Presented in partnership with Vanderbilt University — Peabody College

To date, we’ve asked 21 current and past school counseling students about their happiness with their degree. Turns out, they rate it above average.

Your major should make you feel excited to put the knowledge and skills you learn to work.

To help you reach the decision that is right for you, we asked students who have pursued a school counseling degree to respond to questions concerning five dimensions of the educational track they chose:

  • Course material: Were they interested in the material they learned?
  • Intellectual fulfillment: Did they find the coursework intellectually stimulating?
  • Job prospects: Did they leave the program with job opportunities?
  • Personality: Was the degree a good fit for their personality?
  • Overall fit: Were they happy with the program overall?

We examined their responses and combined the rankings to give us an average satisfaction score across all students. This doesn't necessarily reflect how satisfied you would be with a school counseling degree, but it’s a starting point to help you evaluate your options.

How satisfied are school counseling students compared to other degrees?

Overall, school counseling students rate their satisfaction with their degree a 3.8 out of 5. For context, school counseling students rate their happiness similarly to students in Information Technology, Clinical, Counseling, and Applied Psychology and Linguistics and Related Studies.

Here are other degrees that have a similar satisfaction rating to school counseling

DegreeAvg Grad SalarySatisfaction
Healthcare Management$56,575
Computer and Information Sciences$83,996
Linguistics and Related Studies$56,408
Information Technology$81,631
School Counseling$0
Clinical, Counseling, and Applied Psychology$50,474
Biology and Related Studies$65,186

Let's break that down further.

Are school counseling students satisfied with what they’re learning?

We asked students about their satisfaction with their course material and overall intellectual fulfillment. Here’s what they said:

We asked graduates how interesting they found the course material to be. Their response was:
4.2 out of 5 stars
25 ratings
5 stars
36%
4 stars
44%
3 stars
20%
2 stars
0%
1 stars
0%
We asked graduates how intellectually fulfilling they found the degree. Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
25 ratings
5 stars
44%
4 stars
28%
3 stars
24%
2 stars
0%
1 stars
4%

These ratings are meant to give you an indication about what other people enrolled in school counseling experienced. While their input is useful, keep in mind that different people have had vastly different experiences, all of which were impacted by their personal motivations, professors, and specific curriculum. Always keep your own goals at the center of your decision-making process when it comes to something as significant as your education.

Did school counseling graduates leave school with good job prospects?

Of course, working towards a degree is also about pursuing your desired career. Here’s what school counseling grads had to say about their job prospects:

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their job prospects. Their response was:
3.6 out of 5 stars
25 ratings
5 stars
24%
4 stars
40%
3 stars
20%
2 stars
0%
1 stars
16%

We can see there’s a cluster of positive responses, which might indicate a strong or growing job market.

Were school counseling students happy with their degree overall?

This rating takes into account all factors: how demanding the program is, whether graduates felt it was worthwhile, and how fulfilling they found their educational experience.

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their degree as a whole. Their response was:
3.8 out of 5 stars
21 ratings
5 stars
29%
4 stars
33%
3 stars
29%
2 stars
10%
1 stars
0%

As you consider this information and input from others, remember above all that your choice should be based on your interests, goals, passions, and abilities. Consider the future and give yourself time. If you’re feeling unsure, click here to take our career assessment and see what path could be right for you.

Vanderbilt University

Multilingual Education Online M.Ed.

  • Duration 15 months
  • Part-time available
  • Tuition $2,492/credit hour
  • Format 100% online
Explore Program

Sponsored Content

Career Paths

Learn about your career prospects after graduation.

Read about Career Paths