Positively impact student achievement as a school counselor
School counselors play a vital role in facilitating personal, social, and academic growth and career development for students. Mercer University’s CACREP-accredited* Master of Science in School Counseling prepares graduates to work as school counselors in public and private P-12 educational settings.
Mercer’s program offers:
- Expansive curriculum that prepares competitive school counselors
- Relevant internship experience working in schools
- Preparation for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and National Certified Counselor (NCC) licensure exams
Students must also complete the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) II Content Assessments for School Counseling for certification by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The National Counselor Examination (NCE) is necessary for licensure as Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Georgia.
Program graduates achieved a 95% first-time pass rate on the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE). Mercer students have also consistently averaged scores that are above the national average for other counseling programs.
Designed for busy and working adults
The M.S. in School Counseling is offered at Mercer’s Atlanta campus with some courses being delivered in a blended or online format. Students can enroll in January, May, or August. Classes meet one night per week, and courses are scheduled in 16-week semesters. Students may pursue the degree on a part-time or full-time basis. Completion time is typically 30-36 months for a full-time student, though additional time may be necessary to satisfy field work.
Influence student success in a growing occupation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects school counseling jobs to grow faster than average due to increasing P-12 student enrollments. Mercer’s school counseling program qualifies graduates to help students of all ages and grade levels in various settings, including public schools, private schools, and independent schools.
*The School Counseling program at Mercer University is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Visit our Outcomes page to learn more.
Learn more about our School Counseling program
Ready to take the next step?
Schedule your personalized admissions counseling appointment, or contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 678.547.6417 or copa.admissions@mercer.edu for more information.
Meet Our Professors
Our faculty provide a challenging curriculum to shape students into facilitators of personal, social, and academic growth as school counselors.
We learn all of the theoretical knowledge we need for school counseling in the classroom, and it’s great to actually get into schools and spend time with practicing school counselors so we can learn what the profession is really like. We have the chance to take our knowledge into the world, practice, learn, and grow before we even finish the degree.
I chose the school counseling program at Mercer University because of its reputation as an excellent school counseling program within the area. I wanted a program that I could attend face-to-face rather than online and one that was geographically close enough to commute to regularly. Mercer provided all of these things within an incredible school counseling program.
I chose the School Counseling program at Mercer due to my interest in working in the education career field. As a school counselor, I'm able to have conversations, build rapport with students, and get to know them on a deeper level. I also chose Mercer University specifically because of its proximity to downtown Atlanta and access to the different school systems around Metro Atlanta.
The practicum and yearlong internship in my assigned schools significantly prepared me and drove everything home by placing me in the school environment working alongside professional school counselors, students, and other stakeholders. I gained knowledge not only from my professors’ experiences and teachings, but also learned in-action from those currently in the environment I was preparing to work in. Seeing the connections of advocacy, collaboration, crisis response, management, use of time, consulting, and more proved to be very beneficial in my preparation for a career in school counseling.
Professional licensure
All of Mercer’s programs that lead to licensure are designed to meet the educational requirements of regulatory authorities in the State of Georgia. If you intend to seek licensure or certification outside of Georgia, please review Mercer’s professional licensure disclosure for more information.