2027 Best Degrees With Academic Advising
Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist
Choosing a master's degree is difficult enough without discovering too late that required courses conflict with work, a practicum is hard to arrange, or no one helped you map a path to graduation. Academic advising can make those requirements clearer, but its value depends on the support a specific program provides.
This guide compares 10-degree fields and shows how to assess advising before enrolling. It also covers degrees for people who want to become advisors. For career context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a 2024 median wage of $65,140 for the broader school and career counselors and advisors occupation—not a guaranteed academic advisor salary.
Key Things You Should Know
- The best field depends on your career goal; compare the advising available within a specific master's program, not just its degree name or university-wide support.
- Across these 10 fields, ask who helps plan courses and who handles field placements, licensure questions, or other specialized requirements.
- For an academic advising career, a relevant bachelor's degree may qualify you for some roles; a master's can help with specialization but is not universally required.
Top 10 Best Degrees With Academic Advising
Business Programs
Master of Business Administration and specialized business master's programs suit students seeking management or functional expertise. Advising matters when foundation courses, electives, internships, and recruiting timelines must fit together. Ask whether an advisor can help you compare concentrations and plan courses around work—not merely process registration. An MBA may be a poor fit if you need a technical credential or a license the degree does not provide. Compare the program's total cost with the experience and opportunities you already have.
Healthcare Programs
Master's programs in public health, health administration, and related fields serve different goals: population health, organizational leadership, and specialized practice. Useful advising should distinguish degree requirements from employer expectations and any profession-specific credentials. Ask who confirms prerequisites, experiential requirements, and placement options, especially if you work in healthcare already. Do not assume that a healthcare-related master's qualifies you for a clinical license; that depends on the occupation and program.
Information Technology Programs
Master's degrees in information technology often emphasize systems, cybersecurity, data management, or technology leadership. Advising is particularly useful for career changers deciding whether they need foundation coursework before advanced classes. Ask for a course sequence showing prerequisites, elective availability, and any capstone requirements. If your goal is a narrowly defined technical skill, a shorter credential or work-based training may be more appropriate than a full master's degree.
Computer Science Programs
A master's in computer science usually develops deeper computing knowledge than a general IT degree, but programs vary in mathematical prerequisites, research emphasis, and applied projects. An advisor should help you identify missing preparation and compare thesis, project, or coursework routes where offered. Career changers should ask whether prerequisite classes add time and cost before graduate-level study. Choose this route for the work you want to do, not on the assumption that every computing job requires a master's.
Nursing Programs
Master of Science in Nursing pathways may focus on advanced practice, education, or leadership; their requirements are not interchangeable. Program-specific advising should address RN eligibility, clinical placements, state authorization, and whether a concentration meets the requirements for an intended certification or license. Ask who arranges clinical sites and what happens if a site falls through. An online classroom format does not eliminate in-person clinical work, and admission to a nursing school does not necessarily mean admission to every concentration.
Psychology Programs
Psychology master's programs can emphasize research, applied behavior, or preparation for further study. Advising should clarify whether a program is designed for doctoral admission, a particular occupation, or neither. Ask how faculty mentoring, research opportunities, and practica work in the concentration you want. A general psychology master's does not automatically qualify someone to practice as a licensed psychologist or counselor; check the relevant state's requirements before enrolling.
Education Programs
Master's degrees in education may serve practicing teachers, future school leaders, or students entering education-related roles. The most valuable advising addresses the specific route: licensure, an endorsement, professional development, or research. Ask for written confirmation of whether coursework and student teaching, if required, align with your state's rules. A degree labeled "education" is not necessarily an initial teaching license pathway, particularly when it is designed for already licensed educators.
Criminal Justice Programs
Criminal justice master's degrees often examine policy, administration, and research rather than provide a universal entry credential for law enforcement jobs. Advising can help students choose methods courses, applied projects, or agency-related experiences that match their aims. Ask how the program accommodates working professionals and whether its curriculum fits the job qualifications you have identified. Employer hiring rules and training requirements remain separate from earning the degree.
Engineering Programs
Engineering master's degrees offer discipline-specific depth, often through technical electives, projects, or research. Good advising helps students with different undergraduate backgrounds identify prerequisites and sequence specialized courses that may not run every term. Ask whether a thesis requires an available supervisor and whether the program supports your intended specialty. If professional engineer licensure is your goal, verify your state's education and experience rules separately; a master's alone is not a license.
Social Work Programs
A Master of Social Work is a practice-oriented route for many social work roles, with field education central to the curriculum. Advising should cover placement scheduling, supervision, and how the program relates to the state where you plan to seek licensure. Students with an eligible social work bachelor's degree can ask about advanced-standing admission, but eligibility and remaining requirements vary. Do not mistake admission to an MSW program for automatic eligibility to practice independently.
What degrees prepare you for a career in academic advising?
To become an academic advisor, start with the role you want. Academic advising usually means helping students understand degree requirements, choose courses, identify resources, and make informed academic decisions. It differs from receiving advising as a student. The paths below show why there is no single required major.
| Educational path | Where it may fit | Important limitation |
| Relevant bachelor's degree | Some entry-level advising or student-support roles | Employers may also seek higher-education experience |
| Master's in higher education or student affairs | College advising and broader student services work | Program focus and field experience vary |
| Master's in counseling or education | Roles that value counseling skills or educational planning | A counseling degree does not automatically confer a license |
Psychology and social work can also provide useful preparation, depending on the position. If you want to test student-support work before committing to graduate school, shorter 6 month programs may help you explore adjacent skills, but they are not substitutes for a degree when an employer requires one.
What are the requirements to become an academic advisor?
Academic advisor requirements are set mainly by employers and the duties of the position. Some roles accept a bachelor's degree; others prefer or require a master's in higher education, counseling, education, or a related field. Experience as a peer mentor, orientation leader, admissions staff member, or student-services professional may strengthen an application. Jobs involving licensed counseling have separate state requirements.
Is a master's degree required for academic advising jobs?
No. A master's degree is not a universal requirement for academic advising jobs. A relevant bachelor's degree and student-facing experience may be sufficient for some positions, while specialized, senior, or counseling-heavy positions may call for graduate education. Check several postings from the type of institution where you hope to work, then compare their stated qualifications with the cost and time of further study.
Which academic advising programs are accredited?
There is no single programmatic accreditor that approves every degree, leading to academic advising. First, check that the institution holds recognized institutional accreditation. Then check whether a particular program needs additional accreditation for its separate professional purpose—for example, a counseling, social work, or educator-preparation pathway. Programmatic accreditation matters most when it affects the credential or license you actually intend to pursue.
A red flag is a program that calls itself "accredited" without identifying the accrediting organization or explaining which credential the claim covers. Confirm the current status with the accreditor and ask the program how its coursework meets any applicable state requirements.
What do academic advising degree programs teach?
Degrees relevant to advising may teach student development, higher-education policy, educational equity, communication, assessment, and how to interpret academic requirements. Programs differ: a higher-education degree may emphasize campus systems, while a counseling program may include more counseling theory and supervised practice. Neither curriculum should be assumed from the degree title alone.
Look for opportunities to practice advising-related work, such as a supervised internship or applied project. Ask who arranges placements, whether working students can use an appropriate workplace site, and what a graduate will be able to demonstrate to employers.
Are online academic advising degrees as effective as campus programs?
An online degree can prepare someone for advising as effectively as a campus degree if its curriculum, interaction, and applied experience meet the student's needs. Delivery labels alone cannot establish that. The comparison below highlights what to verify before choosing a format.
| Format | Potential advantage | Constraint to check |
| Online | Study without routine travel to campus | Live meetings, deadlines, and local internship expectations |
| Hybrid | Mix of remote study and in-person contact | Frequency and cost of required visits |
| Campus | Regular in-person access to classes and campus offices | Commute, schedule, and relocation costs |
For a student choosing any of the 10 master's fields, ask whether the academic advisor for online students can provide a complete degree plan and resolve placement or course-sequencing problems remotely. Online access is not the same as flexible scheduling.
How long and how much do academic advising programs take?
Time and cost depend on the specific credential, required credits, enrollment pace, prerequisites, course availability, and any thesis or practicum. A bachelor's degree generally requires more study than a post-bachelor's certificate; a master's adds graduate coursework, but its remaining requirements vary substantially. Request a term-by-term plan based on your transcript rather than relying on a fastest-completion claim.
For a useful cost comparison, add tuition, mandatory and program fees, books, travel or placement expenses, and income you may forgo. Confirm financial-aid eligibility with the school, and ask whether employer tuition assistance is available. If graduate study is optional for your target job, compare its likely value with other masters degrees that are worth it for your goals—not just their advertised tuition.
What careers and salaries can academic advising degrees lead to?
Relevant degrees can support applications for academic advising, student success, admissions, career services, or student-affairs roles. The work and qualifications differ: career counseling positions, for example, may have expectations that a general advising position does not. Experience and the employer's job description matter alongside the degree.
The BLS wage figure cited earlier covers school and career counselors and advisors, a broader occupation than college academic advisors alone. Use it as labor market context, not as an expected starting salary or evidence that a master's raises pay. If earnings are your main goal, compare actual occupations and required credentials rather than assuming that the most lucrative college degrees are also the best preparation for advising.
How do you choose a reputable academic advising program?
Choose a program by matching its requirements and support to your intended outcome. For a master's with academic advising, find out whether someone can help with field-specific sequencing, career decisions, and experiential requirements. For a degree for an advising career, compare the curriculum and experience it offers with real job postings.
Before applying, get clear answers to these questions:
- Who will be my advisor, how can I meet with them, and will they help build a term-by-term degree plan?
- Which prerequisites, placements, campus visits, or licensing-related requirements apply to my intended path?
- What will I pay to finish, and which previous credits, if any, will count toward specific requirements?
- Is the institution accredited, and does any separate professional goal require programmatic accreditation?
A common mistake is treating a school's general promise of "personalized advising" as proof of specialized support. Ask for the services and responsibilities of the advisor assigned to your particular program, preferably before paying an enrollment deposit.
Other Things You Should Know About
Policies vary. Ask when an advisor is assigned, how appointments work, and whether the person can advise on your concentration and graduation requirements.
An advisor can help connect coursework with your goals, but career counseling, internships, and job-search support may sit in separate offices. Check what each service provides.
There is no universal best major. Higher education, education, counseling, psychology, and related fields can fit different roles; compare job postings before selecting one.
Not automatically. Counseling licenses have separate state rules for eligible education, supervised practice, and examinations.
References
- Revisiting Academic Advising: Potential Role and Implications in Undergraduate Medical Training in India - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10789466/
- Field of degree: Occupational Outlook Handbook:: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/
- Professional Advisor Credentials, Career Ladders, and Salaries | ksu.edu https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Professional-Advisor-Credentials-Career-Ladders-and-Salaries
- How to Become an Academic Advisor | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota https://www.smumn.edu/career-path/academic-advisor/
- Job Description Template: Academic Advisor | BambooHR https://www.bamboohr.com/job-description/academic-advisor
