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2026 Counseling Psychology Degree Guide

A major in Counseling Psychology involves the study of Counseling Psychology. A Program That Prepares Individuals For The Independent Professional Practice Of Psychological Counseling, Involving The Rendering Of Therapeutic Services To Individuals And Groups Experiencing Psychological Problems And Exhibiting Distress Symptoms. Includes Instruction In Counseling Theory, Therapeutic Intervention Strategies, Patient/counselor Relationships, Testing And Assessment Methods And Procedures, Group Therapy, Marital And Family Therapy, Child And Adolescent Therapy, Supervised Counseling Practice, Ethical Standards, And Applicable Regulations. Read on to learn the essential details every counseling psychology major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering counseling psychology programs.

Counseling Psychology Degrees in the United States

Nationwide, counseling psychology is a widely-pursued major, with 11,691 degrees awarded annually.

Our 2026 Best Counseling Psychology Schools ranking analyzes these 276 schools to determine the best overall colleges for counseling psychology students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of counseling psychology programs later in this article.

Best Counseling Psychology Schools by Degree

Requirements for Getting a Degree in Counseling Psychology

Programs in Counseling Psychology emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations counseling psychology graduates commonly enter.

Skills You Will Develop

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

Knowledge Areas

Based on O*NET data, a counseling psychology major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

Counseling Psychology Degree Types

There are several counseling psychology degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.

Degree	Typical Program Length	Graduates Annually
Associate Degree	2 years	1
Bachelor’s Degree	4 years	316
Master’s Degree	1-3 years	10,743
Doctorate	At least 4 years	631

People currently working in careers related to counseling psychology tend to have obtained the following education levels.

Level of Education	Percentage 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%

See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in counseling psychology careers hold.

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

Counseling Psychology Careers

A degree in counseling psychology opens doors to a variety of career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to counseling psychology.

In-Demand Counseling Psychology Careers

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to counseling psychology.

Occupation	Projected Jobs	Expected Growth
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	513,614	-3.0%
Managers, All Other	468,025	6.2%
Compliance Managers	310,203	13.0%
Loss Prevention Managers	265,210	2.2%
Mental Health Counselors	246,978	2.8%
Counselors, All Other	229,390	4.5%
Regulatory Affairs Managers	206,415	9.9%
Wind Energy Operations Managers	128,884	5.2%

How Much Money Do Counseling Psychology Grads Make?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of counseling psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,756
4 years	$59,892
5 years	$67,036

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

Highest Paid Counseling Psychology Careers

Salaries for counseling psychology graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers counseling psychology grads often go into.

Occupation	Median Annual Salary
Wind Energy Development Managers	$169,952
Loss Prevention Managers	$165,723
Wind Energy Operations Managers	$122,567
Compliance Managers	$117,178
Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers	$99,321
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	$98,479
Managers, All Other	$95,684
Counselors, All Other	$81,766

Getting Your Counseling Psychology Degree

With 276 different counseling psychology programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased counseling psychology school rankings to help you.

Counseling Psychology Related Majors

If you are interested in counseling psychology, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.

Additional Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Applied Behavior Analysis	6,914
Clinical Psychology	6,059
School Psychology	3,685
Applied Psychology	2,998
Industrial and Organizational Psychology	2,898
Forensic Psychology	2,667
Educational Psychology	1,979
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other	577
Community Psychology	520
Health/Medical Psychology	447

References

• 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.