Career guidance counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a career guidance counselor. Career guidance counselors usually study psychology, school counseling, or business. 54% of career guidance counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 112 real career guidance counselor resumes to see exactly what career guidance counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for career guidance counselors are the California State University - San Bernardino and the California State University - San Bernardino.

There are also many online career guidance counselor courses to help get the education required to be a career guidance counselor.

What education do you need to become a career guidance counselor?

What degree do you need to be a career guidance counselor?

The most common degree for career guidance counselors is bachelor's degree, with 54% of career guidance counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 28% and master's degree degree at 10%.

Bachelor's, 54%

Master's, 28%

Associate, 10%

Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a career guidance counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a career guidance counselor. 19% of career guidance counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a career guidance counselor include school counseling and business.

Psychology, 19%

School Counseling, 11%

Business, 10%

Education, 10%

Other Majors, 50%

Most common colleges for career guidance counselors

Career guidance counselors often get their degrees at California State University - San Bernardino, Liberty University, and University of South Carolina - Aiken. Here are the most common colleges for career guidance counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Career guidance counselor common college	Percentages
California State University - San Bernardino	7.14%
Liberty University	7.14%
University of South Carolina - Aiken	7.14%
University of California, Santa Barbara	7.14%
American University	7.14%

Show more common career guidance counselor colleges

Best majors for career guidance counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	18.5%
2	School Counseling	11.1%
3	Business	9.9%
4	Education	9.9%
5	Sociology	6.2%

Show more common career guidance counselor majors

Best colleges for career guidance counselors

The best colleges for career guidance counselors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

A career guidance 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 guidance 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 guidance counselors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for career guidance counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for career guidance counselors

The most affordable schools for career guidance counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for career guidance 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 guidance 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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

9. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for career guidance counselors

The hardest universities for career guidance counselors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for career guidance 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 guidance 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

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for career guidance counselors

The easiest schools for career guidance counselors to get into are Gwynedd Mercy University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a career guidance 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 guidance counselors.

1. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average career guidance counselor salary by education level

According to our data, career guidance counselors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $65,829 annually. Career guidance counselors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $63,861.

Career guidance counselor education level	Career guidance counselor salary
Master's Degree	$63,861
Bachelor's Degree	$49,926
Doctorate Degree	$65,829

Career guidance counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Career Guidance Counselors?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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