Completion of Graduate Degree
A student nearing completion of a graduate degree program must submit a Graduation Application form and associated fee. This forms can be located in the forms section of the graduate college website, or via my.boisestate.edu (navigate to the Student Center and choose the Apply for Graduation option from the drop down box under Academics). The form must be submitted no later than the deadline published in the academic calendar for the semester or summer session in which the student intends to complete the degree requirements. The month of the expected date of graduation is May if you are finishing in the spring semester, August if you are finishing in the summer session, and December if you are finishing in the fall semester. If you miss your expected date of graduation twice, you are placed on inactive status by the Registrar’s Office and are required to contact the Registrar’s Office before attempting to establish a new graduation date.
Students exceeding the pass/fail credit allotment for the Program must compete and submit a “Request for Adjustment of Academic Requirements” form with their graduation application. This form is also required if a student challenges a course or makes any changes in her/his course work as listed on the approved candidacy form (see previous pages). This document can be found on the Forms section of the Graduate College webpage.
All requirements for a master’s degree (including courses completed at another college or university) must be started and completed within a single continuous interval of no more than seven (7) years.
Culminating Experience
Students may sit for the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) when completion of the following has been verified:
- Six terms of Program coursework have been satisfactorily completed (two fall, two spring, and two summer) or the student has earned the equivalent of 45 graduate credits toward Program completion and has Supervisory Committee approval;
- All incomplete grades are removed (it is the student’s responsibility to check with check with the Registrar’s office to verify that incompletes have been removed at the University level. The easiest way to do this is to request a +Student’s Copy of Transcript)
- The student’s “Admission to Candidacy” has been submitted to the Graduate College and any changes and/or corrections have been approved, and filed in the Graduate College and with the Program Advisor; and
- The Graduate College has official copies of all transcripts regarding transfer‑in courses.
Comprehensive Examination Expectations
To take the final examination, the student must first have been admitted to candidacy (see Section V). The Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE) is designed to challenge students to demonstrate their understanding and specific competency in the eight core areas defined by The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP). The purpose of the CPCE is to assess counseling students’ knowledge of information viewed as important by counselor preparation programs. The CPCE also provides collective feedback that can be used by programs in developing, adapting, and revising program curriculum and experiences.
The CPCE consists of 160 multiple-choice items, 20 items per CACREP area, and is administered electronically. Scores for each core area and the total score are reported to the institution for each student.
The CPCE is offered once a year, with a recommended testing window starting on December 1st – February 1st, but we strongly encourage students to complete the CPCE by January 15 in case remediation is needed to graduate on time. Students will register for the test online and select a date and time that works with their schedule to complete the exam.
If remediation is needed:
If a student does not pass any part of the examination (score is not within 1 standard deviation below the national mean), the student will complete a multiple-choice exam consisting of 10 questions in the area or areas that the student did not pass. If a student does not pass the multiple-choice exam, scoring at least a 7 out of 10 total points, program faculty will develop a plan of action for the student that may include a more extensive written assignment, enrolling in additional prescribed coursework, designing a new examination, re-taking the CPCE, or discontinuing the student’s program. Remediation must be successfully completed for students to graduate.
Criteria for evaluating additional examination:
Multiple choice responses will be scored by 1 faculty member, other types of activities (e.g., essays) will be evaluated by at least two (2) faculty readers. Students will be expected to obtain a score of 70% to pass the remediation for each failed section of the CPCE. Each area failed will be considered separately. If additional or other type of remediation is utilized, responses will be ranked from 1 to 3 (low to high). A response generating a minimum mark of 2 by two readers will carry a recommended “pass.” If there is a lack of agreement, a third reader will be added. Results will be available from a program faculty approximately three weeks after the exam date.