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
Handbook: Counselor Education Student Handbook 2024-2025
Fall 2023 Counselor Education Program Outcomes Report
School Counseling Plan of Study - Option 1
School Counseling Plan of Study - Option 2
2022-2023 Counselor Education Practicum and Internship Manual
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.
The Career Counseling Program at Florida State University is one of its three counseling specialty tracks offered with:
- Career Counseling Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Residential & CACREP accredited)
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Residential & CACREP accredited)
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 mission of the Counselor Education program at Florida State University is to prepare candidates to become professional counselors. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to (1) integrate current research with established theoretical foundations to serve pluralistic communities; (2) demonstrate awareness, reflection, and respect for the diverse populations that they serve, and finally (3) demonstrate professional dispositions of ethical practice, commitment to learning, and professional growth. Graduates serve as professional counselors who lead and advocate in their communities and their practice specialization: Career Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or School Counseling.
- i. Counselor Education candidates will be grounded in counselor identity domains of wellness, development, prevention and early intervention, and empowerment.
- ii. Counselor Education candidates will successfully demonstrate professional dispositions:
- a. Ethical decision-making and professional boundaries
- b. Respect, humility, and openness for diverse cultural experiences and expressions
- c. Commitment to learning and professional growth
- d. Apply constructive feedback
- e. Appropriate interpersonal skills
- f. Professionalism
- iii. Counselor Education candidates will demonstrate knowledge of counseling theories, apply theories to implement evidence-based techniques, and utilize data-driven approaches to evaluate their counseling program and professional practices.
- iv. Counselor Education candidates will co-create goals and identify appropriate interventions in a holistic and integrated manner that is based on clients’ or students’ diverse experiences, development, and presenting needs.
- v. Counselor Education candidates will demonstrate knowledge of mental health, career development, individual and group interventions, crisis intervention, and the ecological systems that support people reaching their goals.
Specific Program Objectives for School Counseling
- School Counseling candidates will develop a data-driven plan to provide systemic support and developmentally appropriate curriculum that ensures academic achievement, healthy socio-emotional development, and decreases opportunity gaps.
- School Counseling graduates will review school needs and create a comprehensive school counseling program that provides prevention and early interventions that support students’ academic achievement, social, personal, and emotional development, and career and postsecondary planning.
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