School Counseling, EdM
A master’s in school counseling can prepare you to help K–12 students fulfill their academic, social and vocational goals.
Address the Big Issues
Prepare to support K-12 youth in overcoming challenges like peer pressure, mental health and social media while building educational, vocational and personal-social skills. UB’s master’s program in school counseling equips you with the strategies to implement comprehensive counseling programs and meet New York State certification requirements, making a meaningful impact on students' lives.
Driven to Lead
At just 28, Joelle Formato (EdM ’15) founded Persistence Preparatory Academy on Buffalo’s East Side to tackle the educational disparities she witnessed during her time with Teach for America. Her path—from aspiring accountant to school counselor, teacher, and ultimately charter school leader—was shaped by experiences that underscored the power of early education and a strengths-based approach. Today, Persistence Prep serves more than 378 K-8 students, instilling the value of persistence as a foundation for academic and lifelong success.
Points of Distinction
You will begin working with students starting in your first semester at UB. By the time you complete this program, you will have gained counseling experience at both the K–8 and 9–12 grade levels.
Partnerships with more than 100 placement sites mean you’ll get hands-on experience in a range of diverse settings. When you match that with our unwavering commitment to social justice, equity and diversity, you’ll build new skills and perspectives that will help shape your counseling career.
While your classes will delve into case studies on school counseling, career development and counseling theory, you’ll start building hands-on experience as early as your first semester. Eventually, you’ll amass over 750 hours of in-school contact, working in classrooms, small groups and one-on-one.
Program Overview
Find details about application deadlines and requirements, courses and more. Have questions? Contact our admissions office.
| Academic credential granted | Master of Education (EdM) |
|---|---|
| Credits required for completion | 61 |
| Time to completion | 4 semesters + 2 summers (full-time) |
| Location | On campus |
| Experiential contact hours | 750 hours in schools |
| Application deadline | Summer: March 10 |
Summer 1 (6 credits)
- CEP 653 Foundations of Counseling Theory
- CEP 680 Career Development
Fall 1 (12 credits)
- CEP 596 Fieldwork: School Counseling
- CEP 618 Principles of Counseling Practice
- CEP 644 Counseling With Children and Adolescents
- CEP 645 Introduction to School Counseling
Spring 1 (13 credits)
- CEP 588 College and Career Readiness: Interventions and Choice
- CEP 597 Counseling Practicum: School Counseling
- CEP 634 Multicultural Counseling
- CEP 658 Introduction to Group Work
Summer 2 (6 credits)
- CEP 503 Tests and Measurement
- CEP 532 Understanding Statistical Research
Fall 2 (12 credits)
- CEP 505 Group Work in the Schools
- CEP 600 Internship: School Counseling
- CEP 638 Social Justice Counseling and Advocacy in Schools
Spring 2 (12 credits)
- CEP 600 Internship: School Counseling
- CEP 648 Leading and Evaluating Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
- CEP 664 Process of Consultation
Standardized Testing No Longer Required
To make the application process more equitable, the GRE/MAT is no longer required for admissions consideration. If you still plan to take the GRE/MAT exam, you can send your scores through the testing agency, and they will automatically be added to your application; however, they are not required for admission consideration to this program.
You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
Submit your completed online application, which includes:
- Application fee: A $50 non-refundable application fee, submitted electronically through UB's ePayment system.
- You will be asked on the application to write two 150-word statements on your experience working with children and adolescents, and with diverse populations.
- Contact information for at least three individuals who will each be asked to provide an electronic recommendation letter.
- Unofficial transcripts from all colleges attended. (UB transcripts are automatically submitted for current UB students and alumni.)
- Statement of education and career goals: In 750-1200 words, write a statement that clearly explains why you would like to be a school counselor and what led you to this career path. How will attending UB help you to achieve your current and future educational and career goals?
- Resume
Admission Interview: An interview is required to be considered for admission to this program.
Former/Birth Name: Please provide us with your former/birth name if you have one. When requesting transcripts, please ask the sending institution to indicate your current name and former/birth name.
Admission Decision: The admission decision will be communicated to you as soon as review is complete. The decision is based on a number of factors and is the result of a thorough and deliberate process. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
In-State Residency Tuition
To qualify for the in-state residency tuition rate, you must provide residency documentation indicating you have lived in New York State (NYS) 12 months before your semester start date.
If accepted, you will need to upload three documents to qualify for the in-state tuition rate. See Required Documents for Residency Application for more information.
International Applicant Additional Requirements
- Official original proof of your degree
- A copy of your passport biographical page
- Official test scores—dated within two years of submitting your application—for either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic Test, the PTE (Pearson Test of English) Academic, or DET (Duolingo English Test).
- TOEFL minimum score is 250 for the computer-based test, 600 for the paper-based test and 4 for the internet-based test (1–6 grading scale). For scores before 2026, the minimum internet-based test score is 79.
- IELTS Academic Test minimum score is 6.5 overall
- PTE minimum score is 55 overall
- DET minimum score is 120 overall
- Financial documentation: International graduate applicants must document their ability to pay for all costs incurred while studying in the U.S.
- An official bank statement
All financial forms and supporting documentation with required signatures must be uploaded with your application and dated within one year of your intended enrollment date.
Graduates go on to become school counselors in K–12 schools.
Changes to Provisional School Counselor Certificates
Provisional School Counselor certificates will no longer be issued after February 1, 2023. Individuals must apply and meet all of the requirements for Provisional School Counselor certification by this date. The Provisional Renewal and Permanent School Counselor certificates will continue to be issued until a date determined by the New York State Education Department.
Effective February 2, 2023, individuals can apply for the Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates. The Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates will have different requirements than the Provisional and Permanent School Counselor certificates.
- This program awards the EdM degree upon completion of 61 graduate credits.
- Upon completion of the EdM, you are eligible to apply for initial certification in New York State.
- After completing the EdM, obtaining initial certification and completing three years of appropriate experience, you are eligible to receive professional certification in New York State.
- New York State certification is done online at: highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach
New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. SUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these state requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public.
Per U.S. Federal Regulations, §668.14 and §668.43 and in compliance with the SARA Policy Manual version 25.2, December 16, 2025, the University at Buffalo provides the disclosure(s) on this page related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification for academic programs leading to professional licensure to meet the educational requirements for licensure in states where UB students reside. These disclosures do not provide any guarantee that any particular state licensure or certification entity will approve or deny your application. Students are responsible for understanding and complying with all applicable state certification and licensure requirements. Professional licensure/certification requirements vary from state to state, which may affect a student's ability to apply for a professional licensure/certification upon completion of the educational program, prior to licensure. Furthermore, these disclosures do not account for changes in state law or regulation that may affect your application for licensure and occur after these disclosures have been made.
Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where “distance education” students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The school counseling EdM program at the University at Buffalo (UB) is registered by the New York State Education Department and thus meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification for New York State. Through a good faith effort, and for the purpose of complying with the federal regulation, we have determined that the school counseling EdM program at UB meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the state of New York; however, it is important to note that UB is not the licensure/certification authority in these U.S. States and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in these U.S. States and instead each individual candidate must contact the licensure/certification authority in the U.S. State in which they are seeking licensure/certification to obtain guidance on the application policies and procedures for licensure/certification.
After successful completion of our EdM in school counseling program requirements, students are eligible to apply for initial certification in New York State. The New York State Education Department requires an EdM degree and a passing score on the NYS School Counselor CST (193) exam for initial certification. After completing the EdM, passing the state exam, obtaining initial certification and completing three years of appropriate school counseling experience, graduates are eligible to receive professional certification in New York State.
