Requirements for Florida School Counselor Certification

To be eligible for Florida State Certification in School Counseling, specific courses and experiences are required. Unless the student has met the requirements in another way, these courses and experiences are included in the student's planned program. This guide is intended to help you meet the FL DOE criteria. Professional education requirements are subject to change by the State. It is the student's responsibility to remained informed.

Students with a current Florida State Teaching Certificate must:

  1. Complete required course work in the student's planned program
  2. Pass the Florida State Certification Exam for School Counselors*

Students without a current Florida State Teaching Certificate must:

  1. Pass the Florida Teacher Certification Professional Skills Exam - Professional Education*
  2. Pass the Florida State Certification Exam for School Counselors Test - Guidance and Counseling PK–12*
  3. Pass the General Knowledge* test (if the CLAST exam was taken after July 1, 2002) (*No longer required for the restricted certificate - see FLDOE website for details)
  4. Complete the following teacher education prerequisites:
    1. Choose 1 ESOL course:
      • TSL 5345 Methods of Teaching ESOL
    2. Choose 1 Reading course:
      • RED 6361 Teaching Secondary and Middle School Reading

*Note: Florida Department of Education and FAU College of Education requires that students provide passing scores on the state certification exams (FTCE) to FAU Student Services and Counselor Ed office before being cleared for graduation.

  • Students must submit proof of FTCE registration along with Practicum applications
  • Students must submit proof of passing FTCE score results along with Internship applications

It is the student's responsibility to meet with their faculty advisor to plan their academic program of study and to ensure all DOE certification requirements are met. Students must make direct application to the Florida DOE Division of Certification, request the certification they are seeking and apply to take the exam.

Helpful link(s):

For further assistance, please contact the Bureau of Teacher Certification (Toll Free 1-800-445-6739).