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Mental & Social Health Services Major

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Mental & Social Health Services

3,976 Associate's Degrees Annually
3,123 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
#10 in Popularity (Associate's)
$54,150 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Mental & Social Health Services Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many mental and social health services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate Degree 3,976
Bachelor’s Degree 3,123
Basic Certificate 3,077
Undergraduate Certificate 2,062

What Mental & Social Health Services Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, mental health services majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Mental Health Services Majors

Mental Health Services majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Mental Health Services Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to mental health services:

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  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Mental Health Services Majors

As you progress with your mental health services degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Mental & Social Health Services Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with mental health services:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Psychiatric Aides 5.6% $29,180
Psychiatric Technicians 5.9% $32,870

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Mental & Social Health Services?

3,976 Associate's Degrees Annually
81% Percent Women
47% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is one of the most frequently chosen trade school majors. It is the 10th most popular in the country with 3,976 students graduating with an associate’s in mental health services in 2021. The major attracts more women than men. About 81% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of mental health services majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 76
Black or African American 955
Hispanic or Latino 625
White 1,988
International Students 45
Other Races/Ethnicities 287

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Mental Health Services. About 1.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • Canada
  • China
  • Saudi Arabia
  • India
  • South Korea

How Much Do Mental & Social Health Services Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $47,740 to $77,520 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to mental health services. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Mental & Social Health Services Major  ( 47740 to 77520 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with mental health services require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for mental health services careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 0.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 9.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 0.9%
Some College Courses 2.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 6.7%
Bachelor’s Degree 14.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 2.2%
Master’s Degree 42.6%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 4.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 2.3%
Doctoral Degree 10.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 5.6%

Online Mental & Social Health Services Programs

In 2020-2021, 962 schools offered a mental health services program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 241 24
Certificate (2-4 Years) 4 0
Associate’s Degree 410 41
Bachelor’s Degree 146 45
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 550 76
Post-Master’s 92 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 52 11
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 14 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Mental & Social Health Services Worth It?

The median salary for a mental health services grad is $54,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 36% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $285,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to mental health services.

Major Number of Grads
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,270
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,030
Health & Medical Administrative Services 72,024
Allied Health Professions 69,358
Health Sciences & Services 34,199
Dental Support Services 26,277
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 17,947
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 949
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 31

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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