Mississippi School Counselor Certification

If you live in Mississippi and wish to pursue a career path making a difference in the lives of others, becoming a school counselor is an excellent way to do so. In this role, you’ll take on a range of responsibilities aimed at supporting students, both as individuals and as a school community as a whole.

In order to take on this high-impact, high-reward role, you’ll need Mississippi guidance counselor credentials, which indicate that you have the training and education needed to handle these significant responsibilities.

There are more than a half million public school students enrolled in 162 districts across Mississippi. School counselors in the state provide a variety of services for children in kindergarten through grade 12, including academic supports and services and skills training for transitioning to college and career. To read more about the Mississippi school counseling program, visit Mississippi Department of Education website.

So what do you need to be a guidance counselor in Mississippi? Your journey to certification (and the career that follows) will depend on your current level of education, as well as if you already hold guidance counselor credentials in another state. Skip down the page to the certification pathway you’re interested in:

• Initial School Counseling Certification
• Certification Renewal
• Certification Through Reciprocity
• Additional Certification Resources

Initial Mississippi School Counselor Certification

The first round of credentialing you will be eligible for is your Initial Mississippi School Counselor Certification. This is valid for five (5) years. For more information about the requirements for initial licenses, download the Guidelines of Mississippi Educator Licensure K-12.

Step 1: Education Requirements

In order to pursue counseling credentials, you must first complete your guidance counselor education. There are several degree pathways that are considered valid forms of guidance counselor schooling, such as a Master of School Counseling degree or a Master of Counseling Psychology degree with a specialization track in School Counseling. In addition to guidance counselor classes, these programs must include a year-long field internship designed to build practical skills and on-the-ground work experience for school counseling students. When selecting your program, be sure it explicitly is designed to qualify you for credentialing exams.  

Step 2: Examination Requirements

Once you have earned your master’s degree, congratulations! There is only one more significant hurdle between you and your school counseling career: your credentialing exams.

To obtain a School Counselor license in Mississippi, you must earn a score of 156 or greater on the Professional School Counselor Exam (ETS Test Code 5421). For more information about this exam, or to register for a test date, visit the Praxis website.

Step 3: Organize Your Application Materials

After earning your master’s degree and passing your credentialing exam, you can rest assured that the most challenging parts of the preparation process for school counselors are behind you. All that’s left is applying for your certification.

Fortunately, in Mississippi, there is no licensure application review fee, sparing you a cost that many states require incoming school counselors to pay. There is also no mandatory criminal background check, allowing you to bypass those additional fees as well as the hassle of the fingerprinting and vetting process.

Your application materials include the following:

• Completed profile and application through the Mississippi Educator Licensure System (ELMS) or submitted by mail. If you are submitting by mail, you can download an application at here
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities you have attended, including transfer credits that led to earned degree
• Proof of passing scores from Professional School Counselor Exam (ETS Test Code 5421)

Step 4: Submit Your Application

Having prepared your guidance counselor credential application, your final step is to submit it. School Counselor License applicants are encouraged to use the Educator Licensure Management System (ELMS) when submitting an application, located at here.

Supporting documents must be mailed in a single, complete packet to the following address:

Additional Information

If you need assistance with your School Counselor license application, you can call the Mississippi Department of Education license division at 601-359-3483. Specialists are available each weekday from 9 AM until 4 PM CST. You can also contact a specialist via email at [email protected].

Mississippi School Counselor Certification Renewal

Your initial school counselor certification will last five years from the date of issue, and each subsequent renewal will last five years as well.      Renewal applications are completed online and include the following materials:

• Completed Licensure Application with the Renewal of Five-Year License option selected (page 5), located here
• Proof of professional development activities:
  • Three (3) semester hours in content of job/skill related area from a regionally-accredited college or university; or
  • Five (5) continuing education units (CEUs) in content or job/skill related area; or
  • Completion of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) process for National Certified School Counselor (NCSC) credential

To read more about how to renew your license, visit the MDE website.

Additional Assistance

If you need additional information about renewing your Mississippi School Counselor license, you can contact a specialist at 601-359-3483 between 9 AM and 4 PM CST each Monday through Friday.

Mississippi School Counselor Certification Through Reciprocity

If you are a school counselor who is relocating to Mississippi having already secured credentials in another state, good news: you should be able to obtain your Mississippi guidance counselor credentials with ease. Mississippi allows school counselors to apply for a reciprocity license by providing the following materials:

• Completed profile and application through the Mississippi Educator Licensure System (ELMS), located here or submitted by mail. If you are submitting by mail, you can download an application here
• Official transcripts from all colleges/universities you have attended, including transfer credits that led to earned degree
• Current, valid out-of-state license. You must submit the original license, as photocopies are not accepted.
• Documentation showing a passing score on tests required for certification by the issuing state, or documentation that verifies your out-of-state license was obtained with requirements equivalent to current Mississippi license guidelines

Additional Assistance

If you have questions about your out-of-state application, contact the licensure division at the Mississippi Department of Education from 9 AM to 4 PM CST by calling 601-359-3483.

Mississippi School Counseling Certification Resources

For resources to assist you with continuing education and other career development opportunities, see the following websites:

• Mississippi School Counselor Association Facebook Page
• Mississippi Counseling Association
• American School Counselor Association
• National Board of Certified Counselors

FAQs

What degree do I need to be a guidance counselor in Mississippi?

There are a few degree pathways that meet qualifications for guidance counselor certification in Mississippi. These include a straightforward Master of School Counseling degree or specialization pathways within larger degree programs, such as a Master of Counseling Psychology or Master of Educational Psychology degree.

How long does it take to be a guidance counselor?

Assuming you already hold a bachelor’s degree, you will only have to complete a master’s program in order to qualify for your certification exams. If you choose to take it on a full-time schedule, your guidance counselor schooling will typically take 2.5 to three years to complete, including your mandatory field work hours, after which you will be ready to sit for your exams.

How much do guidance counselors make an hour in Mississippi?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi-based school counselors earn a mean hourly wage of $26.06. As a mean annual salary, this amounts to $53,850 per year. Guidance counselors can improve their pay by amassing experience in the field, as well as by pursuing additional certifications that can make them specialists who are qualified for more advanced – and therefore higher-compensated – positions.

Data taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2023 report, accessed March 2025.

How do I find school counselor jobs near me?

One of the great things about becoming a school counselor is that there are work opportunities in a huge number of K-12 schools, meaning you are likely to find jobs local to where you live. It’s worth noting that the BLS reports that Northeast Mississippi is one of the nonmetropolitan areas of the country with the highest employment rates for school counselors, with nearly 700 positions in the area. Those who live in the region or are willing to relocate to it may benefit from the work opportunities available in this part of the state.

Can I become a school counselor if I am trained as a school psychologist or a school social worker?

Possibly. Though they may overlap in some of their responsibilities, each of these different roles has slightly different training. The difference between school counseling vs. school psychology is in its emphasis: school counselors are trained to take on a variety of roles on a school campus, including but not limited to providing mental health counseling, while school psychologists are primarily experts in that very field. When it comes to a school counselor vs. school social worker, meanwhile, school social workers are chiefly concerned with monitoring students for signs of unsafe circumstances, such as poverty, neglect, and abuse; though this can be part of a school counselor’s job, it is not the primary emphasis of the work.

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