School Counselor Requirements by State 2026

The job of a school counselor has taken on much greater significance over the past three decades. Today, school counselors often have much more to contend with than a child who is struggling with homework. Today, counselors are often asked to be advocates, defenders, psychologists, and more for their students.

Educational Requirements

School counselors require a certain level of education. This helps to ensure that they know how to best help their students. In most states, it is required that future school counselors complete a Master’s degree. Most choose to pursue a Master’s in school counseling. However, some states allow students to obtain a different degree. For example, in Illinois, a person can obtain a Master’s degree in a related field like psychology. Usually, states that offer this option require that the student takes additional courses that focus on working with students and the job of a school counselor.

In Kansas and Connecticut, it is further required that the future school counselor holds a professional teaching license before applying to be a school counselor. Other states also allow those who have been licensed as teachers to apply to become school counselors. Similar to those with Master’s degrees in other disciplines, current teachers will be asked to take coursework in school counseling to apply for the job.

Experience Requirements

Most states have requirements for school counselors to complete either hours of observation, a direct internship working with students, or both. By doing this, the future school counselors understand the types of work they will be doing and gain practice working directly with students.

States that have experience requirements often set them based on a semester, a school year, or a set number of hours. Idaho, for example, requires 700 hours of fieldwork and further requires that seventy-five percent of it takes place in the K-12 classroom. In Mississippi, a full school year internship is required. This can be waived if the applicant is already a licensed classroom teacher in the state.

Some states do not have requirements for experience. West Virginia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, and New Jersey have no requirements for internships or work experience, Many other states do not require experience if the applicant is already a licensed teacher or has classroom teaching experience.

Examination and Background Check Requirements

Wisconsin, Virginia, North Dakota, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Idaho, Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska require no set examination to become a school counselor. Other states require a mix of the Praxis school counselor exam and state-based tests.

Because school counselors work directly with students, it is important to make sure that they are safe to do so. Therefore, most states require the applicant to get a full background check, or at least fingerprinting, to ensure that they will not be a danger to their future students. This may be required to apply for certification or when a person is actually hired as a school counselor. Oklahoma and West Virginia do not require background checks, though individual districts within Oklahoma can require them.

It is important to remember that requirements are always changing, so if you are interested in becoming a school counselor, check your state’s Department of Education website for the most up-to-date information.