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Mental & Social Health Services

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.1501 - 51.1599.

Types of Degrees Mental & Social Health Services Majors Are Earning

Those studying Mental & Social Health Services have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,855
Associate’s Degree	3,379
Bachelor’s Degree	2,961
Master’s Degree	24,840
Doctor’s Degree	386

What Mental & Social Health Services Majors Need to Know

Studies in Mental & Social Health Services develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Mental & Social Health Services graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Mental & Social Health Services emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Psychology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Mental & Social Health Services program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Mental & Social Health Services careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Mental & Social Health Services graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Mental & Social Health Services professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Prognosis Innovation Healthcare ChartAccess	Medical software	—
PedHunter	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Mental & Social Health Services graduates include:

• Case Manager
• Counselor
• Medical Science Liaison
• Prenatal and Pediatric Genetic Counselor
• Genetic Counselor
• Genetics Counselor
• Cancer Genetic Counselor
• Mitochondrial Disorders Counselor
• Pediatric Genetic Counselor
• Prenatal Genetic Counselor
• Certified Genetic Counselor
• Reproductive Genetic Counseling Coordinator
• Genetic Counseling Medical Specialist
• Cancer Program Consultant
• Clinical Reviewer

What Can You Do With a Mental & Social Health Services Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Mental & Social Health Services commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Mental Health Counselors	2.8%	$72,983	$59,010–$86,956
Marriage and Family Therapists	-3.8%	$74,325	$63,783–$84,868
Healthcare Social Workers	12.1%	$78,044	$65,070–$91,019
Counselors, All Other	4.5%	$81,766	$66,309–$97,222
Community Health Workers	13.4%	$73,901	$61,028–$86,775
Directors, Religious Activities and Education	-2.3%	$64,599	$53,067–$76,131
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	5.8%	$58,560	$48,702–$68,419
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	1.0%	$41,658	$32,345–$50,970
Health Education Specialists	3.7%	$81,726	$64,644–$98,808
Social Workers, All Other	4.8%	$62,827	$52,416–$73,239
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors	3.3%	$52,157	$41,936–$62,378
Clergy	-3.3%	$49,854	$39,497–$60,211

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Mental & Social Health Services graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	58.3%
Doctoral degree	10.6%
Bachelor’s degree	8.6%
Some college courses	5.2%
Post-doctoral training	4.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.2%
First professional degree	1.9%
Post-master’s certificate	1.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Mental & Social Health Services?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80.9% of Mental & Social Health Services degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	27,448	80.9%
Men	6,498	19.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Mental & Social Health Services graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	18,134	53.4%
Asian	1,022	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino	5,390	15.9%
Black or African American	5,711	16.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	336	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	68	0.2%
Two or More Races	1,280	3.8%
Race Unknown	1,495	4.4%
International Students	510	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Mental & Social Health Services Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Mental & Social Health Services graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$46,066
4 years	$46,824
5 years	$52,641

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,641 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Mental & Social Health Services Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Mental & Social Health Services. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	57	32
Bachelor’s	36	15
Master’s	123	49
Doctoral (Research)	14	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Mental & Social Health Services Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Mental & Social Health Services graduates earn a median of $46,824 four years after completion — roughly 23% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.