How to Get a Master's Degree in Counseling

Few professions have as direct an impact on public health and well-being as counseling. Counselors help their clients overcome mental and physical challenges such as substance abuse, grief, illness, physical disability, depression, domestic violence, or emotional trauma. The opportunity to play such an important role in someone's life makes for interesting and fulfilling work. A University of Chicago study ranked psychological counseling among the ten occupations with the highest job satisfaction.

A master's degree in counseling gets you ready for a career helping others live healthier, happier lives. Earn a master's degree online while you work, or complete the degree on campus full time. In either case, you develop the knowledge and professional skills to help clients turn their lives around.

Prepare for a master's degree in counseling with WorldWideLearn.com's resource guide. The following steps help you find your niche as a graduate student and as a practicing health professional.

Guide to Master's Degrees in Counseling

A counseling career puts you on the frontlines of public health, empowering you to make a difference in people's lives. The discipline combines psychology, interpersonal communication, and health education. Counselors develop both a deep understanding of a particular public health issue and applied skills for helping clients cope and take control of their lives.

Professional and Academic Master's Degrees

Graduate counseling programs feature several master's degree options. Though there is considerable overlap among them, each degree adopts a different approach to the counseling discipline and career development.

Master of Science (MS) or Master of Arts (MA)

These academic master's degrees follow the traditional format for social science graduate degrees: Advanced coursework culminating in an independent research project (MS) or a written thesis (MA). The MS and MA in counseling are versatile qualifications leading to either an academic career (via the PhD in counseling) or a professional counseling position.

Master of Social Work (MSW) or Master of Education (M.Ed.)

These professional master's degrees target a specific application of counseling. Programs are generally designed for working professionals who want to extend their training and qualify for counseling positions in a public administration, social work, or school setting. The M.Ed. is the standard qualification for school counselors.

Learn more about your master's degree options at WorldWideLearn.com's Master's Degrees Online and The Master's Degree Explained.

Specializations

Graduate counseling programs offer the opportunity to focus your training on a specific population, health issue, or organizational context. Your options include:

Gerontological Counseling

Gerontological counselors help elderly clients cope with the social, emotional, and physical challenges of advancing age.

Marriage and Family Therapy

Marriage and family therapists help families resolve persistent problems and learn better communication skills.

Substance Abuse or Addiction Counseling

Addiction counselors help clients cope with and overcome destructive addictions to drugs, alcohol, gambling, unhealthy eating, etc. Master Addictions Counselor (MAC) certification, the prestigious national credential, requires a master's degree in counseling.

Rehabilitation Counseling

Rehabilitation counselors work in the context of hospitals or social service agencies to help clients adapt to an independent lifestyle. They are skilled in addressing a variety of obstacles, from substance abuse to physical disability.

Community Counseling

Community counselors work in public health or social service agencies to support local individuals, families, and communities. They are generally prepared to address a variety of issues affecting communities, such as cultural diversity, health education, or rehabilitation.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Mental health counselors work closely with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other health professionals to treat patients with mental and emotional disorders. They encounter psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, grief, and trauma.

Career Counseling

Volatility in the job market is fueling demand for vocational or career counselors, who help clients develop their job skills, find a suitable career path, and/or achieve their professional goals.

School Counseling

School counselors offer academic guidance to students of a particular age group--elementary, secondary, college, or adult. They help students make the most of their educational resources by developing their skills and planning their career objectives.

Christian Counseling

Some religious-affiliated programs teach an approach to counseling grounded in a particular religious faith or spirituality.

Most graduate counseling programs allow you to take an active role in shaping your specialized research. Find a school with faculty experts who can advise your independent work.

Career Track

Master's program graduates generally go on to careers as licensed counselors. Alternatively, you can target a career in public health administration, public policy, or education.

Counseling is among the fastest growing careers in the U.S. The Department of Labor expects high-demand specialties such as mental health and substance abuse counseling to grow 20 to 25 percent between 2008 and 2018. Overall, counselors will increase their ranks by about 18 percent in the coming decade.

A master's degree in counseling is the standard requirement to be licensed as a counselor. State licensing requirements differ, but most include an exam and a period of supervised clinical experience.

Alternative career routes take you into either public health administration or education. You can pursue a career as the director of a social services agency, a public health policy advocate, or a health educator. Or use the master's degree in counseling as a stepping stone into a doctoral program, where you can pursue a career as a university professor or psychologist.

Resource

Focus your career objectives with career planning and assessment tools, available via WorldWideLearn.com's Career Pathways resource.

Plan for a Master's Degree in Counseling

With your professional objectives in place, you're ready to line up the academic resources to achieve them. The following steps take you through the process of finding the right master's degree program, applying to school, and preparing for success as a counseling graduate student.

Step One: Find the Right Graduate Counseling Program

Given the diversity of today's graduate counseling programs, it's important to find the school that best suits your career goals. Consider the following criteria in turn, eventually narrowing down your list to fewer than ten master's degree programs.

1. Accreditation

Assessing accreditation status is the first step in vetting any college degree program. Regional and national accrediting agencies perform regular reviews to verify that a program maintains quality standards. Accreditation ensures the value of your degree and factors into your eligibility for financial aid. You can find a list of approved accreditation agencies at the U.S. Department of Education.

Resources

WorldWideLearn.com offers a "safe" directory for your school search: All members are accredited by a recognized regional or national authority and meet additional quality criteria. Search for online counseling master's degree programs.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a major accreditor of counseling master's degree programs, maintains a searchable directory of its members in good standing.

2. Program Format: Campus or Online Master's Degree?

Program format shapes most college decisions. The decision to earn a master's degree online or on campus comes down to factors such as your life circumstances, your learning style, and your access to resources such as research facilities.

Online master's degree programs are ideal for working professionals who require the flexibility of distance graduate education. Students who earn a master's degree online get face-to-face training through local internships or clinical assignments. Some programs also incorporate temporary campus residencies.

Campus programs work well for recent college graduates and aspiring academics, both of whom depend on access to school resources.

As digital communications technology improves, the difference between the virtual and campus college experience is fading. Online master's degrees already carry the same weight among most employers, according to a study by The Sloan Consortium.

Resources

WorldWideLearn.com. Explore learning formats and find schools in the Online Degree Programs and Campus Education sections. For local campus programs, search Degrees by Location.

3. Graduate Program Resources

In order to find a program with the academic resources you need, it's important to research each program individually. Features to consider include:

• Counseling specializations
• Faculty in your field of interest
• Course curriculum
• Industry relationships
• Career placement resources
• Academic community

Your career goals help dictate the relative importance of these factors. Faculty and a supportive learning environment rank at the top of the list for students heading toward a campus academic program. Career-focused students want to take a close look at internship programs, recruitment, and placement services.

Resources

WorldWideLearn.com consolidates detailed information about many programs, saving you time. Explore links to individual schools and detailed descriptions of master's degree programs in counseling. As an added convenience, the site offers an automated matching tool. Choose your academic criteria, and the system selects programs that match your requirements. You can even arrange to have a school representative contact you by mail or phone.

School websites publish most of the information listed above, with links to course descriptions, faculty bios and publications, and more. Gather additional information by calling the admissions department directly.

Informational interviews offer valuable perspectives on the graduate student experience from faculty, alumni, and current graduate students.

Campus Visit. Ideally, combining these interviews with an in-person campus visit gives you a firsthand sense of the academic environment and program resources.

4. Program Quality

Finally, narrow your list by evaluating program quality. Factors to consider when comparing master's degree programs in counseling include:

• Reputation
• Selectivity
• Job placement and salary statistics
• Program emphasis (Does the program emphasize hands-on training or classroom learning?)
• Student demographics (Including work experience)

Resources

Admissions Counselors are a one-stop source for most of the information you need. To assess selectivity, ask for information on average admitted student GPA and test scores. Admissions departments also collect data on student demographics and job placement.

Rankings give you a general sense of the program's reputation. The most prominent ranking in the U.S. is U.S. News & World Report's annual report "Best Graduate Schools," which ranks Top Psychology Graduate Schools and Top Rehabilitation Counseling Programs.

Step Two: Apply to Graduate Counseling Programs

With your eye on a manageable list of master's degree programs, begin the application process. Most graduate counseling programs feature online applications or at least a link to a downloadable application. Here you'll find application requirements and instructions for each individual school. In general, the application process includes the following steps:

1. Complete Prerequisites

Eligibility for graduate study generally requires:

• A bachelor's degree in counseling or psychology, or a related field such as social work or public health.
• If your degree is in an unrelated field, you may have to complete basic prerequisite courses in areas such as psychology or communication.
• Standardized tests such as the GRE and TOEFL (for international students).
• Work experience (preferred by some professional master's degree programs).

Use WorldWideLearn.com's Education Resources Guide to complete your prerequisites. The guide includes links to test preparation resources, prerequisite courses, and online learning tools.

2. Prepare Application Materials

In addition to a basic information form, most master's degree programs require the following supporting documents:

• Academic transcripts
• Letters of recommendation (two or three)
• Test scores
• Personal essay or statement of research interests
• Resume

Ideally, give yourself a couple of months to gather all materials before the application deadline.

3. Arrange for Financial Aid

Most graduate students in counseling fund their formal training with some form of financial aid. Common sources of funding include the federal government, public agencies, private foundations, university endowments, and corporate employers. You can also reduce the cost of your education by opting to keep your job and earn a master's degree online.

Hit these bases to take advantage of all available financial aid opportunities:

• Meet with university financial aid advisors.
• Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for all federal financial aid programs, including Pell grants, Stafford loans, and others.
• Ask your employer about educational incentives.
• Research and apply for private scholarships and, if necessary, a low-interest student loan.

Visit WorldWideLearn.com's resource page on graduate education funding for more detailed information.

Step Three: Build an Academic Support Network

The opportunity to take part in a community of counseling professionals is worth nearly as much as the education itself. Take these steps to build a support network:

• Join professional associations. In addition to the American Counseling Association, there are many organizations dedicated to your counseling specialty. The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMCHA), the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association, and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) are just a few of the options.
• Read journals. Get up to speed in your niche by reading all the latest research. Look for a journal in your field using the American Psychological Association (APA) PsycNET database.
• Attend events and conferences. Universities, associations, and clinics sponsor events such as lectures and conferences to foster intellectual exchange among counselors.

Reaching out to your peers and potential mentors helps you establish yourself in the academic community. The relationships you make and insights you develop can bring you a step closer to achieving your professional destiny.

Conclusion

Graduate counseling programs offer a ticket into a career in counseling. Whether you earn a master's degree online or on campus, you can graduate with the practical skills and psychological knowledge base to help people overcome life's most difficult challenges.

Sources

• APA PsycNET, American Psychological Association.
• "Counselors," Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs, U.S. Department of Education.
• Find Accredited Programs, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
• "Graduate Programs," American Counseling Association.
• MA in Counseling, Community Counseling specialization, University of Nevada, Reno.
• Master of Science in Counseling Studies, Capella University.
• Programs in Healthcare and Nutrition, The Sloan Consortium.
• Smith, Tom W. "Job Satisfaction in the United States," University of Chicago, 2007.
• Top Psychology Graduate Schools, U.S. News & World Report (2009).
• Top Rehabilitation Counseling Programs, U.S. News & World Report (2009).