Counseling Degrees
GCU offers a variety of counseling programs designed to equip you with the skills needed for a career in mental health and wellness. Our programs emphasize hands-on experience and practical application while teaching insights into diverse counseling practices. With knowledgeable faculty and a supportive community, you can be prepared to make an impact on the lives of others.
Choose a Career Helping Others
Choosing a career that serves others can be a noble aspiration. When you pursue a counseling path, you are dedicating yourself to being a bridge that can help others create lives with enduring transformation. If you are passionate about helping others navigate life’s trials and hardships, GCU offers programs to help you start your service journey.
Loading Form
50% of U.S. adults ages 18-24 reported a mental illness in 2023.3
Earn your counseling degree to help make a difference in the lives of others.
Develop Critical Skills That Help Make a Difference
Examine evidenced-based theories and practical applications of counseling in our programs. Additionally, you will be educated to develop core competencies and skills necessary for counselors, including:
- Counseling relationships and practice
- Career development
- Serving diverse populations across the lifespan
- Assessing mental and emotional status of clients
- Ethical decision-making
Awareness of social and cultural trends
Understanding of legal and counseling practice standards
Group counseling and group work
Diagnosis and assessment processes

Our institutionally accredited university delivers a quality education, offering campus and online counseling degree programs that can help you prepare to make positive contributions in your field and within your community. In addition, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) has continually accredited GCU since 1968.
Whether you are a high school student or a working professional, our degrees offer flexible formats designed to help you reach your education and career goals while achieving optimal school-life balance. Our online degrees are designed for the working professional to pursue education with convenience. If you prefer to earn your degree in person, GCU offers degrees on campus or through our evening degree program.

While pursuing one of our counseling programs, you can be assured of our commitment to providing high-achieving students with access to an affordable private education. Financing your education is an investment in your future, so let us help you plan for it with these convenient cost-estimating tools and resources:
Discover Counseling Degrees at GCU
GCU offers degrees in counseling at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. If you are looking to build upon your knowledge and skills in a particular area of counseling, see GCU’s available certificate programs.
Bachelor’s Degrees in Counseling
GCU offers a range of undergraduate degrees in counseling that can help you gain a strong foundation of important concepts and practices. Browse through our program offerings to find the best fit for you.

Loading Degree Programs
Counseling Master’s Degrees
Explore our master’s degrees in counseling to find the ideal program and specialization that can help you equip yourself for the next step of your career.

Loading Degree Programs
Doctorate in Counseling Programs
For students passionate about advancing the counseling field through impactful research, we offer doctoral counseling programs designed to deepen your expertise and help drive your career forward.

Loading Degree Programs
Counseling Certificate Programs
Our counseling certificates can provide you with specific knowledge and tools targeted to your area of interest. Explore our options to discover which certificate best suits you.
Loading Degree Programs
A bachelor’s in counseling may qualify you to pursue certain professional credentials, but many students choose to pursue an advanced degree to progress their skills. Earning a graduate-level degree is required for those interested in clinical counseling or any counseling position that requires licensure or certification.4
Our online counseling degrees at the graduate level offer specializations in areas like school counseling, substance use and addictive disorders, childhood and adolescence disorders, marriage and family therapy and trauma. Specific career options may include the following:
- Mental health counselor
- Marriage and family therapist
- Substance abuse counselor
- Behavioral disorder counselor
- Postsecondary psychology or health specialties teacher
- Educational, guidance or career counselor
Discover how our knowledgeable faculty and comprehensive curriculum can support your journey into counseling specializations. Learn more about our counseling programs with answers to these common questions.

1 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, retrieved Sept. 23, 2024.
2 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, School and Career Counselors and Advisors, retrieved Sept. 23, 2024.
3 American Psychological Association. (2023, Nov. 1). Stress in America 2023: A Nation Grappling With Psychological Impacts of Collective Trauma. Retrieved Sept. 23, 2024.
4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, Sept. 6). How to Become a Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, or Mental Health Counselor. Retrieved Sept. 23, 2024.
GCU’s online counseling degrees can offer the flexibility you need, while providing a quality education in the counseling profession.