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Student Counseling

Types of Degrees Student Counseling Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Student Counseling may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	14
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	14
Master’s Degree	13,234
Doctor’s Degree	448

What Student Counseling Majors Need to Know

Studies in Student Counseling emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Student Counseling graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Student Counseling emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Student Counseling program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Student Counseling careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Student Counseling graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Student Counseling professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Budgeting software	Accounting software	—
Survey software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Website development software	Web page creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Student Counseling graduates include:

• Housing Assistant
• Residence Hall Director
• Residential Aide
• House Father
• Resident Aide
• Residential Specialist
• Residential Support Specialist
• Residential Counselor
• Resident Life Director
• Sorority Supervisor
• Residence Supervisor
• Resident Care Assistant
• Residence Director
• Student Development Coordinator
• Residential Life Director

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Student Counseling graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	41.0%
Some college courses	30.8%
Master’s degree	17.8%
Less than a high school diploma	4.5%
Doctoral degree	3.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Student Counseling?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83% of Student Counseling degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	11,384	83.0%
Men	2,330	17.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Student Counseling graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	7,769	56.7%
Asian	457	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	2,543	18.5%
Black or African American	1,702	12.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	78	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	36	0.3%
Two or More Races	424	3.1%
Race Unknown	449	3.3%
International Students	256	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Student Counseling Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Student Counseling graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$52,264
4 years	$54,366
5 years	$60,575

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $60,575 — roughly 16% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Student Counseling Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Student Counseling. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	91	70
Doctoral (Research)	7	6

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Student Counseling Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Student Counseling graduates earn a median of $54,366 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Education	13
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education	13.02
Curriculum and Instruction	13.03
Education, General	13.01
Education, Other	13.99
EDUCATION	13.00
Educational Administration and Supervision	13.04
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research	13.06
Educational/Instructional Media Design	13.05
International and Comparative Education	13.07
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education	13.09
Special Education and Teaching	13.10

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.