Learn How to Become a School Counselor….From a Licensed Professional School Counselor!
Making the decision to becoming a school counselor can be exciting. Entering the field of school counseling requires someone with passion You are at the right place because I have literally been there done that. I graduated from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA with a Master’s in Education Degree in School Counseling. Becoming a school counselor is something I wanted to do for a long time because I wanted to help children. So, let’s get started learning how to make your your passion a reality!
School Counselor Degree Requirements
To enter the school counseling field, you must have a Master’s Degree, which would mean you first need a Bachelor’s Degree. If you are in high school, then you will need to apply to an undergraduate program at a college/university. In my experience, there is not a specific Bachelor’s Degree you need before you apply to many Master’s program unless you live in a state that requires teaching experience (PLEASE read next paragraph about certain conditions). I attended graduate school with students who had degrees in teaching, the social sciences, and social work. I have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. I even knew a student who had a law degree! There is much variety of students who apply to graduate school programs.
With that being said, there are specific states that require you to have a teaching degree and experience as a teacher before you become a school counselor. For example, in the state of Texas, you must have experience as a teacher for several years before you can even apply to a school counseling position. I live in Georgia and that was not the case at all. I HIGHLY recommend you check with your local state educational board that approves licenses to determine what the regulations are in your state.
Once you have obtained your Bachelor’s degree, you can then apply to a Master’s Degree program. At this point, you will need to follow the requirements of the grad school before applying. You will generally need letters of recommendations and test scores. I took the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). I did not score particularly high on this exam; however, my references, interview and application materials allowed to me to show what an outstanding candidate I was. I highly recommend attending a graduate program that is accredited by CACREP.
