Student Counseling
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Types of Degrees Student Counseling Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many student counseling graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Master’s Degree | 12,244 |
Graduate Certificate | 1,178 |
Doctor’s Degree | 418 |
What Student Counseling Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to student counseling were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Student Counseling Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Skills for Student Counseling Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to student counseling:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Abilities for Student Counseling Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a student counseling student include the following:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
What Can You Do With a Student Counseling Major?
People with a student counseling degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors | 12.6% | $56,310 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Student Counseling?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of student counseling majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 392 |
Black or African American | 1,449 |
Hispanic or Latino | 2,305 |
White | 6,837 |
International Students | 199 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,062 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Student Counseling. About 1.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- Canada
- Taiwan
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How Much Do Student Counseling Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in student counseling made a median starting salary of $42,986 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,076 (25th percentile) and $47,059 (75th percentile).
Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a student counseling degree.
Salaries According to BLS
Student Counseling majors often go into careers with median salaries of $60,160. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Student Counseling
Some degrees associated with student counseling may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to student counseling have obtained the following education levels.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 6.4% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0.3% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 0.3% |
Master’s Degree | 94.9% |
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 0.2% |
Online Student Counseling Programs
In the 2020-2021 academic year, 489 schools offered some type of student counseling program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 4 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 1 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 89 | 20 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 533 | 57 |
Post-Master’s | 128 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 89 | 4 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 2 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 2 | 1 |
Is a Degree in Student Counseling Worth It?
The median salary for a student counseling grad is $60,160 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 51% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $405,200 after 20 years!
Top Ranking Lists for Student Counseling
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Majors Related to Student Counseling
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to student counseling.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Educational Administration | 45,458 |
Teacher Education Grade Specific | 34,451 |
Special Education | 25,158 |
General Education | 21,189 |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | 20,616 |
Curriculum & Instruction | 19,784 |
Instructional Media Design | 8,387 |
Teaching English or French | 4,743 |
Other Education | 2,513 |
Multilingual Education | 1,672 |
Educational Assessment | 1,215 |
Education Philosophy | 421 |
International Education | 257 |
Teaching Assistants | 20 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Umary.marketing under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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