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Licensed Professional Counselor Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a licensed professional counselor. Licensed professional counselors usually study psychology, school counseling, or counseling psychology. 48% of licensed professional counselors hold a master's degree, and 42% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 4,696 real licensed professional counselor resumes to see exactly what licensed professional counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for licensed professional counselors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.
There are also many online licensed professional counselor courses to help get the education required to be a licensed professional counselor.
There are certain licensed professional counselor certifications that you should consider. These licensed professional counselor certifications include Certified Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor (NCC).
What education do you need to become a licensed professional counselor?
What degree do you need to be a licensed professional counselor?
- Master's, 48%
- Bachelor's, 42%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a licensed professional counselor?
- Psychology, 24%
- School Counseling, 21%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for licensed professional counselors
| Licensed Professional Counselor Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Liberty University | 11.35% |
| Argosy University | 8.85% |
| Capella University | 8.08% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.92% |
| Webster University | 5.96% |
Best majors for licensed professional counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 24.1% |
| 2 | School Counseling | 20.8% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 13.7% |
| 4 | Mental Health Counseling | 8.2% |
| 5 | Education | 3.7% |
Best colleges for licensed professional counselors
The best colleges for licensed professional counselors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Boston University.
A licensed professional counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for licensed professional counselors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become licensed professional counselors.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
5. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Holy Cross
New Orleans, LA • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,180
Enrollment
863
9. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
20 best online courses for licensed professional counselors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for licensed professional counselors
The most affordable schools for licensed professional counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for licensed professional counselors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for licensed professional counselors.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,262
Cost of Attendance
14,046
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,182
Cost of Attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,338
Cost of Attendance
14,281
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,886
Cost of Attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for licensed professional counselors
The hardest universities for licensed professional counselors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for licensed professional counselors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for licensed professional counselors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,513
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
22%
SAT Average
1,420
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions Rate
15%
SAT Average
1,506
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
7. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
28%
SAT Average
1,429
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
6%
SAT Average
1,512
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for licensed professional counselors
The easiest schools for licensed professional counselors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, life university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a licensed professional counselor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for licensed professional counselors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
983
2. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
94%
SAT Average
979
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
86%
SAT Average
991
4. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
1,024
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,031
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
1,003
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
81%
SAT Average
999
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,006
9. Rosemont College
Rosemont, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
89%
SAT Average
1,026
10. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions Rate
93%
SAT Average
994
Average licensed professional counselor salary by education level
| Licensed Professional Counselor education level | Licensed Professional Counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $102,178 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $89,669 |
Licensed Professional Counselor Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025