MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a master's degree in Student Counseling and Personnel Services worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 305 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$58,866 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$58,866Median year-4 earnings
$18,487Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$58,866Typical earnings four years after completion
$59,561Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
12thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
600Degrees awarded in 2024–25
305College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 73 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Student Counseling and Personnel Services

How much do Student Counseling and Personnel Services master's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $58,866 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.

Does the college matter for Student Counseling and Personnel Services?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $54,549 to $65,382 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Student Counseling and Personnel Services?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$63,760
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
CURRENT VIEW

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$58,866
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
305
305 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$86,457
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

First Professional Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,258
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$55,831
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →
OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$85,757
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$54,549National median$58,86675th percentile$65,382
305 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$65,38275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Fresno Pacific University

$94,232 four years after completionFresno, CA · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

National University

229 reported awards in 2024–25San Diego, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$91,553Observed year-4 earnings$75,660
$3,103Annual college-wide average net price$32,740
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Fresno Pacific University$94,2322San Francisco State University$91,7783Concordia University-Irvine$91,5534California State University, Los Angeles$88,6595California State University, East Bay$85,4526Alliant International University-San Diego$84,8057California State University, Dominguez Hills$84,7898Concordia University-Chicago$84,3189Alfred University$84,23210Seattle Pacific University$83,306

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$64,330 median wage353,310 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 27,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$45,020–$104,770 typical wage rangeResidential Advisors$42,240 median wage84,760 jobs nationwide+3.5% projected growth through 2035 · 16,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$29,870–$61,060 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.