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Social services counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a social services counselor. Social services counselors usually study psychology, social work, or criminal justice. 63% of social services counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 959 real social services counselor resumes to see exactly what social services counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for social services counselors are the Southern University and A & M College and the Southern University and A & M College.
There are also many online social services counselor courses to help get the education required to be a social services counselor.
There are certain social services counselor certifications that you should consider. These social services counselor certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).
What education do you need to become a social services counselor?
What degree do you need to be a social services counselor?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 26%
- Associate, 7%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a social services counselor?
- Psychology, 24%
- Social Work, 22%
- Criminal Justice, 9%
- Sociology, 8%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for social services counselors
| Social services counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southern University and A & M College | 9.71% |
| Florida State University | 9.71% |
| Southern University at New Orleans | 7.28% |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | 6.31% |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | 6.31% |
Best majors for social services counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 23.6% |
| 2 | Social Work | 22.5% |
| 3 | Criminal Justice | 8.7% |
| 4 | Sociology | 8.4% |
| 5 | School Counseling | 4.7% |
Best colleges for social services counselors
The best colleges for social services counselors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Boston College.
A social services 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 social services 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 social services counselors.
1. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
2. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for social services counselors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for social services counselors
The most affordable schools for social services 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 social services 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 social services 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 - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
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 social services counselors
The hardest universities for social services counselors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Boston College.
Some great schools for social services 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 social services 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social services counselors
The easiest schools for social services counselors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, kean university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social services 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 social services counselors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
Average social services counselor salary by education level
| Social services counselor education level | Social services counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,359 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,873 |
Social services counselor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025