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Milieu therapist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a milieu therapist. Milieu therapists usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 72% of milieu therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 827 real milieu therapist resumes to see exactly what milieu therapist education sections show.

The most common colleges for milieu therapists are the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh.

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

What education do you need to become a milieu therapist?

What degree do you need to be a milieu therapist?

The most common degree for milieu therapists is bachelor's degree, with 72% of milieu therapists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 72%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 9%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a milieu therapist?

You should major in psychology to become a milieu therapist. 49% of milieu therapists major in psychology. Other common majors for a milieu therapist include social work and criminal justice.

Most common colleges for milieu therapists

Milieu therapists often get their degrees at University of Pittsburgh, University of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island College. Here are the most common colleges for milieu therapists in the US based on their resumes.
Milieu therapist common collegePercentages
University of Pittsburgh23.30%
University of Rhode Island11.83%
Rhode Island College11.47%
Duquesne University8.60%
Carlow University5.02%

Best majors for milieu therapists

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology48.6%
2Social Work6.1%
3Criminal Justice5.9%
4Sociology3.9%
5Business3.9%

Best colleges for milieu therapists

The best colleges for milieu therapists are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A milieu 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 milieu 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 milieu 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 North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

20 best online courses for milieu therapists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for milieu therapists

The most affordable schools for milieu therapists are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for milieu 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 milieu therapists.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for milieu therapists

The hardest universities for milieu therapists to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for milieu 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 milieu 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

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

The easiest schools for milieu therapists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.

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

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

Average milieu therapist salary by education level

According to our data, milieu therapists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,529 annually. Milieu therapists with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $42,489.
Milieu therapist education levelMilieu therapist salary
Master's Degree$43,529
Bachelor's Degree$41,258
Doctorate Degree$42,489

Milieu therapist 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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