How to Become a School Counselor in Alabama
To become a school counselor in Alabama, you’ll need a master’s degree in school counseling, a 100-hour practicum, a 600-hour internship, and a Praxis School Counselor (5422) score of 159. Certified educators can use a state-approved program. Non-teachers can qualify through the CACREP route without a teaching certificate. Both lead to the Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate.
Alabama Links
Where are you in the process? Use the links below to jump to your starting point.
Whether you’re just starting to explore the career or you’re ready to apply to graduate programs, the steps below walk you through what Alabama actually requires. The first thing to figure out is which certification route fits your background. Questions? Contact your program advisor or the ALSDE Educator Certification Section at (334) 694-4557.
Two Routes to Alabama School Counselor Certification
Alabama gives you two ways into school counseling. The right one depends mostly on whether you’re already a certified educator. Both end at the same credential, the Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate, issued by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE). That two-route setup is specific to Alabama. Other states use different pathways, credential names, and certifying agencies.
| Requirement | State-Approved Program Route | CACREP Route |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Certified educators | Anyone with a bachelor’s degree, including career changers |
| Teaching certificate before admission | Required (or a master’s-level certificate in another instructional support area) | Not required |
| Prior P-12 work experience | One full year of full-time experience, before admission | Not required |
| Program | An Alabama school counseling program approved by the State Board of Education | A master’s-level CACREP-accredited school counseling program at a regionally accredited institution |
| Field experience | 100-hour practicum and 600-hour internship | 100-hour practicum and 600-hour internship |
| Exam | Praxis School Counselor (5422), score of 159 | Praxis School Counselor (5422), score of 159 |
| Credential earned | Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate | Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate |
Picture Dana, a psychology grad who’s spent three years working in HR in Huntsville. She’s never taught. On the state-approved route, she’d need a teaching certificate and a full year of school experience before a program would admit her. On the CACREP route, she can apply to a CACREP-accredited school counseling master’s program with just her bachelor’s degree. Then she finishes her practicum and internship, passes the Praxis, and applies for the same Class A certificate. Admission rules vary by program, so she’d ask each one whether it takes applicants without a teaching certificate. For someone like Dana, the program she picks decides whether she can get certified at all.
CACREP-Accredited School Counseling Programs in Alabama
Alabama has 10 CACREP-accredited school counseling programs. Nine are in the table below, and one is named after it. The CACREP route accepts graduates of any master’s-level CACREP-accredited program at a regionally accredited institution, so yours doesn’t have to be in Alabama. Our state tables are ordered by program size, not quality. Troy University’s program is offered in an online, low-residency format, which CACREP confirms.
| Institution | City | Degree | Accredited Through | Master’s Graduates (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of West Alabama | Livingston | M.Ed./M.S. | March 31, 2032 | 77 |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | M.Ed. | March 31, 2028 | 38 |
| Auburn University | Auburn | M.Ed. | October 31, 2027 | 27 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | M.Ed. | March 31, 2031 | 23 |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | M.S. | March 31, 2027 | 21 |
| Troy University | Troy | M.S.Ed. | October 31, 2032 | 7 |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery | M.Ed. | October 31, 2027 | 6 |
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | M.A. | October 31, 2028 | 4 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | M.Ed. | April 30, 2034 | 4 |
Alabama State University’s M.Ed. in Montgomery is also CACREP-accredited, through October 31, 2030. It didn’t report any master’s graduates under this code for 2023, so it’s named here instead of placed in the order.
Six of these programs carry a CACREP status other than plain Accredited, and all six remain accredited. Auburn University, Auburn University at Montgomery, Jacksonville State University, and the University of Montevallo are listed as Accredited with reaffirmation in process, which means CACREP is reviewing them for renewal. The University of North Alabama and the University of West Alabama are listed as Accredited with a progress report required, which means CACREP has asked each for a follow-up report. Three accreditation cycles end in 2027: Jacksonville State on March 31, and Auburn and Auburn Montgomery on October 31. You can confirm any program’s current status in the CACREP directory before you apply.
Admission rules differ by program, so ask each one how it treats applicants without a teaching certificate. Troy University requires a valid teaching certificate or the Alabama Department of Education non-certificate option, so ask Troy which route applies to you. The University of West Alabama’s M.Ed. requires an existing teaching certificate. Applicants without one use its parallel 60-credit M.S. in Guidance and Counseling.
How this table was built. Every program here is accredited by CACREP as a School Counseling program, verified against the CACREP register on September 30, 2026. Any program whose CACREP status shows a teach-out, closure, show-cause or withdrawal is excluded, because a reader cannot reliably enroll in it. Programs are ordered by the number of master’s graduates each university reported to the federal IPEDS survey for 2023 under CIP code 13.1101, which measures size, not quality. That count covers the whole university, so a school running more than one school counseling master’s reports them together, and a low count can mean some graduates are reported under a different code. Treat the order as a rough guide to size rather than a ranking. Programs with the same count are listed alphabetically. Where a university reports no graduates under that code we name it below the table rather than place it in the order. CACREP accreditation is not the same as state approval: check the Alabama requirements for school counselor certification before you enroll.
I’m a High School Graduate
If you’re still in high school or just finished, you’ve got a longer path ahead, but it’s a well-worn one. Start by thinking about your undergraduate degree.
Step One: Earn a bachelor’s degree.
You don’t need to major in school counseling at this stage. Many school counselors start out in psychology, education, social work, or sociology. What matters is that you earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Your graduate program will provide specialized counseling training.
One decision is worth making early. If you think you’d like to teach first, an education degree sets you up for Alabama’s state-approved route. If you’d rather go straight into counseling, the CACREP route doesn’t require a teaching background.
Step Two: Explore the field before you commit.
Volunteering with young people is one of the best ways to find out whether this career fits you. A few Alabama organizations worth looking into:
- Alabama MENTOR connects volunteers with mentoring opportunities across the state
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tennessee Valley
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Gulf Coast
- The Alabama Public and Private School Listing, for finding schools near you to ask about volunteer opportunities
Spending time in a school environment, even informally, sharpens your sense of whether school counseling is where you want to land. Teaching, school psychology, and administration are all related paths worth considering, too.
I Have a College Degree
This is the most common starting point. Here’s what Alabama requires for the Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate.
Step One: Choose your route, then your program.
Use the routes table above to decide which path fits your background. If you’re not a certified educator, you’ll need a CACREP-accredited program. If you are, either route works.
Current CACREP standards require at least 60 semester credits for entry-level counseling programs, and Alabama doesn’t impose 60 credits as a state certification minimum. Credit totals still vary by program, so compare them directly, along with format and field placement support.
Step Two: Meet the admission requirements for your route.
On the state-approved route, you’ll need a valid professional educator certificate before you’re admitted. That can be a bachelor’s- or master’s-level certificate in a teaching field, or a master’s-level certificate in another instructional support area. You’ll also need one full year of full-time P-12 professional educational work experience. To finish, you’ll need at least a 3.0 GPA across your program courses. Alabama-approved school counseling programs also require a Survey of Special Education course if you haven’t already satisfied that requirement.
On the CACREP route, Alabama doesn’t require a teaching certificate or prior school experience. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree and whatever your program requires for admission. Once you’re unconditionally admitted to a qualifying CACREP-accredited school counseling program, you may be eligible to work under an Interim Employment Certificate. That certificate is requested by an employing Alabama school system or eligible nonpublic-school administrator, not by you. Candidates on this route should also confirm with ALSDE whether the Survey of Special Education requirement applies to their application.
Step Three: Complete your practicum (100 clock hours).
In Alabama, the practicum is at least 100 clock hours in a school setting. At least 40 of those hours must be supervised direct individual and group counseling with elementary and secondary students. CACREP standards use the same minimums, so both routes land in the same place. Your program coordinates the placement.
Step Four: Complete your supervised internship (600 clock hours).
The internship is the centerpiece of your field training. Alabama requires at least 600 clock hours in elementary and secondary school settings, begun after you finish the practicum, with at least 240 of those hours spent in direct service with students. Your internship supervisor must hold a valid master’s-level professional educator certificate in school counseling and be employed as a school counselor.
Much of that direct-service time happens during the school day. If you work full time, talk with your program early about how other students have scheduled it.
Step Five: Complete a background check.
Alabama requires fingerprint-based criminal history checks through the State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. You’ll register for the background check in ALSDE’s AIM Identity Management portal, then schedule your fingerprinting with Fieldprint, the state’s approved vendor. Some programs require clearance before you start field placements, so don’t leave this for the end.
Step Six: Pass the Praxis School Counselor test.
Alabama requires the Praxis School Counselor test (5422) under its Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP), with a qualifying score of 159. That test replaced the older 5421 version, and Alabama doesn’t currently require a separate basic skills test for this certificate. Register through ETS and list ALSDE as a score recipient using Alabama’s ETS reporting code, 7020. ALSDE applies the testing requirements in effect on the date it receives your application, so confirm them before you test.
Step Seven: Apply for your certificate through ALSDE.
How you apply depends on your route. ALSDE’s Educator Certification Section handles both, and it’s moving its certification processes online, so check the current instructions on Alabama Achieves before you submit anything.
State-approved program route. Your application uses ALSDE’s Form NAL, and your Alabama university submits Supplement NA1, its recommendation for certification. ALSDE still accepts paper applications for this route, and online payments go through AIM. If you’re mailing, the address is P.O. Box 302101, Montgomery, AL 36130-2101.
CACREP route. Create an AIM account and apply through ACE, ALSDE’s online certification application system. You’ll need the $38 application fee, background clearance, citizenship or lawful-presence verification, and official transcripts. You’ll also need Supplement KR1, completed by your university to verify you finished a CACREP-accredited school counseling program, and a qualifying Praxis 5422 score.
Questions about either route go to the certification office at (334) 694-4557.
How long does this take?
There’s no official state timeline, but on the CACREP route most people should plan on six to seven years from the start of college. That’s four years for a bachelor’s and two to three years for the master’s, with the practicum and internship built in. The state-approved route usually takes longer, because you’ll need a teaching certificate and a full year of school experience before you’re admitted. If you already have your bachelor’s degree, the CACREP route typically takes two to three more years. If you’re curious about what Alabama school counselors earn once they’re in the field, that data is on the salary page.
I’m a Teacher in Alabama
If you’re already teaching in Alabama, you can take either route. The state-approved route was built for you. Your teaching certificate and one full year of full-time P-12 experience meet the admission requirements. To finish, you’ll complete the practicum and internship, keep a 3.0 program GPA, and pass Praxis 5422. Alabama-approved programs also require the Survey of Special Education course if you haven’t already satisfied it.
A CACREP-accredited program works too, and it doesn’t depend on your teaching certificate at all. Either way, many programs offer evening or hybrid coursework designed around a teaching schedule. The internship is usually the harder piece to fit around a full classroom load, so ask programs how current teachers typically handle it.
Contact a school counseling program advisor or the ALSDE Educator Certification Section at (334) 694-4557 with specific questions about how your current credentials apply.
I’m a Certified Counselor From Another State
Alabama recognizes valid educator certificates from other states, DC, U.S. territories, and DoDEA, but you’ll still need to meet its experience and testing requirements. The Alabama school counselor certification page explains how reciprocity works, and Alabama Achieves outlines the out-of-state certificate process.
Keeping Your Certificate Active
Alabama certificates renew on a five-year cycle, and the certification page covers current renewal requirements, including changes that took effect for 2026-27.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a teaching certificate to become a school counselor in Alabama?
Not if you take the CACREP route. Alabama certifies graduates of master’s-level CACREP-accredited school counseling programs without a teaching certificate or prior teaching experience. The state-approved program route is different. It requires a teaching certificate and one full year of P-12 experience before admission. Individual programs also set their own admission rules, so ask each one whether it takes applicants without a teaching certificate.
Can I work as a school counselor while I’m still in my program?
Possibly. If you’re unconditionally admitted to a qualifying CACREP-accredited school counseling program, you may be eligible to work under an Interim Employment Certificate. An employing Alabama school system or eligible nonpublic-school administrator has to request it, and you’ll be assigned a mentor. Each renewal of the certificate requires documented progress in your program.
How many practicum and internship hours does Alabama require?
Alabama requires a practicum of at least 100 clock hours, including at least 40 hours of supervised direct counseling with elementary and secondary students. After that comes an internship of at least 600 clock hours, with at least 240 hours of direct service with students. Your internship supervisor must hold a master’s-level school counseling certificate and be employed as a school counselor.
How long does it take to become a school counselor in Alabama?
On the CACREP route, plan on about six to seven years from the start of college, or two to three years if you already have a bachelor’s degree. The state-approved route usually takes longer because it requires a teaching certificate and a full year of school experience before admission. These are typical timelines, not state requirements.
Do I need an LPC to work as a school counselor in Alabama?
Not simply to work as a school counselor. An Alabama LPC license isn’t required to work as a counselor in a public or private educational institution. School counselors need the Alabama educator credential instead, the Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate from ALSDE. The LPC is a separate license from the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling, and it may be required for counseling work outside that school employment, such as private practice.
From First-Grade Teacher to State Counselor of the Year
Kimberly Jones started out teaching first grade at Tanner-Williams Elementary in Mobile County, then moved to fifth grade at Maryval Elementary before deciding to become a counselor. WKRG reported in December 2024 that she’d been named the Alabama School Counselor Association’s Counselor of the Year at Nan Gray Davis Elementary.
School officials pointed to the character education sessions she leads and the care closet and food-sharing program she runs. A classroom-to-counseling path like hers is the kind Alabama’s state-approved route is built around.
- The credential you’re working toward — the Class A School Counselor Professional Educator Certificate, issued by ALSDE.
- You don’t have to be a teacher — Alabama’s CACREP route certifies graduates of CACREP-accredited school counseling master’s programs without a teaching certificate, though individual programs set their own admission rules.
- Your program choice matters — on the CACREP route, the program’s accreditation decides your eligibility, so verify it before you apply.
- Field hours are substantial — a 100-hour practicum plus a 600-hour internship, with at least 240 hours of direct service with students.
- One exam — Alabama requires Praxis School Counselor (5422) with a qualifying score of 159.
If you’re not a certified teacher, a CACREP-accredited program is your path to Alabama certification, so check accreditation before you apply, and ask whether it takes applicants without a teaching certificate. If you’re already teaching, compare programs on both routes and ask how they schedule internships around a full classroom load.
