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Work counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a work counselor. Work counselors usually study social work, psychology, or business. 56% of work counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 666 real work counselor resumes to see exactly what work counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for work counselors are the San Diego State University and the San Diego State University.
There are also many online work counselor courses to help get the education required to be a work counselor.
What education do you need to become a work counselor?
What degree do you need to be a work counselor?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Master's, 26%
- Associate, 10%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a work counselor?
- Social Work, 24%
- Psychology, 22%
- Business, 6%
- Sociology, 5%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for work counselors
| Work counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| San Diego State University | 17.39% |
| University of Houston | 7.61% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.52% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.52% |
| Boston University | 5.43% |
Best majors for work counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Work | 24.0% |
| 2 | Psychology | 21.5% |
| 3 | Business | 5.9% |
| 4 | Sociology | 5.3% |
| 5 | Counseling Psychology | 5.0% |
Best colleges for work counselors
The best colleges for work counselors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A work 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 work 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 work counselors.
1. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
2. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
5. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Enrollment
31,321
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
20 best online courses for work counselors
Advertising disclosure
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20. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
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Top 10 most affordable universities for work counselors
The most affordable schools for work 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 work 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 work 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. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for work counselors
The hardest universities for work counselors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for work 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 work 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. 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. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for work counselors
The easiest schools for work counselors 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 work 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 work counselors.
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. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
6. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
Average work counselor salary by education level
| Work counselor education level | Work counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,117 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,045 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $54,815 |
Work counselor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025