Counselor Education

Types of Degrees Counselor Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many counselor education/school counseling and guidance services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	11,039
Graduate Certificate	885
Doctor’s Degree	382
Associate Degree	6
Basic Certificate	6
Undergraduate Certificate	3
Bachelor’s Degree	2

What Counselor Education Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to counselor education/school counseling and guidance services 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 Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services Majors

Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services majors often go into careers in which the following 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 Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to counselor education/school counseling and guidance services:

• 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 Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services Majors

As you progress with your counselor education/school counseling and guidance services degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• 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 Counselor Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with counselor education/school counseling and guidance services:

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 Counselor Education?

Roughly 50% of the graduates are women, and 50% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of counselor education/school counseling and guidance services majors is as follows:

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 Counselor Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services majors often go into careers with median salaries of $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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Counselor Education

Some careers associated with counselor education/school counseling and guidance services require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for counselor education/school counseling and guidance services careers below.

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 Counselor Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 472 schools offered some type of counselor education/school counseling and guidance services 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	58	9
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	449	48
Post-Master’s	115	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	80	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Counselor Education Worth It?

The median salary for a counselor education/school counseling and guidance services 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!

Majors Related to Counselor Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to counselor education/school counseling and guidance services.

Major	Number of Grads
College Student Counseling & Personnel Services	1,082
Other Student Counseling & Personnel Services	453

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.