Education · 1 of 5

The path

A bachelor's, then a master's built around a supervised internship in a real school, then a state certificate.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Psychology and sociology if offered. Peer mentoring, tutoring and camp work all count later.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Psychology, education, sociology or social work are the usual majors. Any major is accepted by most graduate programs.

3. 3

   Master's in school counseling

   2 to 3 years

   Usually 48 to 60 graduate credits. Look for accreditation by CACREP (the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

4. 4

   Practicum and internship

   Inside the master's

   Hundreds of supervised hours inside real schools, most of them with actual students, before you can be certified.

5. 5

   State exam and certificate

   A few months

   Pass your state's school counselor exam, clear a background check and apply for the certificate.