Professional School Counselor Licensing

Standards for
Utah School Counselor Education Programs - PDF

GETTING STARTED
1. PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELORS IN UTAH MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:  

  1.A  A master’s degree or higher in school counseling or a closely
  related field as defined herein, and

1.A.1  
The degree and a license recommendation from an institution accredited in accordance with Utah State Board of Education rule and which meet the Standards for Utah School Counselor Education Programs adopted by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) in January 2003, and

1.A.2   
A professional Educator license from the Utah State Office of Education (USOE).

1.A. 3  
A master’s degree in a closely related field, which shall be recognized as school psychologist or school social worker, may be acceptable if the training programs meets the standards of the National Association for School Psychologists (NASP) http://www.nasponline.org/certification/NASPapproved.aspx  or the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)  http://www.cswe.org/CSWE/accreditation/, with additional course work as required to meet the USBE Standards  for Utah School Counselor Education Programs.

1.A.4  
Additional coursework for candidates in a closely related field shall be determined by the Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Specialist and Coordinator at USOE.

1.A.5
All candidates for a Utah Counselor (K-12) License Area of Concentration must pass the PRAXIS 0420 test prior to receiving the license area. Information regarding this test, including how to register to take the test, can be found at www.ets.org.

  1.B.  An applicant with a master’s degree in a related field may be licensed as a school counselor   under the following conditions:

1.B.1   
An individual with a master’s degree in related fields, which shall be recognized as psychology or social work, may be eligible for license as a school counselor with substantial coursework, including a 600 hour school-based, supervised internship with a licensed school counselor working in a fully implemented Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program.

1.B.2   
Additional coursework for candidates in a related field shall be determined by the Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Specialist and Coordinator at USOE.

1.B.3   
Prior to transcript evaluation, individuals with a closely related or related degree who have not worked in a school or who completed their training program more than six years ago who desire to start school counseling as a second career or who desire to start working as a school counselor shall meet the following requirements:

1.B.3.a 
purchase, read and understand the Utah Model for Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance: K-12 Programs prior to a job shadow experience, and

1.B.3.b 
participate in a two to three day job shadow experience arranged by a school district  or charter school of their choice, working in a fully implemented  Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program ,and

1.B.3.c  
provide documentation of hours in the job shadow experience.

1.B.4
All candidates for a Utah Counselor (K-12) License Area of Concentration must pass the PRAXIS 0420 test prior to receiving the license area. Information regarding this test, including how to register to take the test, can be found at www.ets.org.

  1.C  Individuals with a master’s degree or higher in other school related areas such as education   administration, instructional leadership, or academic content areas, as well as individuals with
  non-school related master’s degrees or higher will need to complete a school counselor education   training program and meet the criteria in items A.1, A.2, and A.3  above.

2. APPLICANTS FOR UTAH SCHOOL COUNSELING LICENSE WHO HAVE ATTENDED AN INSTITUTION OUT-OF-STATE AND WHO ARE NOT LICENSED IN SCHOOL COUNSELING MUST HAVE:

  2.A  A master’s degree or higher  from a CACREP accredited institution or a program, including
  on-line degree programs, equivalent to those standards (see directory at http://www.cacrep.org/)   and meet the USBE Standards  for Utah School Counselor Education Programs adopted in January   2003, which may require additional coursework, and

  2.B  A professional Educator license from the Utah State Office of Education (USOE).  See licensing   procedures at http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/OOS/Oosappl.htm

  2.C  Additional coursework for candidates shall be determined by the Comprehensive Counseling and   Guidance Specialist and Coordinator at USOE.

  2.D  All candidates for a Utah Counselor (K-12) License Area of Concentration must pass the PRAXIS   0420 test prior to receiving the license area. Information regarding this test, including how to   register to take the test, can be found at www.ets.org.

3. PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELORS INITIALLY LICENSED IN ANOTHER STATE MUST HAVE:

  3.A  A current license from another state, and

  3.B  A master’s degree or higher  from a CACREP accredited institution or a program, including
  on-line degree programs, equivalent to those standards (see directory at http://www.cacrep.org/)   and meet the USBE Standards  for Utah School Counselor Education Programs adopted in January   2003, which may require additional coursework, and

  3.C  A professional Educator license from the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). See licensing   procedures at http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/OOS/Oosappl.htm

  3.D  Additional coursework for candidates shall be determined by the Comprehensive Counseling and   Guidance Specialist and Coordinator at USOE.

  3.E  All candidates for a Utah Counselor (K-12) License Area of Concentration must pass the PRAXIS   0420 test prior to receiving the license area. Information regarding this test, including how to   register to take the test, can be found at www.ets.org.

RENEWAL
Renewal license candidates follow the same procedures for license renewal as teachers. Forms and directions can be found at http://www.schools.utah.gov/cert/require/renewal/renewal.htm  Professional school counselors applying to move from a Level 1 Endorsement to a Level 2 Endorsement will have met the requirements for EYE after three years of successful employment as a school counselor as determined by their supervisor and by their district.

Updated February 4, 2010