Master's in Educational Counseling
An online master's in educational counseling prepares graduates to work alongside teachers and school administrators to provide K-12 students with counseling needs. They may help students with early career planning or provide support to students who have experienced trauma. Because teachers primarily teach a class and cannot sit with each student individually, counselors are just as important to helping students along their educational path.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), projects jobs for school and career counselors to grow 11% between 2020-2030. This percentage growth exceeds the national average for all occupations. School counselors may work in public, private, urban, or rural environments.
This page features the most affordable online master's in educational counseling degrees. It also covers salary information, degree pathways, and typical school counselor job responsibilities.
What Type of Master's in Educational Counseling Should You Get?
An online program benefits working students with busy schedules. Since many counseling degrees require teaching experience, some applicants prefer to continue their jobs while enrolled in school. Online programs provide flexibility and affordability for degree-seekers. An online educational counseling master's degree often takes as little as two years to finish.
Many aspiring educational counselors pursue a master of education (M.Ed.) with a concentration in school counseling. Other options include a master of science (MS) or a master of arts (MA) in counseling, with a focus on school counseling. MS degrees provide the necessary education and training for learners who want to gain licensure to work as a counselor. People interested in doing research may benefit more from earning an MA degree.
Online Master's Educational Counseling Programs
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How Much Money Do People Make With a Master's in Educational Counseling?
According to Dec. 2021 Payscale data, graduates with a M.Ed. in school counseling earn an average annual salary of $51,000. School counselors with 20 years or more of experience earn average salaries of $68,000 per year. Working in private or public education affects salary potential. Earnings also vary by school district and geographical location. According to BLS data, California, New York, and Texas employ the highest number of school counselors.
Added benefits for counselors can include retirement plans, paid vacation and sick days, and transportation reimbursements. New counselors should look into the long-term benefits and not just the starting salary when they first join a new school.
What Can You Do With a Master's in Educational Counseling?
An online master's in educational counseling degree prepares graduates to take state and national licensure tests to practice as a counselor in their state of residence. Students gain training in counseling theory, child and adolescent psychology, career counseling, and personal evaluation. Upon degree completion, graduates can perform counseling tasks in K-12 settings.
Educational counselors typically create counseling programs, meet with students, and evaluate students using assessment tools. They also provide crisis intervention. Because many schools tend to only employ a few counselors, they may work with a large group of students.
What Are the Requirements for a Master's in Educational Counseling?
Applicants to online master's in educational counseling programs need a bachelor's degree from an accredited school and a competitive GPA. Schools may also ask for GRE test scores, recommendation letters, and essays. In addition, students might need to provide documentation of teaching experience.
Because a master's in educational counseling often requires an internship in schools, learners may need to undergo a background check before enrolling. Applicants should pay attention to important deadlines and get all the necessary documents to ensure a smooth application.
What Are the Best Online Master's in Educational Counseling?
College Choice has compiled a list of the 30 most affordable online master's in educational counseling degrees. We choose and ranked these schools based on institutional excellence and student success. Institutional excellence was decided based on various data points such as graduation rate, entering students' test scores, and student-to-faculty ratio. Student success was based on tuition costs, financial aid, and average student debt after graduating.
Our data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics' IPEDS database, Payscale, individual college websites, and the U.S. News & World Report.
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