Director of School Counseling Services (Post-Master’s Certification)
The Director of School Counseling Services Certification authorizes the holder to serve as a director, administrator or supervisor of school counseling services, including the supervision of educational activities in areas related to and within the counseling program in grades preschool through 12.
You must have three years of experience to earn the Director of School Counseling Services Certification from the state of NJ, but you can apply to this program with less experience or with a provisional certificate in anticipation of meeting those NJ certification requirements. If you work in a private school, you can pursue this program without earning a certification from the state.
The Director of School Counseling certification program combines the fields of counseling and educational leadership, and therefore includes courses from both fields in the Department of Counseling and Educational Leadership. The program objectives reflect the fact that skills and dispositions from both are needed to be a successful leader of a comprehensive guidance program.
Along with the certificate in Director of School Counseling Services, the following degrees are also offered: Master’s degree in Addiction Counseling, Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Master’s degree in School Counseling, Master’s degree in Student Affairs/Counseling in Higher Education, and a PhD in Counseling.
Please refer to our programs of study page for a comprehensive list of all of the graduate programs offered within the university.
*F1/J1 visa seeking students are not eligible for this program.
- Master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university.
- A standard NJ educational services certificate with a school counseling endorsement or its out-of-state equivalent.
In order to make applying for graduate school as seamless as possible for you, we have
created an application checklist. This checklist can be a reference point for you during the
application process to ensure that you have a comprehensive understanding of the steps
needed to apply, as well as all corresponding supplemental materials for your specific
program of interest.
- Application Deadline: Rolling Admission.
- Submit Online Application: Please create your online account and submit your application by following the general application instructions and pay (or waive) the non-refundable $60 application fee. Once this step has been completed, the online portal will allow you to upload your supplemental materials.
The following is a list of the supplemental materials that will accompany your application for the Director of School Counseling Services Post-Master’s Certification program:
- Transcript: One from each college attended.
- Two Short Answer Questions (250-350 Words each). The prompts are:
- Describe a time when you demonstrated leadership in your school/district OR describe a challenge you have faced that has influenced your leadership approach.
- The Ed. Leadership Department at Montclair State University aims to prepare culturally responsive and anti-racist leaders who create more equitable schools and a more just society. Describe some ways you could contribute to supporting equity and diversity in your school/district.
- NJ School Counselor Certification (or out-of-state equivalent)
- Resume: Required.
- Applicants with non-U.S. degrees, please visit the International Applicants page to review the US degree equivalency information.
