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. On the way to earning a career counseling degree, you’ll discover the interaction between theory, practice, and research.
As one of only 8 CACREP-accredited career counseling degree programs in the country, you can look forward to exceptional instruction and mentorship. 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 qualified students.
Upon completion of this program, graduates go on to work in career counseling, career placement, academic advising, and professional counseling. 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.
In order to meet minimum University and departmental 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
- 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 63-hour program includes two years of academic coursework and practica, which provide an option for training and supervised work experience in the nationally recognized, full-service FSU Career Center.
Information about tuition and fees at Florida State is available here. You can learn more about the scholarship and aid opportunities for College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences students here. Click here for information about our Career Counseling scholarships.
We invite alumni and friends of Florida State University to support graduate students preparing 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 $233,396 in 147 scholarships to 95 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.
Career Counselors across the nation currently earn an average pay of $60,160 annually. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a 12.6% growth in the career counseling field through 2026, which translates into 35,700 new jobs.
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. The training you will receive in this program could lead you to work with the 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.
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
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
The following students and alumni may be contacted if you would like additional information about the FSU career counseling program from a student’s perspective.
Erin Connelly, Class of 2020
Megan Konen, Class of 2019
Merline Dieujuste, Class of 2018
Taylor Pentz, Class of 2017
Laura Beth Lancaster, Class of 2016
Liz Pawley, Class of 2015
Emily Fiore, Class of 2015
Maddie Foster, Class of 2014
Leigh Eskin, Class of 2013
Shawn Conlon, Class of 2012
Luis Santiago, Class of 2011
Katherine E. Ledwith, Class of 2010
- Cottingham Colloquium
- Adult Learning Evaluation Center (ALEC)
- Human Services Center (HSC)
- FSU Career Center
- FAQs for Graduate Students
- PCS Newsletter
Meet Drs. Dozier & Osborn's research team here!
