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Career technical counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a career technical counselor. Career technical counselors usually study psychology, school counseling, or education. 44% of career technical counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 90 real career technical counselor resumes to see exactly what career technical counselor education sections show.

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

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

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

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

The most common degree for career technical counselors is bachelor's degree, with 44% of career technical counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 24% and associate degree degree at 20%.
  • Bachelor's, 44%
  • Associate, 24%
  • Master's, 20%
  • Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

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

You should major in psychology to become a career technical counselor. 15% of career technical counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a career technical counselor include school counseling and education.

Most common colleges for career technical counselors

Career technical counselors often get their degrees at California State University - San Bernardino, Blue Mountain College, and The College of Saint Rose. Here are the most common colleges for career technical counselors in the US based on their resumes.
Career technical counselor common collegePercentages
California State University - San Bernardino13.64%
Blue Mountain College4.55%
The College of Saint Rose4.55%
New York University4.55%
Bob Jones University4.55%

Best majors for career technical counselors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology15.0%
2School Counseling15.0%
3Education10.0%
4Business7.5%
5Human Development5.0%

Best colleges for career technical counselors

The best colleges for career technical counselors are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Northwestern University.

A career technical 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 technical 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 technical 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for career technical counselors

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1. Career planning: Your career, your life

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5. Career Self-Management Training and Certification

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In the business world, smart organizations use branding and strategic management techniques to differentiate themselves from their competition and to achieve a competitive advantage. In this Specialization, you will learn how to use proven brand management methods and tools for individual career development in competitive job environments. You will gain knowledge and analytical skills for career self-management and learn techniques for career brand building. You will create a robust...

6. Strategic Career Self-Management

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the current economy, Americans shift jobs every 4-5 years, which translates into 8-10 job transitions, including several career changes, over one’s life time. With competition for jobs on the rise, a person’s continuing employability and career success are increasingly defined by his or her mastery of individual career development and the ability to effectively "manage oneself" (P. Drucker). In this course, you will learn how to think...

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10. Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact

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I am an adult developmental psychologist by training and a career counselor by trade, currently the Director of the Gordon Career Center at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In this course, I draw from my decades of experience as well as research from the fields of psychology, organizational behavior, and sociology to help you understand best practices for making career decisions. This content will help you develop the tools you need to make the right choices for you, from deciding an area of...

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19. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists

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20. [2023] Career Hacking: World's Bestselling Job Search Course

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Top 10 most affordable universities for career technical counselors

The most affordable schools for career technical 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 technical 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 technical 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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for career technical counselors

The hardest universities for career technical counselors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for career technical 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 technical 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

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

The easiest schools for career technical counselors to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average career technical counselor salary by education level

Career technical counselors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $66,932 annually. With a Master's degree, career technical counselors earn a median annual income of $65,007 compared to $51,310 for career technical counselors with an Bachelor's degree.
Career technical counselor education levelCareer technical counselor salary
Master's Degree$65,007
Bachelor's Degree$51,310
Doctorate Degree$66,932

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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