BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
How to Become a School Counselor: Degree, Steps & Salary (2026)
Key takeaway: School counseling is credentialed through your state's department of education rather than a counseling licensure board, so the path is a master's degree in school counseling, a supervised school-based internship, a state certification exam, and a background check, with the specifics set state by state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $64,330 for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).
School counselors work inside K-12 schools on academic planning, college and career readiness, social and emotional support, crisis response, and coordination with families and outside providers. The job is not the same as being a therapist in a school building. School counselors run a comprehensive program serving every student in a caseload that frequently runs into the hundreds, and their credential comes from the education system rather than from a clinical licensing board.
That distinction shapes the entire path. Understanding it early saves people from enrolling in the wrong master’s program.
Step-by-step: how to become a school counselor
Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree
Any major is acceptable for admission to most school counseling master’s programs. Psychology, education, sociology, and human development are common, and some programs require prerequisite coursework in human development or statistics. An online bachelor’s in counseling is one fit, but so is an education or psychology degree.
Note that some states require or prefer prior classroom teaching experience for school counselor certification, and a teaching credential is a prerequisite in a small number of states. If that applies where you plan to work, your undergraduate choices matter more, so check before you commit.
Step 2: Complete a master’s degree in school counseling
This is a firm requirement in essentially every state. The degree must be specifically in school counseling, or in counseling with a school counseling concentration, typically 48 to 60 semester hours. A general clinical mental health counseling master’s usually will not satisfy a state’s school counselor certification requirement without additional coursework and a school internship.
Look for CACREP accreditation with a school counseling specialty. Some states require graduation from a state-approved educator preparation program, and CACREP status frequently satisfies or simplifies that review. Coursework covers counseling theory, human development, group counseling, career development, assessment, multicultural counseling, ethics, and the design of a comprehensive school counseling program along the lines of the ASCA National Model.
The online master’s in counseling page covers how these programs are structured and what to check before enrolling.
Step 3: Complete a supervised school internship
Your program will include a practicum and an internship placed in an actual K-12 school under a certified school counselor. CACREP-accredited programs typically require a practicum of around 100 hours and an internship of around 600 hours, with a defined minimum of direct student contact, and many states specify placement across more than one grade band, such as elementary plus secondary.
This is a scheduling constraint worth planning around: school internships happen during the school day and the school year. If you are working full time, confirm how a program handles that before enrolling, and confirm that an online program will place you in a school in your own district.
Step 4: Pass your state’s required examinations
Requirements vary. Many states require the Praxis Professional School Counselor examination. Some require a state-specific school counseling test, and some also require a basic skills examination or an educator ethics assessment. A handful accept the National Counselor Examination.
Passing scores are set by each state, so a score that qualifies you in one state may not in another. Check your state department of education’s testing requirements directly rather than relying on a program’s general description.
Step 5: Apply for state certification
School counselor credentials are issued by the state department of education, usually under a title such as School Counselor Certificate, Pupil Personnel Services Credential, or Educational Staff Associate. The application typically requires your transcripts, verification of internship completion, examination scores, a fingerprint-based criminal background check, and in some states verification of teaching experience.
Several states issue an initial or provisional certificate first, converting it to a professional or standard certificate after a set number of years of successful practice and, in some cases, additional coursework or an induction or mentoring program.
Step 6: Enter the role and maintain the certificate
Certificates renew on a cycle, commonly every three to five years, with continuing education or professional development requirements. Certification is state-specific. Moving states means applying for that state’s credential, sometimes through an interstate agreement that may still require additional testing or coursework.
Optional: pursue clinical licensure as well
Some school counselors also pursue an LPC or LMHC so they can practice clinically outside the school setting. That is a separate credential from a separate board with its own supervised postgraduate hours, and a school counseling master’s may not satisfy its coursework requirements without additions. If you want both, plan the coursework at the point of choosing your master’s program, not afterward. The therapist licensure path explains what that involves.
What degree do you need to be a school counselor?
A master’s degree in school counseling. This is one of the few counseling-adjacent roles where the requirement is close to universal across states, and where the degree title itself matters, because state certification reviews the specific program rather than the general field.
The online master’s in counseling page is the place to start comparing programs; confirm that any program you consider offers a school counseling specialization and is approved or accredited in a way your state department of education accepts. The online counseling degrees guide explains how the bachelor’s, master’s, and certificate levels relate.
A bachelor’s degree alone does not qualify you to be a school counselor anywhere. It can qualify you for related school support roles such as paraprofessional, college and career advisor in some districts, or youth program coordinator.
How much do school counselors make?
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn a national median annual wage of $64,330 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). That occupation includes both K-12 school counselors and college and career advisors.
View the data behind this chart
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,020 |
| 25th percentile | $51,270 |
| Median | $64,330 |
| 75th percentile | $82,870 |
| 90th percentile | $104,770 |
View the data behind this chart
| State | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| California | $86,500 |
| Alaska | $82,900 |
| Washington | $82,670 |
| District of Columbia | $80,470 |
| Massachusetts | $79,930 |
| New Jersey | $77,910 |
| New Mexico | $77,880 |
| Maryland | $75,820 |
For comparison across the field, marriage and family therapists show $66,940 and substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors show $59,350 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). School counselor pay in practice is usually set by a district salary schedule tied to degree level and years of service, and in many districts counselors are on the teacher schedule or a variant of it, sometimes with additional contracted days beyond the school year. The district schedule is the number to plan against.
How long does it take to become a school counselor?
The stages:
- Bachelor’s degree: four years.
- Master’s in school counseling: typically two to three years full-time for a 48 to 60 credit program, longer part-time.
- Practicum and internship: completed within the master’s, but constrained to the school year and school day, which can add a semester if scheduling does not line up.
- Examinations: weeks of preparation plus scheduling and score reporting.
- Certification application and background check: commonly one to three months.
- Prior teaching experience, where a state requires it: add the years that state specifies.
Most people reach certification about six to seven years after starting college. In states that require classroom teaching first, add that experience on top. These are typical ranges, not guarantees, and your state department of education’s rules govern.
Frequently asked questions
What degree do you need to be a school counselor?
A master’s degree in school counseling, or in counseling with a school counseling concentration, typically 48 to 60 credit hours and ideally CACREP-accredited with a school counseling specialty. A general clinical counseling master’s usually does not satisfy state certification without additional coursework and a school-based internship.
How long does it take to become a school counselor?
About six to seven years from starting college: four years for a bachelor’s, two to three years for the master’s including the school internship, then a few months for exams and the certification application. States that require prior classroom teaching experience add those years on top.
How much do school counselors make?
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors earn a national median annual wage of $64,330 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). Actual pay in K-12 is usually set by a district salary schedule based on degree level and years of service rather than by the national median.
Do you need a degree to be a school counselor?
Yes. A master’s is required for school counselor certification in essentially every state, and the role cannot be filled without the state credential. Related school support positions such as paraprofessional or district college and career advisor may be open to bachelor’s holders in some districts, but those are different jobs.
Do you have to be a teacher first to become a school counselor?
In most states, no. A minority of states require or strongly prefer prior classroom teaching experience or a teaching credential for school counselor certification. Because this varies and directly affects how you plan your education, verify it with the department of education in the state where you intend to work.
Is a school counselor the same as a therapist?
No. School counselors are certified by a state department of education and run a comprehensive program of academic, career, and social-emotional support for an entire student caseload. Licensed therapists are credentialed by a clinical licensing board, diagnose and treat mental health conditions, and complete years of supervised postgraduate clinical hours. Some professionals hold both credentials, but they are separate.
Related pages
- Online Counseling Degrees Guide
- Online Master’s in Counseling
- Online Bachelor’s in Counseling
- What Can You Do With a Counseling Degree?
- How to Become a Therapist
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national medians. Certification requirements, required examinations, passing scores, and teaching-experience prerequisites are set by each state’s department of education and vary; confirm requirements with the state where you intend to work.
Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.