What does it cost?

Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.

How long will it take?

A minimum of 60 hours

Where will I take classes?
Alpharetta, Atlanta Campus

Application Deadlines View Admissions Requirements

  • Fall: Does Not Admit
  • Spring: Does Not Admit
  • Summer: ATLANTA Location – December 1 (firm deadline – all requirements must be met by this date for Atlanta concentration/location only)
  • Summer: ALPHARETTA Location – February 1 (firm deadline – all requirements must be met by this date for Alpharetta concentration/location only)

School Counseling, M.Ed.

Counseling and Psychological Services

Atlanta Campus: [email protected]
Alpharetta Campus: [email protected]
Phone: 404-413-8181

The school counseling M.Ed. program at Georgia State is a full-time on-campus learning experience. The George State school counseling faculty believe in the core values of leadership, activism and mentorship.

Through experiential, community-based and hands-on initiatives, we support school counselors in training through their growth in these core values. Our primary goal is to graduate school counselors who can implement data-driven comprehensive programs to serve all students by using innovative, culturally relevant and evidence-based techniques.

Georgia State graduates are grounded in anti-racist school counseling, anti-oppression and social justice practices.

Education programs leading to professional licensure or certification (nursing, education, social work, counseling, accounting, allied health professions, etc.) may require additional approval from separate licensing boards, depending on the state. Students who live or plan to live outside Georgia and are considering a professional program should contact the appropriate board in their state of residency prior to beginning a course of study. To help students find the best-known contact information for the appropriate state licensing board and for a list of Georgia State program contacts, visit the Student Consumer Information website.

VIEW CATALOG INFORMATION

Program Highlights

The What and Why of My Program

Find out what brought these two students to Georgia State to study School Counseling.

“The heart of Atlanta has a population that I’m highly interested in working with.” — Moya Grant

ASCA Position Statement

School counselors deliver programs that have an impact on student growth in three domain areas: academic development, career development and social/emotional development (ASCA, 2019). School counselors recognize students should demonstrate growth in these domains equally to be successful. School counselors understand these domains are not considered separate but are intertwined, each affecting the other (Schenck, Anctil, & Smith, 2010, p. 16). Although this statement focuses on academic development, it is understood career development and social/emotional development need to be considered with equal diligence.

Program Details

Application Requirements:

When applying to the School Counseling, M.Ed. program, you must submit several documents for review.

  • Online Application
  • Application Fee of $50
  • Goals Statement (upload with the application)
  • Resume (upload with the application)
  • Three Letters of Recommendation (identify your recommender on the application)
  • Official Transcript: minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA required for admission
    • Submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended either electronically to [email protected] or by mailing directly to Georgia State University | Office of Graduate Admissions | P.O. Box 4018 Atlanta, GA 30302

Please Note:

Interviews will be conducted by department faculty — you will be notified if you are selected for an interview. Applicants cannot apply to both concentrations/locations.

The School Counseling M.Ed. degree program consists of the following requirements (credit hours in parenthesis):
  • Professional Studies (9)
  • Teaching Field/Major (42) – this includes 3 credit hours in electives and a choice of one (3 credit hours) class in one of the following: an introduction to play therapy, aspects of human sexuality or biopsychosocial aspects of addiction
  • Applied Practice (9)
Program total: minimum of 60 semester hours
For more information visit our catalog entry.

Funding Your Graduate Education

Cost of attendance and funding opportunities are integral to your decision to attend graduate school. Georgia State University is proud to offer a variety of funding opportunities, from assistantships to fellowships.

Awards and Assistantships

Various awards, assistantships and fellowships are available to new and current graduate students. We encourage you to contact your department, college, school or institute of interest to get more information about the assistantships and fellowships that they offer their students.

The Scholarship Resource Center offers guidance and support to students seeking financial assistance through scholarship opportunities, including this scholarship library.

Fellowships

The Office of Graduate Programs’ Fellowship Advisor works with students interested in applying for nationally prestigious and competitive fellowships. The Office of Graduate Programs also coordinates the application process for students applying to the Second Century Initiative, the Provost’s Dissertation Fellowship and the Dissertation Library Travel Awards.

Cost Calculator

Our calculator can help you get an idea of the costs associated with attending the university.

Our model for school counselor preparation is based on the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) National Model for School Counseling Programs® and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards for school counseling programs.

Elementary/Middle School Concentration: Prepares students to be a school counselor in kindergarten through 8th grades.
Secondary School Concentration: Prepares students to be a school counselor in grades 9-12.
Skills Gained: Counsel pupils, parents and teachers; assist students in planning for college/career; coordinate school and community resources to meet development needs of students; and employ cooperative methods for working with administrators and data use for student advocacy.
Expertise: Child growth and development, assessment, group-process facilitation, interviewing and consultation skills, classroom intervention techniques, interpersonal dynamics and school curriculum.
Accreditation: Our program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation in School Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Approach: We follow the American School Counselor Association ASCA Model to prepare students to run a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program.

The program for the major in school counseling is designed to prepare students for certification. Degree requirements may exceed the minimum number of hours for professional certification. The ACA requires 700 hours of supervision during practicum/internship in School Counseling. In addition, the Counseling and Psychological Services Department requires 200 hours of supervision in school counseling during practicum/internship for students that do not possess a S-5 certification in Georgia Public Schools. The School Counseling program offers concentrations in either elementary/middle school or secondary school.

School Counseling Student Handbook

Current Model Program

 

Faculty

Robert Rice, Ph.D. – Interim Program Coordinator
Dr. Bobby Gueh, Ph.D. – Program Coordinator, Alpharetta Campus
Dr. Natalie Grubbs, Ph.D.
Erin Mason, Ph.D. 
Laura Shannonhouse, Ph.D.

Description

Careers

We have graduates who work as school counselors in the following area school systems (among others):

  • Atlanta Public Schools
  • Cobb County School District
  • DeKalb County School District
  • Fulton County School District
  • Gwinnett County School District
  • Forsyth County School District

Career Outlook

Job outlook is projected to grow 11% from 2020-30 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). About 35,000 job openings for school and career counselors and advisors are projected each year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Median annual wage of $60,510, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to ASCA, Georgia professionals are expected to meet the following requirements:

  1. State-approved certification prep program
  2. Completion of master’s degree
  3. Valid NCSC credential or professional counselor’s license issued by O.C.G.A.
  4. GACE examination

Contacts

Atlanta Campus – Interim Program Coordinator 
Robert Rice, Ph.D.
[email protected]
404-413-8172

Alpharetta Campus
Bobby Gueh, Ph.D.
[email protected]
404-413-8181

Counseling and Psychological Services
[email protected]
404-413-8181

Mailing Address & Office Location
Counseling and Psychological Services
College of Education & Human Development
30 Pryor St. SW
Room 950
Atlanta, GA 30303

30 Pryor Street SW
Atlanta, GA 30303

The information shared provides an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more, refer to the university catalogs.