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Career counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a career counselor. Career counselors usually study psychology, business, or school counseling. 60% of career counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,946 real career counselor resumes to see exactly what career counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for career counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online career counselor courses to help get the education required to be a career counselor.
There are certain career counselor certifications that you should consider. These career counselor certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF).
What education do you need to become a career counselor?
What degree do you need to be a career counselor?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Master's, 23%
- Associate, 12%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a career counselor?
- Psychology, 19%
- Business, 16%
- Criminal Justice, 6%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for career counselors
| Career counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 17.62% |
| Liberty University | 7.79% |
| Troy University | 7.38% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.94% |
| Excelsior College | 4.92% |
Best majors for career counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 19.1% |
| 2 | Business | 16.1% |
| 3 | School Counseling | 6.8% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 6.2% |
| 5 | Sociology | 5.0% |
Best colleges for career counselors
The best colleges for career counselors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
A career counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for career counselors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become career counselors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
10. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
20 best online courses for career counselors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for career counselors
The most affordable schools for career counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for career counselors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for career counselors.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for career counselors
The hardest universities for career counselors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for career counselors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for career counselors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for career counselors
The easiest schools for career counselors to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a career counselor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for career counselors.
1. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average career counselor salary by education level
| Career counselor education level | Career counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,014 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,779 |
| Doctorate Degree | $49,844 |
Career counselor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025