What makes us unique? 

• Achieving the Ed.S. degree puts you one step ahead of all other applicants in Virginia and your unique project makes you stand out as a candidate. Many school systems’ pay scales reflect an increase in salary for the Ed.S. degree.
• During program, you can take only one additional course to fulfill the current academic requirements for the LPC in Virginia. Most of our students take advantage of this opportunity so they can eventually be licensed in school counseling and earn their LPC.
• Our employer survey shows 100 percent agreement that our student are well-prepared and school systems are happy with the performance of our graduates.

Through our student-centered approach, we develop compassionate and skilled counselors. Our graduates are well-prepared to serve diverse youth and to become leaders in K-12 school communities.

The School Counseling Program requires 60 credit hours for completion of the Master of Education/Educational Specialist (M.Ed./Ed.S.) degree and is obtainable in two calendar years if students begin their coursework in the summer. This program enables graduates to become licensed school counselors in elementary, middle, and secondary schools and is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Our unique program includes: training in social-emotional learning, including mindfulness-based interventions in schools with experienced faculty; emphasis on trauma-sensitive schools; addressing the needs of special education populations; inter-professional collaboration training with key school-based professions; and learning hands-on creative interventions for children and adolescents. Our school counseling faculty members are Licensed School Counselors with many years of school-based experience.

We offer small, experiential classes that rarely involve more than eight to ten students. Our dynamic and student-focused faculty members have been the recipients of national ACES awards, along with numerous other honors at the regional, state, university, college, and department levels. Students receive consistent feedback and supervision throughout their training. We place great emphasis on personal and professional growth and the practical application of skills at our school-based community internship sites. School counseling students are placed at all three levels in K-12 settings throughout their practicum and internship experiences.

During the 2025-2026 academic year, 19 students were enrolled in the School Counseling Program at James Madison University. The total number of graduates during this academic year was eight. In recent years, we have typically admitted 8-12 students into the School Counseling Program each summer session. Our full-time students complete the program in two calendar years, which includes two summer school sessions, and our part-time students usually complete the program in four calendar years. Our combined completion rate for full-time and part-time students in the School Counseling Program has been 100 percent during the last three years. Our 60-credit-hour curriculum fulfills all the coursework, practicum, and internship requirements in order to qualify as a Licensed School Counselor in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Therefore, 100% of the School Counseling graduates automatically qualify for licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Eighty-five percent of the alumni who reported their employment status to the program are employed in an occupation that is closely related to school counseling, and in the last three years that percentage is 100 percent between the time before graduation and the start of the new school year.

View the School Counseling Program 2024-2025 Annual Report