Group therapist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a group therapist. Group therapists usually study psychology, social work, or counseling psychology. 48% of group therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 45% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,094 real group therapist resumes to see exactly what group therapist education sections show.

The most common colleges for group therapists are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online group therapist courses to help get the education required to be a group therapist.

What education do you need to become a group therapist?

What degree do you need to be a group therapist?

The most common degree for group therapists is bachelor's degree, with 48% of group therapists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 45% and master's degree degree at 4%.

Bachelor's, 48%

Master's, 45%

Associate, 4%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a group therapist?

You should major in psychology to become a group therapist. 28% of group therapists major in psychology. Other common majors for a group therapist include social work and counseling psychology.

Psychology, 28%

Social Work, 19%

Counseling Psychology, 10%

Clinical Psychology, 7%

Other Majors, 36%

Most common colleges for group therapists

Group therapists often get their degrees at New York University, Temple University, and Argosy University. Here are the most common colleges for group therapists in the US based on their resumes.

Group therapist common college	Percentages
New York University	10.26%
Temple University	8.33%
Argosy University	7.69%
Pennsylvania State University	7.05%
Barry University	5.77%

Show more common group therapist colleges

Best majors for group therapists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	28.5%
2	Social Work	18.9%
3	Counseling Psychology	9.8%
4	Clinical Psychology	7.5%
5	Mental Health Counseling	6.2%

Show more common group therapist majors

Best colleges for group therapists

The best colleges for group therapists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A group therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for group therapists. 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 group therapists.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for group therapists

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18. Introduction to Solution Focused Therapy

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Top 10 most affordable universities for group therapists

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

If the best universities for group therapists 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 group therapists.

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. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for group therapists

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

Some great schools for group therapists 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 group therapists 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for group therapists

The easiest schools for group therapists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a group therapist 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 group therapists.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

Average group therapist salary by education level

According to our data, group therapists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,142 annually. Group therapists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $56,193.

Group therapist education level	Group therapist salary
Master's Degree	$60,142
Bachelor's Degree	$56,193

Group therapist education FAQs

What is the best college for Group Therapists?

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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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