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I'm going to be a senior in high school and I'm still looking around at various schools. I'm interested in education as a major, but I'm also interested in guidance counseling (i have a few family members in the profession who love it). Does anyone know what to major in if you wanted to become a guidance counselor?

By Shennie (Shennie) on Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 03:28 pm: Edit

Requirements for becoming a guidance counselor vary from state to state. In most states, you will have to have a master's degree in guidance before you can be licensed. Some states also require that you have a teaching license and experience as a classroom teacher BEFORE you get your guidance license. Other states do not require prior teaching experience. In my state, you must have a Master's degree but teaching experience is not required. It is usually easiest to get the M.S. in the state you plan to work in. That way, you will have all the required classes.

As far as your undergrad, it doesn't always make a lot of difference. You can major in education or pretty much any other field that interests you. You may need some education classes to get admitted to graduate school, however. I would recommend you check with your flagship state university to find out what the requirements are for admission to the graduate program in guidance and then kind of work backwards from there.

By Beyou (Beyou) on Saturday, July 19, 2003 - 02:49 am: Edit

I'm an English Education major, and I'm going to Boston U in the Fall. I suggest you look into it. The School of Ed there is considered to be one of the best in the country, and you go into the classroom starting your freshmen year. The college is really a tight community, even though the university is quite large. Coincedentally, I also plan on getting a Master's in counseling (to broaden my options), and you can accomplish this after your undergrad @ BU too. Good luck with the applications!