Benefits of a Human Services Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling

With a human services degree in marriage and family counseling students can go on to begin rewarding careers as marriage and family counselors. Human services degree programs in marriage and family counseling differ from similar programs in psychology schools and seminaries. The focus of a marriage and family counseling human services program is usually more to do with helping the less fortunate and those in need of social services. Coursework is similar in a human services degree program to that of a psychology program - coursework like child development, counseling theories, group therapy, and morals and ethics are still covered. People who earn master's degrees in marriage and family counseling through a human services program are ideally suited to begin work in social services agencies and nonprofit organizations counseling families and couples through their most difficult problems.

What You can Do with a Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling

The skills you learn in a marriage and family counseling degree program will help you help others through their hardest times. Depending upon your unique interests, you can become a couple's or family counselor in a women's shelter, a shelter for low income families, in a nonprofit organization, or in a private practice or clinic setting. With your master's degree in marriage and family counseling you should be able to work in a wide variety of settings dealing with marriage and family issues that matter most to you. Your career as a marriage and family counselor should lead to a salary of at least $35,000 per year. Depending upon the environment in which you choose to counsel, you can eventually make over $100,000 per year as a marriage and family counselor, but people who choose to earn their degrees through human services programs are typically more interested in helping the less fortunate than making a lot of money.

How to Earn a Human Services Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling

One great way to earn your human services degree in marriage and family counseling is through an accredited online program with an in-class component. By earning your degree through an online program you can take the majority of your classes from the comfort of your own home and still gain the hands-on skills you'll need to become an effective counselor.