Lead counselor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a lead counselor. Lead counselors usually study psychology, business, or social work. 59% of lead counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,394 real lead counselor resumes to see exactly what lead counselor education sections show.

The most common colleges for lead counselors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.

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

There are certain lead counselor certifications that you should consider. These lead counselor certifications include Pastoral Counseling Certification and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor.

What education do you need to become a lead counselor?

What degree do you need to be a lead counselor?

The most common degree for lead counselors is bachelor's degree, with 59% of lead counselors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 59%

Master's, 15%

Associate, 11%

Doctorate, 6%

Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a lead counselor?

You should major in psychology to become a lead counselor. 22% of lead counselors major in psychology. Other common majors for a lead counselor include business and social work.

Psychology, 22%

Business, 8%

Social Work, 8%

Criminal Justice, 7%

Other Majors, 55%

Most common colleges for lead counselors

Lead counselors often get their degrees at Liberty University, University of Phoenix, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Here are the most common colleges for lead counselors in the US based on their resumes.

Lead counselor common college	Percentages
Liberty University	8.63%
University of Phoenix	8.63%
Virginia Commonwealth University	6.39%
Virginia State University	6.07%
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	5.75%

Show more common lead counselor colleges

Best majors for lead counselors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	21.9%
2	Business	8.0%
3	Social Work	7.8%
4	Criminal Justice	7.0%
5	Law	6.2%

Show more common lead counselor majors

Best colleges for lead counselors

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

A lead 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 lead 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 lead counselors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

20 best online courses for lead counselors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for lead counselors

The most affordable schools for lead 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 lead 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 lead 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. University of Houston - Victoria

Victoria, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$6,491

Cost of attendance

19,075

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for lead counselors

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

Some great schools for lead 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 lead 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

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

The easiest schools for lead counselors to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, gwynedd mercy university, and barry university.

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

1. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average lead counselor salary by education level

According to our data, lead counselors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $217,371 annually. Lead counselors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $210,636.

Lead counselor education level	Lead counselor salary
Master's Degree	$210,636
Bachelor's Degree	$163,197
Doctorate Degree	$217,371

Lead counselor education FAQs

What is the best college for Lead 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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