Help Others with a Master's Degree in Counseling

As a counselor, you can provide critical support to people in need, helping children and adults resolve problems. Counseling spans a range of specialties, from school to family to mental health to career counseling. Job opportunities for qualified counselors should be very good in the coming decade, according to Department of Labor projections.

In order to launch a career as a licensed counselor, you will need to complete a master's degree in counseling. This two-year graduate degree is available online, making it accessible to both mid-career professionals and recent university graduates. Online university programs offer flexible scheduling and self-paced courses to accommodate adults with busy schedules. Courses cover human growth and development, social and cultural issues, relationships, assessment, program evaluation, and career development. A clinical component offers you an opportunity to build direct counseling experience under the supervision of a licensed professional. The online master's degree program in Counseling will qualify you for state licensure, after which you can practice as an independent counselor in your chosen specialty area.