Counseling Schools
As a professor or instructor of counseling classes at one of the 1,069 accredited counseling schools in the country, you play a crucial role in shaping the future of this growing field. The following statistics and charts help analyze the current state of the counseling academic community and the future trends. Academia in counseling includes counseling training at the following levels:
- Counseling Certificate
- Associates degree in Counseling
- Bachelors degree in Counseling
- Masters degree in Counseling
- PhD degree in Counseling
Statistics
Professional Trends
National Employment growth for Counseling professionals
| 612,210 | 629,780 | 644,060 | 656,410 | 597,520 |
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|
- Dark Yellow: Actual Values
597,520 counseling professionals were working in the US in the year 2010. Between 2006 and 2010, the number of counseling professionals has shrunk by 2%.
This decline is faster than the growth for all careers during the same time period. There was a 1% decline for all careers. This trend is expected to contine until the year 2018.
National Salary percentiles for Counseling professionals
10th percentile |
$27,826 |
25th percentile |
$35,618 |
50th percentile |
$46,468 |
75th percentile |
$60,734 |
90th percentile |
$76,862 |
The median yearly salary earned by counseling professionals, in 2010, was $46,468. The national median salary for all professions, was $68,155 in the same year. Thus, the median yearly salary for counseling professionals in the US was 27% less than the national median salary for all professions.
National Median Salary Growth For Counseling
| $40,993 | $42,753 | $44,415 | $45,633 | $46,468 |
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|
- Light Blue: Salaries
Counseling professionals' salaries have grown by 13% between the years 2006 and 2010.
Educational Trends
National Counseling Student enrollment growth by degree
| 1,096 | 1,367 | 1,179 | 1,121 | 1,340 |
| 2,180 | 2,413 | 2,206 | 2,297 | 2,235 |
| 847 | 893 | 961 | 993 | 937 |
| 24,313 | 25,409 | 26,233 | 27,729 | 28,200 |
| 2,768 | 3,040 | 3,102 | 3,477 | 3,720 |
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|
- Yellow: Associate's Degree in Counseling
- Blue: Bachelor's Degree in Counseling
- Red: Doctorates Degree in Counseling
- Light blue: Master's Degree in Counseling
- Grey: Certificate in Counseling
We are seeing a rapid change in the career outlook for counseling professionals. However, the story on the educational front is quite different. In 2006, 31,204 students graduated from counseling degree programs in the US. In 2010, 36,432 students graduated from counseling schools.
This represents a 17% change in the number of graduates. This growth in the number of students graduating from counseling courses is greater than the change nationally for students graduating from institutions for higher education in general, which has been a 12% growth from 2006 to 2010.
Counseling Programs offered Nationwide
associate |
176 |
bachelor |
145 |
master |
1,082 |
doctor |
157 |
Certificate |
340 |
| Total | 1,900 |
It is interesting to note that while student graduation is up, the number of schools offering counseling programs has also increased. In the year 2006, there were 891 counseling schools in the US. And in the year 2010, there were 1069 schools.