undergradly.
Major · Health

A catchall mental-health and social-services credential

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other (CIP 51.1599) is the catchall code for specialized mental-health and social-services programs not fitting a named CIP. About 977 students complete it across 89 institutions, with bachelor’s graduates earning around $51,792 in tracked five-year wages.

Schools offering
89
Annual completions
977
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$46k

About this major

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other (CIP 51.1599) is the catchall code universities use for specialized mental-health and social-services programs that don’t fit a named CIP sub-discipline. The CIP definition is deliberately broad: any instructional program in mental and social health services and allied professions not listed above. Programs in 51.1599 typically blend introductory psychology, sociology, human services, case management, and supervised practicum work, but specific content varies considerably by institution. The course catalog and major requirements at your target school are the only reliable guide.

The major fits students drawn to direct service work with vulnerable populations — people in addiction recovery, mental-health crisis, homelessness, or systems-of-care entanglement — and comfortable holding emotionally heavy work without burning out. It rewards listening, written documentation discipline, and the ability to navigate bureaucratic systems on a client’s behalf. The career ladder at the bachelor’s level runs from behavioral-health technician and case manager into program coordinator and supervisor roles, with licensed clinical practice gated behind a master’s degree and state licensure.

One grounded observation about scale and pipeline: 977 students complete this CIP across 89 institutions, with bachelor’s graduates at $51,792 in five-year tracked wages and associate’s graduates at $40,919. After Old Dominion (143 graduates) and Ashford (87), top producers concentrate in Virginia and adjacent-state community colleges — Lackawanna, Tidewater, Palm Beach State, J Sargeant Reynolds, Asheville-Buncombe, and several Virginia community colleges. That regional concentration signals strong state-level human-services workforce pipelines feeding community mental-health agencies, addiction-treatment centers, and social-services nonprofits. Adjacent named CIPs — Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling (51.1501), Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician (51.1502), Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling (51.1504) — offer more standardized curricula in the same career space.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$46k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$41k

Bachelor's

$52k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you’re drawn to direct service work with people in crisis, addiction, or systems-of-care entanglement and you can hold that emotionally heavy work over years without burning out, you’re willing to investigate the named curriculum at your target school carefully (since 51.1599 masks distinctive programs), you’re realistic about the bachelor’s-level wage range ($40,000-$50,000 entry) and willing to plan a master’s ramp for clinical licensure or higher pay, and you’re comfortable with documentation, case management, and navigating bureaucracy on behalf of clients.

Think twice if your goal is licensed clinical mental-health practice — that gate (LMHC, LCSW, MFT) sits behind a master’s degree, supervised hours, and state licensure, so the bachelor’s is preparatory rather than terminal. Reconsider if a named CIP is available at your target school — Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling (51.1501, 1,708 completions), Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician (51.1502, 1,773 completions), or Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling (51.1504, 1,429 completions) all offer more standardized curricula and clearer credentialing paths. Also pause if you’re looking at this CIP for the wage potential alone; the master’s-required clinical roles pay substantially more, but that’s seven years of education, not four.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 0 143 143
Ashford University San Diego, CA 0 87 87
Lackawanna College Scranton, PA 49 25 74
Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA 30 0 30
Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL 28 0 28
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Richmond, VA 24 0 24
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC 24 0 24
Southside Virginia Community College Alberta, VA 23 0 23
Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA 22 0 22
Brightpoint Community College Chester, VA 21 0 21
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other

1,950 completions/yr

Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician

1,773 completions/yr

Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling

1,708 completions/yr

Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling

1,429 completions/yr

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other

1,062 completions/yr

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other

869 completions/yr

Clinical/Medical Social Work

264 completions/yr

Mental Health Counseling/Counselor

137 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this catchall CIP actually cover?
The CIP definition is deliberately broad: any instructional program in mental and social health services and allied professions not listed above. Specific program content varies considerably by institution. Programs in 51.1599 typically blend introductory psychology, sociology, human services, case management, and supervised practicum work. The course catalog at your target school is the only reliable guide — the credential masks programs that look very different from one campus to the next.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
The data packet does not list specific BLS occupations for this CIP — common with catchall codes. Realistic bachelor’s-level destinations include behavioral-health technician, case manager, residential counselor, peer-support specialist, and human-services coordinator at community mental-health agencies, addiction-treatment centers, and social-services nonprofits. Bachelor’s graduates earn $51,792 in five-year tracked wages, with associate’s graduates at $40,919 — a meaningful gap reflecting the broader role access a four-year degree opens.
Do I need a graduate degree to be a clinical mental-health counselor?
Yes. Licensed clinical roles — Mental Health Counselor (LMHC/LPC), Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Marriage and Family Therapist — all require a master’s degree plus 2,000-3,000 supervised clinical hours and a state licensing exam. The bachelor’s in this CIP is a preparatory step, not a clinical credential. Plan accordingly: the bachelor’s opens paraprofessional and case-management roles, and a master’s in social work, mental-health counseling, or marriage-and-family therapy is the gate to clinical practice.
How does this compare to Substance Abuse Counseling or Psychiatric Mental Health Services Technician?
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling (CIP 51.1501, 1,708 completions) is the dedicated path into addiction-counselor licensure tracks, which exist at the bachelor’s and associate’s level in many states. Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician (51.1502, 1,773 completions) is the named technician credential for inpatient and residential settings. Mental Health Counseling/Counselor (51.1508, 137 completions) sits closer to the master’s-track preparation. The 51.1599 catchall sits between these — broader than any single named program but less standardized.
Why are community colleges so heavily represented in the top schools?
After Old Dominion (143) and Ashford (87), the top producers — Lackawanna, Tidewater, Palm Beach State, J Sargeant Reynolds, Asheville-Buncombe, Southside Virginia, Virginia Peninsula, Brightpoint — are mostly community colleges in Virginia and adjacent states. That pattern signals strong state-level human-services workforce pipelines feeding regional behavioral-health agencies. If you’re at a Virginia or North Carolina community college with this CIP, the credential is paired with a clear regional employer base, but plan a bachelor’s transfer or master’s ramp if you want to climb past paraprofessional pay.
Is the bachelor’s worth it given the master’s ceiling?
It depends on your target. The bachelor’s premium ($51,792 vs $40,919 associate’s) is real and opens case-management and human-services-coordinator roles that the associate’s often doesn’t. But if your goal is licensed clinical practice, you’ll need a master’s on top — meaning seven total years of education. Some students choose a less expensive bachelor’s in psychology or social work and apply to a master’s program directly, treating undergraduate cost as a constraint to manage rather than the place to spend.