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Counseling Psychology

Types of Degrees Counseling Psychology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Counseling Psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	316
Master’s Degree	10,743
Doctor’s Degree	631

What Counseling Psychology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Counseling Psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Counseling Psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Counseling Psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Counseling Psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Counseling Psychology graduates include:

• Group Counselor
• Case Manager
• Adjunct Psychology Professor
• Professor
• Associate Professor
• Psychology Assistant Professor
• Child Psychology Teacher
• Human Relations Professor
• Industrial Psychology Professor
• Adjunct Psychology Instructor
• Psychology Lecturer
• Lecturer
• Teacher
• Applied Psychology Professor
• Child Development Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	34.1%
Master’s degree	20.3%
Doctoral degree	17.4%
Post-doctoral training	10.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%
Some college courses	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
First professional degree	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Counseling Psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 82.5% of Counseling Psychology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	9,644	82.5%
Men	2,047	17.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,102	52.2%
Asian	476	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	1,986	17.0%
Black or African American	1,394	11.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	79	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	31	0.3%
Two or More Races	427	3.7%
Race Unknown	947	8.1%
International Students	249	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Counseling Psychology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Counseling Psychology 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	$54,756
4 years	$59,892
5 years	$67,036

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $67,036 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Counseling Psychology Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Counseling Psychology. 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
Bachelor’s	8	3
Master’s	39	33
Doctoral (Research)	5	4

^{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 Counseling Psychology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Counseling Psychology graduates earn a median of $59,892 four years after completion — roughly 58% 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
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	42.28
Applied Behavior Analysis	42.2814
Applied Psychology	42.2813
Clinical Child Psychology	42.2807
Clinical Psychology	42.2801
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other	42.2899
Community Psychology	42.2802
Educational Psychology	42.2806
Environmental Psychology	42.2808
Family Psychology	42.2811
Forensic Psychology	42.2812
Geropsychology	42.2809

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.