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Employee counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an employee counselor. Employee counselors usually study business, human resources management, or psychology. 59% of employee counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 159 real employee counselor resumes to see exactly what employee counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for employee counselors are the Cornell University and the Cornell University.

There are also many online employee counselor courses to help get the education required to be an employee counselor.

What education do you need to become an employee counselor?

What degree do you need to be an employee counselor?

The most common degree for employee counselors is bachelor's degree, with 59% of employee counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 18% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 59%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become an employee counselor?

You should major in business to become an employee counselor. 19% of employee counselors major in business. Other common majors for an employee counselor include human resources management and psychology.

Most common colleges for employee counselors

Employee counselors often get their degrees at Cornell University, Green River Community College, and University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Here are the most common colleges for employee counselors in the US based on their resumes.
Employee counselor common collegePercentages
Cornell University10.00%
Green River Community College6.67%
University of Nevada - Las Vegas6.67%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill6.67%
University of Pittsburgh6.67%

Best majors for employee counselors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business19.4%
2Human Resources Management14.0%
3Psychology11.8%
4Communication5.4%
5Law5.4%

Best colleges for employee counselors

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

An employee 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 employee 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 employee counselors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

20 best online courses for employee counselors

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Understand the Basics of Processing Employee Payroll...

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Avoid inappropriate or questionable conduct and respond properly to harassment situations...

Top 10 most affordable universities for employee counselors

The most affordable schools for employee 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 employee 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 employee 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. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for employee counselors

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

Some great schools for employee 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 employee 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for employee counselors

The easiest schools for employee counselors to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and notre dame de namur university.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average employee counselor salary by education level

According to our data, employee counselors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $74,208 annually. Employee counselors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $68,797.
Employee counselor education levelEmployee counselor salary
Master's Degree$68,797
High School Diploma or Less$51,041
Bachelor's Degree$61,716
Doctorate Degree$74,208
Some College/ Associate Degree$51,223

Employee counselor education FAQs

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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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