Application Process

When to Apply

The Master of Arts in Counseling program only begins in the summer and is only for full-time students.  The summer MAC applications are reviewed on a periodic basis. Contact your enrollment counselor for these dates. Please note: all components of your application must be in before it may be reviewed.

Students may apply for Special Student status and take some MAC classes in the spring semesters. However, acceptance as a Special Student does not guarantee acceptance to the MAC program for the following fall.

Background Check

When MAC students enter the counseling clinic, they work with children in a variety of contexts such as play therapy, adolescent therapy, and family therapy.  Since MAC students work closely with children, a background check is required as part of the application process.

The group that handles background checks for the seminary is Intellicorp.  To complete this part of the MAC application, visit: https://rts.volunteerportal.net.  The fee for a background check ranges from $20 up to $100, depending on the states you’ve lived in.  The results will automatically be reported to the seminary.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Log on to https://rts.volunteerportal.net
2. Review text on the Welcome Page, enter the password: rts5422! and click “I Agree”.
3. Enter personal information.  (All fields marked with a “*” are required.)
4. Click “Next”.
5. Review all information to ensure its accuracy before proceeding. (If you need to make any corrections you can click on the “Edit” link or the “Previous” button to return to the Personal Information page.)
6. Click “Next” or “Complete” to process your search.

Please note the following:

• If you Quit without clicking Save, the system will not save your information. Your background check will not be run. You will need to start over from the beginning when you return.
• If you click Save before you Quit, you will be provided with a reference code to enter when you return to the site to pick up where you left off.
• When returning to the site, click on this link on the Welcome Page: “If you are returning to finish a previous search, then click here.”
• Enter your last name and reference number to resume your previous search.

International Students

Due to cultural differences between countries, RTS rarely admits international students to this program.  Clinical training in the MAC program comes from an American cultural perspective, and therefore might not be relevant to the counseling needs in your home country.  As an alternative, you may wish to consider the Master of Arts in Missions program, with an emphasis in intercultural counseling or the Master of Divinity program, with an emphasis in counseling.  These programs do not have clinical training as part of the coursework, but offer a good foundation for biblical counseling. However, if you are interested in an American program with clinical training, we suggest looking into other counseling programs that are located in urban areas large enough to offer the cultural diversity necessary for relevant practicums.  Currently, this kind of cultural diversity does not exist in Jackson, Mississippi.  However, it is our hope that as the Jackson metropolitan area grows, it will eventually offer the cultural diversity necessary for international students to be part of the MAC program at RTS.