Become Certified in the Student Services Area

To BECOME CERTIFIED in the Student Services areas (School Counselor, School Psychological Examiner or School Psychologist) in Missouri:

You have completed a student services program from another state and wish to become certified in Missouri

An applicant who completed a student services degree program in another state and possesses a valid professional Student Services certificate in that state may be granted a Missouri certificate in an area most closely aligned to the certification if Missouri issues such certificate. If an educator is completing or has completed a student services program in another state (either on campus or online), it would be beneficial to obtain that state's certificate whether one plans to reside in that state or not. In most cases, a Missouri certificate is issued with no further coursework or test requirements.

• Complete the online Non-Missouri Graduate application.
• Submit remaining items on the Non-Missouri Graduate Application Checklist in one packet to:

Educator Certification
P.O. Box 480
Jefferson City, MO 65102

• Note: We do not accept faxed or emailed application materials.
• If you have out-of-state student services experience, you will need to complete the Verification of Experience form.
• As noted within the checklist, if your out-of-state professional Student Services certificate has expired, or if you never held an out-of-state certificate, you must provide an institutional recommendation from the certification officer at the college or university where you completed your student services program. The recommendation form can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate button when completing the online Non-Missouri Graduate Application. The form should be mailed back to you to be included in your packet. Submission of an institutional recommendation does not guarantee immediate issuance of a Missouri certificate.

You are completing a student services program (School Counselor, School Psychological Examiner, School Psychologist) at a Missouri institution

• An Initial Student Services Certificate (ISS) is the first certificate a new student services provider receives. A minimum of a master's degree from a college or university having a student services program approved by DESE is required. The applicant must have a recommendation for certification from the designated official at the college or university where the program was completed. Applicants for School Counselor and School Psychologist must obtain Missouri's passing score on the appropriate assessment(s).
• Complete one (1) online Initial application and submit it to the Missouri institution where you completed your student services program. The institution will complete their portion and then forward the application to DESE for processing. If you have not received a fingerprint background clearance within the past 12 months, you will need to do so.
• The application processing time is dependent on receipt of background clearance, institution recommendation, official transcripts, and current DESE workload. Your application status can be monitored online at the bottom of your profile screen and it is beneficial to the expediency of processing that you utilize this mode of checking the status of your certification.

You have not completed a student services program and are looking for information on how to become certified in a Student Services area

DESE does not evaluate transcripts for student service areas of certification.  Please contact a Missouri college or university with an approved student services program for further advisement.