Counseling Degree Types To Aim For
Many people look to work towards a career in the helping profession, and a counseling degree is a great jumping off point for a meaningful career that can touch the lives of others. A counseling degree can be either a four, six or eight year degree – and will be one of the most rewarding careers that you can find if helping people is your goal in life.
Four Year Counseling Degree
The four year counseling degree or bachelor’s degree is typically a degree in Human Services and Counseling or in Social Work. With a four year degree, you can work as a counselor in a variety of settings, including government and private sector jobs. You might also work with governmental organizations like the Department for Health and Human Services, or in a variety of youth, elder, and at-risk programs.
Six Year Counseling Degree
If you have received your bachelor’s degree in social work, you can go on to get a master’s degree as well. This six year counseling degree will give you the ability in many states to open up a private counseling practice, although you won’t be able to prescribe medication.
Eight Year Counseling Degree
An eight year counseling degree is a doctorate degree or PhD. This degree might be lead to a job as a psychiatrist or psychologist, and the sky is really the limit when it comes to finding employment in counseling with this type of degree. Many people who obtain a doctorate choose to work in education, educating other counselors, or in private practice.
Online Counseling Degree
There are also online options for obtaining a counseling degree, and online schools are growing in number each year. If you are interested in obtaining an online counseling degree, check to make sure that the program you select for online classes is an accredited program that will lead to a degree that you can actually use. There are certificate and degree programs out there – and there is a big difference between a certificate in counseling and a degree in counseling. And keep in mind that most online schools that offer the counseling degree will require that you attend some in-person classes because you will need to work with people in person in order to be properly trained. Other than that, an online counseling degree can be obtained 100% online via the Web in about the same number of years that it takes to get a degree in person.
