Welcome to the Behavioral Health Education and Career Opportunity Navigator, or BHEACON! 

This interactive tool is an ongoing project, always open to improvements. The goal is to provide relevant, specific, easy-to-understand information for anyone considering a career in behavioral health in Ohio. 

If you come across anything that needs more information or an update, please let us know at accounts@mhaadvocacy.org. 

As a general guideline, BHEACON shows the minimum requirements for each job title. The pathways are also aligned with the minimum requirements for certain credentialing paths. For example, if a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree will get you to the same credential and job title, we have included the bachelor’s degree and omitted the master’s degree from BHEACON’s main page. The Learn More pages, however, list and explain higher degrees within a track. There are also exceptions to the “minimum requirements” rule, but it’s good to keep in mind.

To the extent possible, BHEACON shows a large variety of pathways to any one job title. A single pathway may begin at “High School Diploma / GED” and trace through associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and/or doctorates. Please note that application requirements or prerequisites will differ between schools. Bachelor’s degree programs rarely require an associate’s degree, but holding an associate’s may help earn a bachelor’s degree sooner. Most master’s programs will require a bachelor’s degree, but they vary in which bachelor’s degrees meet the requirements. For example, one Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program may require a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), but another MSN program may accept a Bachelor of Science in Biology, or any bachelor’s degree plus certain prerequisite courses. Please take BHEACON’s pathways as general advice, and look up the requirements for any specific programs before applying. 

Salary Information

The salary data presented in BHEACON has been sourced from analysis reports available through Zip Recruiter, Indeed, Career One Stop, or Salary Expert. These sources use additional information beyond what is available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), including direct salary input from employers and job seekers, data extracted from job descriptions, aggregated salary information from recent past and present job postings, internal and purchased third-party surveys, reports from publicly traded organizations, and their own market research or modeling.

The salary and Income information ARE estimates. Actual salaries and income for behavioral health positions can vary widely based on several factors, including job role, geographic location, level of experience, education, and required licenses or credentials. Even with similar qualifications, pay can differ depending on where in the state you work, the type of organization (such as a large health system, small nonprofit, digital platform, or community-based setting), and whether the position involves a specific clinical specialization or client population. Please keep in mind that the salary and career information provided by BHEACON is intended as a general guide. It is designed to support your ongoing research and conversations as you explore education and career opportunities in the behavioral health field.