How to Become a Kansas School Counselor
To become a school counselor in Kansas, you’ll need a graduate degree from a KSDE-approved school counseling program and a GPA of at least 3.25. You’ll also need a score of 156 or higher on the Praxis School Counselor (5422) exam and a background check. You don’t need a teaching license, but non-teachers complete extra field experience in schools.
Kansas Links
Kansas has two routes to school counselor licensure: one for licensed teachers and one for people coming from other fields. Either way, you’ll earn a School Specialist license from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). The job covers students from pre-K through grade 12. Projections Central, the U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored source for state projections, estimates about 250 school and career counselor openings a year in Kansas (2024-2034). Most of those openings come from replacing counselors who retire or move on. Use the navigation below to find your starting point.
I’m a High School Graduate…
You’ve got time to be intentional about this. Whether or not you ever earn a teaching license, you’ll need a graduate degree in school counseling from a KSDE-approved program. That’s the foundation for both Kansas pathways, so it helps to understand them before you choose an undergraduate direction.
Most school counseling programs accept students from a range of undergraduate majors, including psychology, sociology, education, social work, and human services. No specific bachelor’s major is required, which gives you flexibility in how you spend your undergraduate years.
Before you commit to graduate school, find ways to spend real time in schools. Volunteer in a classroom, tutor, or take a paraprofessional job in a local district. School counselors spend much of their day in hard conversations with struggling students, worried parents, and stretched-thin teachers. Seeing that up close early will tell you whether you want to build a career there.
I’ve Already Earned a College Degree…
This is where most people reading this page are starting. Your first question is whether you hold a Kansas teaching license, because that decides which path applies to you.
It also helps to know how Kansas licenses school counselors. There are three stages. A provisional license can let you work in a counseling job before you finish your program, under specific conditions. An initial license comes after you complete your program and meet KSDE’s application requirements. A professional license comes after a year of state-approved on-the-job mentoring. KSDE lays out each stage on its license information and application page.
Path 1: Teaching License Holders
If you already hold a Kansas teaching license, you’re on the more direct route. Here’s what the process looks like.
Step 1: Earn a graduate degree from a KSDE-approved program
Complete a school counseling program and keep a GPA of at least 3.25 in your program coursework. This isn’t just an admission standard. It’s a KSDE licensure requirement. Your university’s licensure officer can map out your plan of study. See the Kansas program list below.
Step 2: Pass the Praxis School Counselor exam (5422)
Kansas requires the Praxis School Counselor exam (5422) with a minimum score of 156. That cut score is a Kansas requirement, not a national one. ETS doesn’t set passing scores. Each state sets its own, so a score that qualifies you elsewhere won’t automatically meet the Kansas bar. You’ll register and schedule through the ETS website. Confirm the current code and score on ETS’s Kansas requirements page before you register.
Step 3: Check your fingerprint requirement
KSDE requires fingerprints and a clear background check before it issues any Kansas educator license. You’ll need to submit a new set if this is your first Kansas license or if you’re renewing an expired one. You’ll also need them if you’ve never submitted fingerprints with a past Kansas application. If you’ve been licensed in Kansas before, check the KSDE fingerprinting page to see whether your situation calls for new prints.
Step 4: Apply for your Initial School Specialist license
Submit your application through the Kansas Licensure Application System (KLAS) and pay the processing fee. In addition to program completion, your GPA, and your Praxis score, KSDE asks you to show recent experience or coursework. That means at least one year of recent accredited work experience or at least eight semester hours of recent college coursework. Ask your university’s licensure officer how your program coursework counts toward that requirement. Processing times vary, so check KLAS and KSDE for current turnaround before you plan around a start date.
Once you’re working under the initial license, you’ll complete a one-year mentoring program approved by the Kansas State Board of Education. You’ll do it while serving as a school counselor in an accredited system. That’s how you advance to the Professional School Specialist license. For renewal details, see the Kansas school counselor certification page.
Path 2: Direct Entry (No Teaching License Required)
Don’t have a teaching license? That’s not a barrier in Kansas. KSDE’s direct entry pathway, sometimes still called parallel pathways, is designed for people with backgrounds in psychology, social work, healthcare, and other non-teaching fields.
Consider Priya. She has a bachelor’s in psychology and spent two years as a paraprofessional at a middle school in Wichita. She wants to be a school counselor but has no teaching license and no plans to get one. Under direct entry, she doesn’t need one. She enrolls in a KSDE-approved program and completes extra field experience in schools alongside her coursework. Then she passes the Praxis and applies to KLAS for her Initial School Specialist license. In her first year on the job, she completes the same state-approved mentoring program every new Kansas counselor does.
The core requirements match Path 1: a graduate degree, a 3.25 GPA, a Praxis score of 156, recent experience or coursework, fingerprinting, and a KLAS application. The difference is the field experience.
KSDE requires school counselor applicants without a teaching license to complete additional field experiences during their training. That’s two courses or 70 clock hours over two semesters. Programs schedule these hours differently, so ask each one how it fits them in before you enroll, especially if you’re working full time.
KSDE also offers a provisional school specialist license, which can let you start working as a counselor before you finish your program. To qualify, you’ll need to submit:
- Proof that you’ve completed at least 50% of your school specialist program coursework.
- A deficiency plan from your college or university showing the courses you still need to finish.
- Verification that you’re employed in a school counseling position.
- Confirmation from your employer that a licensed school counselor will supervise you during the provisional period.
- A completed provisional license application.
Without a teaching license, you’ll also need verification from your college that you’ve finished part of the extra field experience. That’s at least one 3-credit course or 35 of the 70 required clock hours. You’ll also need on-site supervision during your first semester. Rules can change, so confirm current eligibility with KSDE or your university licensure officer before you count on this route.
Choosing a School Counseling Program in Kansas
KSDE doesn’t require CACREP accreditation for licensure. What Kansas requires is completion of a KSDE-approved school counselor preparation program, and KSDE publishes its approved educator preparation programs by content area. CACREP is still worth looking for. It’s the national standard for counseling education and a signal that a program’s curriculum and fieldwork meet recognized benchmarks. Five Kansas programs hold it: Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, MidAmerica Nazarene University, and Wichita State University. K-State’s entry-level school counseling degree is an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) rather than a master’s. Wichita State’s current CACREP accreditation runs through October 31, 2029. You can compare all five Kansas school counseling programs side by side on our Kansas overview page.
I’m a Certified Counselor from Another State…
Kansas changed its out-of-state licensing rules in 2026. In June 2026, the Kansas State Board of Education voted to adjust requirements for out-of-state school specialist candidates, a group that includes school counselors. Under the adjusted rules, a school specialist license requires a graduate degree, an unencumbered license, an application and fee, and a background check and fee.
KSDE’s announcement didn’t include a start date, and its online application details may take time to align with the board’s vote. Before you apply, confirm the current out-of-state checklist with KSDE’s licensure office at (785) 296-2288. You’ll apply through KLAS.
For renewal requirements and the full out-of-state process, see the Kansas renewal and out-of-state licensing details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a teaching license to become a school counselor in Kansas?
No. If you don’t hold a teaching license, KSDE requires extra field experience during your program instead: two courses or 70 clock hours over two semesters. The rest of the requirements match the teacher path. After you’re hired, you’ll complete the same one-year mentoring program every new counselor does to earn the professional license.
Can you be a school counselor in Kansas with a bachelor’s degree?
Not on a bachelor’s alone. Kansas requires a graduate degree from a KSDE-approved school counseling program. Your bachelor’s is what gets you into that program, and it doesn’t have to be in education. Working as a paraprofessional or in a youth services role while you apply can give you useful school experience.
How long does it take to become a school counselor in Kansas?
Most Kansas programs run about 60 credit hours. Emporia State says most of its students take one to two courses a semester and finish in about 2 1/2 to 3 years. Full-time students can move faster. If cost shapes your pace, see how to pay for a school counseling master’s degree. After that, plan for a one-year mentoring program once you’re hired, your first year as a counselor.
Can I work as a school counselor while I’m still in my program?
Possibly, through a provisional school specialist license. You’ll need to have completed at least half of your program coursework and be employed in a counseling position. You’ll also need a deficiency plan from your university and your employer’s confirmation that a licensed school counselor will supervise you. Without a teaching license, you’ll also need one 3-credit field experience course or 35 of the 70 required hours done, plus on-site supervision your first semester. Confirm current rules with KSDE or your licensure officer.
What GPA do I need for Kansas school counselor licensure?
KSDE requires at least a 3.25 GPA on a 4.0 scale in your school specialist program coursework. That’s a state requirement, not just a program standard. If your grades slip below that line, talk to your advisor early. Most programs will flag it long before you reach the license application.
- No teaching license required: Non-teachers complete two extra field experience courses or 70 clock hours over two semesters instead.
- Kansas sets its own Praxis bar: You’ll need a 156 or higher on the Praxis School Counselor (5422), a Kansas-specific cut score.
- Approved program, not just accreditation: KSDE requires an approved preparation program. CACREP accreditation is a useful extra, not a licensure rule.
- Plan for a mentoring year: Every new counselor completes a one-year state-approved mentoring program on the job to reach the professional license.
- Steady openings: Projections Central estimates about 250 school and career counselor openings a year in Kansas (2024-2034).
Not a teacher? Ask every program how it handles Kansas direct entry field experience before you apply. Then compare your options with your licensure plan in mind.
