LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM AT FLORIDA STATE
FSU's online program in School Counseling prepares the next generation of counselors to serve the diverse needs of K-12 students. With particular attention to the various racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds of students, our counselors make a difference. School counselors are very active in the lives of students, helping them create educational and career pathways for success.
Our preservice school counselors learn to create, implement, and evaluate comprehensive school counseling programs. These school counseling programs advance academic achievement strategies, college/career readiness, and healthy social/emotional development. Additionally, pre-service school counselors will learn how to use data to identify student needs. They will also gain experience working with families and community stakeholders. Our program also teaches how to use individual, group, and classroom guidance approaches to foster student development.
Students need access to professional school counselors. Students may face challenges not just at school, but also personal issues and struggles in their home life. Moreover, students may encounter barriers to learning and social/emotional development. However, graduates of our school counseling program can improve these outcomes and help close achievement and opportunity gaps.
Graduates of Florida State’s School Counseling program will earn both a master’s and specialist degree upon completion of the program. Students in the program will enjoy close mentorship from faculty members and the resources of a major university.
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 University and Department 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 score reports are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores for 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. FSU will consider only the highest scores from multiple testing attempts. Please visit the ETS website for GRE registration, test locations and dates, test-taker accommodations, and free GRE General Test preparation materials: https://www.ets.org/gre
- Target Scores: Verbal – 145 or above, Writing – 3.5 or above
- *NOTE: The GRE 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.
For this program, the following supporting documents must be 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)
- Unofficial Transcripts – Include transcripts from all colleges attended. Uploading a copy will expedite the review process, though you must still send official copies to the Office of Admissions.
Fall admission: March 1st
There is a large demand for school counselors and many schools are looking to add more school counselor positions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 12.6% growth in the school counseling field through 2026, which translates into 35,700 new jobs. School counselors across the nation make $60,160 on average.
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 Counselor Education program provides students with the opportunity to obtain a wealth of common core generalist counselor knowledge while specializing in Career Counseling or Clinical 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
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