Job placement counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a job placement counselor. Job placement counselors usually study psychology, business, or sociology. 73% of job placement counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 380 real job placement counselor resumes to see exactly what job placement counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for job placement counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

What education do you need to become a job placement counselor?

What degree do you need to be a job placement counselor?

The most common degree for job placement counselors is bachelor's degree, with 73% of job placement counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 73%

Master's, 11%

Associate, 9%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a job placement counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a job placement counselor. 21% of job placement counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a job placement counselor include business and sociology.

Psychology, 21%

Business, 19%

Sociology, 8%

Criminal Justice, 5%

Other Majors, 47%

Most common colleges for job placement counselors

Job placement counselors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ohio State University, and Cornell University. Here are the most common colleges for job placement counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Job placement counselor common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	9.62%
Ohio State University	7.69%
Cornell University	7.69%
University of Kentucky	5.77%
New York University	5.77%

Show more common job placement counselor colleges

Best majors for job placement counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	20.6%
2	Business	19.3%
3	Sociology	7.8%
4	Criminal Justice	4.6%
5	Management	4.6%

Show more common job placement counselor majors

Best colleges for job placement counselors

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

A job placement 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 job placement 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 job placement counselors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

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 job placement counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for job placement counselors

The most affordable schools for job placement 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 job placement 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 job placement 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. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

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. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for job placement counselors

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

Some great schools for job placement 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 job placement 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for job placement counselors

The easiest schools for job placement counselors to get into are Barry University, kean university, and university of north texas at dallas.

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

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

3. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

8. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average job placement counselor salary by education level

Job placement counselors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $46,564 annually. With a Master's degree, job placement counselors earn a median annual income of $45,857 compared to $40,504 for job placement counselors with an Bachelor's degree.

Job placement counselor education level	Job placement counselor salary
Master's Degree	$45,857
Bachelor's Degree	$40,504
Doctorate Degree	$46,564

Job placement counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Job Placement 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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