EARN YOUR CAREER COUNSELING DEGREE AT FLORIDA STATE
The Career Counseling program at Florida State University offers students and professionals an opportunity to gain advanced understanding and training in being a counselor as well as specialized knowledge in the realm of career. On the way to earning a career counseling degree, you’ll discover the interaction between theory, practice, and research.
As one of the premier career counseling programs, national accreditation with the Council of Accredited Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP) for over 25 years, you can look forward to exceptional instruction and mentorship. Florida State University’s program draws on the strength of a history of leaders in the field of Career Counseling while continuing to innovate and prepare students with modern techniques and knowledge. You’ll receive hands-on experience in the field through career advising, career counseling, college teaching, workshop and outreach presentations, and program development. Paid graduate assistantships, tuition waivers, and designated scholarships/fellowships are available to eligible students.
Upon completion of this program, graduates go on to work in career counseling, career placement, academic advising, and professional counseling. Including being licensure eligible in many states as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Thanks to the partnership with the FSU Career Center, our career counseling students know what it’s like to work in the field before they even graduate. Our graduates enter the workforce feeling prepared and confident in their abilities to help others find their path.
Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions.
In order to meet minimum Admission requirements, an applicant must have:
- A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree.
- GRE test scores* – Official test results are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the official report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report. The FSU Institution Code is 5219.
- Target Scores: Verbal – 145 or above, Analytical – 3.5 or above
- *NOTE: The GRE admission requirements for master's and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
- Language proficiency test (international students only)– FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
- Transcripts – Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:
- Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410 - Applicants who studied at International Institutes: Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website, https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.
- Florida State University
For this program, the following supporting documents must be uploaded to the Admissions Application Portal:
- Personal Statement (1 required) – The personal statement should describe your purpose for pursuing a degree, qualifications, and long-term career goals and should be no more than 3 pages in length.
- Letters of Recommendation (3 required)
- Letters of recommendation should be written by persons who are in a position to comment on the likelihood of your success within the department.
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae (1 required)
Application Deadline:
- April 1st (Fall admission only)
The 61-hour program includes two years of academic coursework and field experience. Academic course work is designed with increase your knowledge base and research skills as well as experiential activities to apply knowledge in your journey to become a mental health professional. The program requires a total of 700 hours across 3 semesters in Practicum and two semesters of internship where you will complete a total of 280 hours working directly with clients and students. These field experiences are overseen by tenured professionals who work with you on site as well as faculty who provide group supervision on a weekly basis throughout the semester. Program faculty will support student selection of field experience sites based on student’s career goals. So at the end of the program, students will have the foundational knowledge and formative experiences to be a strong candidate for many positions. A popular option for Career Counseling Students is to be trained and complete supervised work experience in the nationally recognized, full-service FSU Career Center.
Students may also apply to join the research being done by the FSU Career Center’s Career Development & Technology Research Team.
Program Documents:
Course Sequencing: Career Counseling Plan of Study
Policies for Program: 2023-2024 Counselor Education Student Handbook
Field Experience Documents:
Student Field Experience Guide: 2023-2024 Counselor Education Practicum and Internship Manual
Guide for Students’ Supervisors: 2023-2024 Counselor Education Site Supervisor Manual
The Career Counseling Program has been fortunate to have students successfully apply and receive graduate assistantships at the FSU Career Center as well as several endowed scholarships. The Career Center has awarded over $350,000 in over 200 scholarships to over 125 different students since 1995. While award of assistantship or scholarship cannot be guaranteed, program faculty work closely with partners at FSU Career Center and support incoming students in the application process.
Information about tuition and fees at Florida State is available here.
You can learn more about the scholarship and aid opportunities available from across the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences students here.
Click here for information about our Career Counseling scholarships.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Counselors across the nation currently earn an average pay of $64,200 annually and is a profession that they project to continue growing faster than the average career.
The Career Counseling program at Florida State will provide you with training beyond the minimum requirements for most counseling positions, which significantly increases the competitive employment advantage as an FSU graduate. Florida State’s program focuses first on training you as a mental health professional, then provides specialized training and experiences in the area of career. This means our graduates are adept at going on to work with primary mental health concerns of clients in addition to their career concerns.
Most graduates seek positions in colleges and universities as career counselors, career placement professionals, co-op/internship directors, academic advisors, and professional counselors in community organizations or private practice.
Other opportunities include:
- Career development facilitators
- Career information specialists in libraries and information centers
- Workforce development professionals in one-stop career centers
- Training and staff development professionals in human resource development offices
- Consultants and independent contractors with career information systems developers and publishers
- Staff counselors in corrections and rehabilitation settings
The Career Counseling Program at Florida State University is one of its three counseling specialty tracks offered with:
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Residential & CACREP accredited)
- School Counseling (Fully Online & Applying for CACREP accreditation)
Together our three programs create our Counselor Education degree program which share a common mission and objectives in training professional counselors.
COUNSELOR EDUCATION MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
The Counselor Education degree program’s mission is to provide high-quality training that reflects current research and prepare professional counselors for positions in public and private settings within a multicultural and pluralistic world. The curriculum for M.S./Ed.S. counseling majors will lead to eligibility for certification and licensure as professional counselors. Professional counselors promote the social, psychological, physical, and spiritual health of individuals, families, communities, and organizations. The PCS Counselor Education program provides students with the opportunity to obtain a wealth of common core generalist counselor knowledge while specializing in Career Counseling or Mental Health Counseling. The mission is achieved through the following objectives, which are based on input from faculty, students, alumni, supervisors, and employers:
A. To provide quality education to persons pursuing a Master of Science (M.S.)/Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degrees in Counselor Education, while specializing in Career Counseling or Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
B. To provide M.S./Ed.S.-level graduate students with quality clinical training and understanding of professional issues in the areas of career counseling, clinical mental health counseling, general counseling, and case management.
C. To prepare M.S./Ed.S.-level graduate students with knowledge and skills in providing effective individual and group counseling in a multitude of settings.
D. To provide students with skills and knowledge in conducting needs assessment and research in the field of counseling.
E. To prepare M.S./Ed.S.-level graduate students with knowledge and skill in effectively addressing issues and concerns related to diverse populations.
F. To provide skill and knowledge in the application of ethical and legal principles in the practice of counseling.
The counselor education program evaluates our achievement of these efforts through the use of our Comprehensive Assessment Plan (CAP), and feedback from students, graduates, alumni (2 years post-graduation), supervisors, and employers. These reports and the CAP are available below.
INFORMATION FOR SITE SUPERVISORS
ACCREDITATION INFORMATION
- Comprehensive Assessment Plan
- 2016 CACREP Mid-Cycle Report
- National Counselor Exam
- Program Outcome Reports
CORE FACULTY
Dr. Chris LaFever, Program Coordinator, Career Counseling
Dr. Shengli Dong
Dr. Sabrina Johnson
Dr. Simone May
Dr. Eunhui Yoon
AFFILIATED FACULTY
Dr. Debra Osborn
Dr. Martin Swanbrow Becker
Dr. Casey Dozier
Dr. Deborah Ebener
We invite alumni and friends of Florida State University to support more to become “Unconquered" graduates for professional positions in career counseling, vocational psychology, and human resources through career advisor scholarships. These scholarships support career advisors working in The Career Center and recognizes students who have made a commitment to career counseling/vocational psychology, have outstanding academic records and work histories, and have the potential to provide leadership in career development and human resources.
The Career Center has awarded over $250,000 in over 150 scholarships to more than 100 different students since 1995. Support any of our nine endowed scholarships with your tax-deductible gift today, or contact us to create the tenth endowed scholarship and provide ongoing support to FSU students in perpetuity.
- Alyce B. Bobkin Scholarship
- Career Advisor Alumni Scholarship
- Gary W. Peterson Endowed Scholarship
- Herb and Josie Rand Endowed Scholarship
- Robert C. Reardon Scholarship
- Joel Ross Driver Memorial Scholarship
- James P. Sampson, Jr. and Sandra M. Sampson Endowed Fellowship
- Dr. Janet G. Lenz Endowed Scholarship
- Dr. Andrew P. Daire Endowed Dissertation Fellowship
You can give online at give.fsu.edu/education and entering the name of one of the above funds.