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The differences between academic counselors and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an academic counselor has an average salary of $47,454, which is higher than the $43,820 average annual salary of a program counselor.
The top three skills for an academic counselor include financial aid, academic support and student services. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Academic Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $47,454 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $22.81 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 39,084 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
In high schools and universities, an academic counselor specializes in providing counseling and consultations to students, focusing on their educational and career growth. They typically meet with students to discuss their short and long term goals and help by providing them with insights and information or referring them to other services and resources. Moreover, an academic counselor must assist students by addressing their issues and concerns, giving them emotional support and academic advice, and helping them navigate through various procedures.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Academic counselors and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Academic Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $47,454 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $63,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New York |
| Best paying company | California College of the Arts | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an academic counselor and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Academic Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between academic counselors' and program counselors' demographics:
| Academic Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 15% |