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Student Counseling Major

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Student Counseling

2 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
12,244 Master's Degrees Annually
#14 in Popularity
$60,160 Median Salary

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
Basic Certificate 7
Associate Degree 6
Undergraduate Certificate 3
Bachelor’s Degree 2

What Student Counseling Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to student counseling and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Student Counseling Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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:

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  • 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:

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  • 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 Bachelor’s Degree in Student Counseling?

2 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
50% Percent Women
50% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is one of the most frequently chosen teaching majors. It is the 14th most popular in the country with 2 students graduating with a bachelor’s in student counseling in 2021. Roughly 50% of the graduates are women, and 50% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of student counseling majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 1
Hispanic or Latino 0
White 1
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 0

How Much Do Student Counseling Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to student counseling is $60,160. This median refers to all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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.

Median Salary for a Student Counseling Major  60,160
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with student counseling require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for student counseling careers below.

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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!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to student counseling.

Major Number of Grads
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832
Instructional Media Design 8,695
Teaching English or French 5,791
Other Education 4,858
Teaching Assistants 2,751
Educational Assessment 2,552
Multilingual Education 1,910
Education Philosophy 737
International Education 293

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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