Bachelor’s Degrees in Counseling
Bachelor’s Degrees in Counseling
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If you have a calling to help others affected by social, emotional, psychological or behavioral issues, you may consider enrolling in one of our undergraduate counseling programs. These programs are designed to provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to pursue graduate-level studies or various positions in the mental health field, where you can help make a difference in the lives of others.
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Various modality options are available to all students, allowing you the opportunity to gain a comprehensive counseling education in a way that best suits your lifestyle. Explore our different degree modalities to find the option that makes the most sense for you.
Earning your undergraduate counseling degree can help you turn your passion for helping individuals better their lives into a career. While completing your degree, you will work to gain and develop skills that are relevant to the counseling field, such as critical thinking, decision-making, social and cultural awareness and being able to assess various mental and emotional states.
Additionally, careers in mental health counseling are expected to see growth over the next decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates job growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors to increase by about 18% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than average, accounting for an estimated increase of 71,500 jobs in the field.(See disclaimer 1)
University HLC Accreditation
Undergraduate Admission Requirements
Whether you are looking to pursue a counseling, social work or behavioral health science major, GCU offers various options that may be ideal for you as you begin your journey into the counseling field.
Behavioral Health Science
Counseling
Social Work
Undergraduate degrees in behavioral science and counseling will cover topics that are critical to understand as you enter into the behavioral health field. For emphasis programs, you will have specific courses that dive deeper into key topics specific to your focus area.
Some examples of topics covered in these different degree programs include:
Counseling theories
Human development
Trauma
Behavioral health science ethics
Group dynamics and processes
Addiction and substance use disorders
Abnormal psychology
If you’re looking to enroll in a counseling bachelor’s degree, you may have some additional questions. Read through some commonly asked questions to learn more about different career and degree options.
What are the different types of bachelor’s in counseling degrees?
Should I earn a psychology or counseling bachelor’s to become a therapist?
Can you become a counselor with a bachelor’s degree?
Are online bachelor’s degrees in counseling respected?
Those with a bachelor’s degree in counseling, behavioral health science or social work may choose to pursue various entry-level opportunities after graduation.
These career options all provide you with the opportunity to use the knowledge you’ve gained throughout your degree to help improve the lives of others who suffer from psychological, behavioral, social and emotional issues.
Different job possibilities may include:
Substance use and behavioral disorder counselors
Mental health counselors
Counselors
Mental health and substance use social workers
Estimated job growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors expected from 2022 to 2032(See disclaimer 1)
Median annual wage for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors, as of May 2023(See disclaimer 2)
As a student at GCU, you have access to valuable resources and a community of support to assist you as you complete your program. Take advantage of the resources offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as online resources that may be useful for all students.
Pairing one of the counseling and psychology minors offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences can also be a great asset to other bachelor’s degree programs that you may choose to pursue. There are a variety of minor options available, ranging from behavioral health sciences to forensic psychology. Each of these can provide you with additional knowledge that may further benefit you as you prepare for a career in any field.
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