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Outreach counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an outreach counselor. Outreach counselors usually study psychology, social work, or sociology. 63% of outreach counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,560 real outreach counselor resumes to see exactly what outreach counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for outreach counselors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online outreach counselor courses to help get the education required to be an outreach counselor.
What education do you need to become an outreach counselor?
What degree do you need to be an outreach counselor?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 11%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an outreach counselor?
- Psychology, 27%
- Social Work, 14%
- Sociology, 8%
- Criminal Justice, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for outreach counselors
| Outreach counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.36% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 8.29% |
| California State University - Northridge | 6.74% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.22% |
| Florida State University | 5.70% |
Best majors for outreach counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 26.9% |
| 2 | Social Work | 13.9% |
| 3 | Sociology | 8.4% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 7.3% |
| 5 | Business | 6.7% |
Best colleges for outreach counselors
The best colleges for outreach counselors are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.
An outreach 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 outreach 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 outreach counselors.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
7. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
8. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
20 best online courses for outreach counselors
Advertising disclosure
1. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
2. Foundational Skills for Communicating About Health
Effective communication is a core skill that nearly every health professional will need and use during their careers. Yet, few health professionals receive even basic training in how to design communications to be clear and successful. As “foundational skills,” the content in this course can be applied to both oral and written communication, within and beyond health. Learners will develop the skills to: analyze and tailor a communication effort for different audiences, develop clear messages,...
3. Mental Health First Aid Skills -
This course is designed to provide the tools and knowledge for learners to help and support those experiencing MH issues...
4. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
5. Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice
Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science in public health. Epidemiology in public health practice uses study design and analyses to identify causes in an outbreak situation, guides interventions to improve population health, and evaluates programs and policies. In this course, we'll define the role of the professional epidemiologist as it relates to public health services, functions, and competencies. With that foundation in mind, we'll introduce you to the problem solving...
6. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives
Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of...
7. Crisis Intervention Seminar
The emphasis is on the development of fundamental clinical skills in the area of crisis intervention...
8. Mental Health Ambassador Certificate
Be a leader in improving society's mental health and learn to provide mental health first aid...
9. Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions
This course focuses on data, evaluation methods and the economic evaluation of digital health interventions. This module focuses on key data considerations for digital health including data management, data visualisation and methods for evaluating digital health interventions. The key focus is on experimental and quasi-experimental design approaches that can be applied to evaluating digital health interventions and key considerations for the economic evaluation of digital health interventions...
10. Psychological First Aid
Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. Utilizing the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), this specialized course provides perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable to public health settings, the workplace, the...
11. Addiction & Mental Health - Chemically Speaking Two (2hrs)
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions - Understand Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health. How to help people...
12. Public Relations: Media Crisis Communications
Public Relations: You Can Shape and Control Your Media Messages at The Worst Possible Times...
13. Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach
Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the...
14. Couples Counselling using Systemic Family Therapy
Help people build stronger relationships and marriages by learning couples counselling skills...
15. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
16. Professional Certification in Counseling - Fully Accredited
Become Professional Counselor (Counsellor)...
17. Mental Health and Wellness Professional (MHW) Diploma Course
Discover a flexible and comprehensive way of understanding mental health as a Certified Mental Health Professional (MHP)...
18. [Accredited] Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Counselor
Learn DBT in depth, start conducting sessions with ready to use templates, and set up counseling practice within weeks!...
19. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
20. Customer Service Foundation
An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...
Top 10 most affordable universities for outreach counselors
The most affordable schools for outreach counselors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for outreach 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 outreach counselors.
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
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 outreach counselors
The hardest universities for outreach counselors to get into are Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for outreach 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 outreach 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for outreach counselors
The easiest schools for outreach 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 an outreach 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 outreach 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. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average outreach counselor salary by education level
| Outreach counselor education level | Outreach counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $50,142 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,827 |
| Doctorate Degree | $50,981 |
Outreach counselor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025