should be double-spaced and no more than 1,500 words. 

In your statement, please address the following questions:  

  • How has your experience in the HDE - School Counseling Strand, Prevention Science & Practice, or Risk and Prevention master's program motivated you or influenced you to pursue the C.A.S.? What skills or knowledge do you hope to gain in this second year of graduate study? 
  • Given the importance of cultural humility in the field of counseling, please talk about where you are on your own journey in learning and incorporating this into your work. How have you grown in your personal awareness and/or understanding of cultural humility? Please share an example of a time when you exercised cultural humility this year; give us a sense of what happened, how you engaged, and what you learned.  
     

The length and format of your résumé or C.V. is up to your discretion.

Current HDE applicants: 

  • One recommendation from a supervisor from an HDE practicum placement. (In the recommendation section, be sure to indicate the "Type" as "Recommendation for C.A.S. application.")

HDE/PSP/R&P alumni applicants: 

  • Two letters of recommendation. 
    • One must be from the supervisor of your practicum placement during your time as an HDE/PSP/R&P student. 
    • The other should be written by an individual who has supervised you in a professional capacity since graduation from HGSE.
       

Current students will be able to use the transcripts and (and GRE test scores, if desired), they submitted in conjunction with their Ed.M. application; they will be asked to authorize the Admissions Office access to these records on the application form. The admissions committee may also reference applicants' fall semester practicum evaluations during the review process.

All offers of admissions to the C.A.S. are conditional and contingent upon an additional admissions review held in April of the year of acceptance, as admission to C.A.S. is contingent on successful completion of the Ed.M. degree and fieldwork performance during year one of the program.  

Alumni are asked to authorize the Admissions Office access to their HGSE transcript on the application form. Additionally, alumni who graduated after the class of 2013 do not need to resubmit non-HGSE transcripts unless new courses were taken, or a new degree program was completed.  

Alumni who graduated before 2013 must resubmit transcript(s) from each non-HGSE postsecondary institution attended; they should be uploaded in the Academics section of the application. 

Please note that the admissions committee may reference applicant's PSP Ed.M. practicum evaluations and site supervisor feedback during the review process. The committee also reserves the right to review the student's original application to the HDE/PSP/R&P program.

  • GRE scores are optional
  • Application fee is waived

Non-degree Study Application Requirements

A select number of applicants for non-degree study may be admitted to take up to two residential (on-campus) courses during the academic year. This option is only available for: 

  • Professional educators seeking to enhance their current work
  • College or university faculty from institutions other than Harvard
  • Advanced doctoral students for whom the courses will contribute to their research

Admission to take courses as a non-degree student is competitive; course enrollment is on a space-available basis and is limited to HGSE residential (on-campus) courses only. Once admitted, a student's official enrollment in a course is subject to the approval of the instructor.

*Students enrolled in non-degree study  are not eligible to register for Foundations courses or for HGSE funding, housing, or office space.

Applicants must provide a one-page statement detailing how the course(s) you wish to take specifically relates to your current professional responsibilities or academic work.

The length and format of your résumé or C.V. is up to your discretion.

  • Professional educators: This letter should be from a supervisor familiar with your work.
  • College or university faculty: You do not need to submit a recommendation.
  • Doctoral students: This letter should be from an academic adviser familiar with your plan of study and research interests.

Applicants whose native language is not English and whose bachelor's degree is not from a college or university where English is the sole language of instruction are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS exam. You are exempt from this requirement if you have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction. Additionally, you must have completed at least 3 years of full-time enrollment at the institution, otherwise, TOEFL/IELTS scores are required. Scores must be from a test administered no earlier than July 1, 2022 for 2024-2025 enrollment. In addition, Harvard University does not provide student visas to Special Students.

Official and unopened transcript(s) from each postsecondary institution attended (including institutions from which course credits transferred) showing all courses and grades. These must be sent directly to the HGSE Admissions Office and received by the application deadline.

You must submit your $85 application fee using a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. The application fee is nonrefundable.

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

If you are a HGSE degree holder, a Certificate of Advanced Study recipient, a voucher holder, or a Harvard employee eligible to take a course through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), you do not need to fill out this application. You should contact the HGSE Office of the Registrar to arrange to take a course as a non-degree student.