2027 Best Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a $59,350 U.S. median annual wage in May 2025 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, the occupation relevant to many clinical mental health counseling graduates. The median covers workers at different career stages and is not a forecast of a new graduate's pay or a Kansas-specific figure.

When estimating your own return, request salary ranges for the actual Kansas jobs you intend to pursue and distinguish positions open to graduates from those requiring a clinical license. Compare likely earnings after graduation with your current pay, expected loan payments, and any income you would give up while completing clinical hours. A national median alone cannot settle whether the degree is affordable for you.

Two Kansas options illustrate why program structure can matter more than a generic "hands-on training" claim. Use these distinctions to decide what to investigate with each school; confirm current requirements directly before applying.

• MidAmerica Nazarene University: Its Master of Arts in Counseling is presented as a clinical mental health counseling pathway, making the clinical focus central to the degree a prospective student is evaluating (MidAmerica Nazarene University). It may suit applicants who want that focus from the outset; ask how its current curriculum and placement process map to Kansas BSRB requirements.
• Wichita State University: Clinical mental health counseling is identified as a track within its Master of Education in Counseling (Wichita State University). That structure is a meaningful contrast with a dedicated counseling degree: applicants should compare track-specific coursework, clinical placements, and degree documentation rather than assume that requirements for other counseling tracks apply to them.

Neither program's name establishes licensure eligibility or a better employment outcome. Request the current degree plan, practicum and internship requirements, placement policy, accreditation status, and complete cost from each program before making a final comparison.

A full-time, licensure-oriented counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer because courses and supervised placements may follow a required sequence. Those are planning ranges, not completion promises. Ask each Kansas program for a term-by-term plan showing when clinical work begins and whether required courses run every term.

For working adults, the decisive constraint may be daytime availability for clients and supervision rather than lecture hours. An accelerated schedule makes sense only if you can complete placements without repeatedly reducing work hours or extending enrollment. Check how a leave of absence would affect course sequencing and access to an internship site.

Online study changes where you attend class; it does not remove supervised clinical training or Kansas licensing requirements. A campus program can simplify access to faculty and nearby placement networks, while an online or hybrid option may help a working student stay employed or avoid relocating. Neither format is inherently better for licensure.

Before choosing an online program - particularly one based outside Kansas - obtain written confirmation of where you may complete clinical hours, who approves and supervises the site, and whether the curriculum is designed to meet current Kansas BSRB educational requirements. Ask about required campus visits and their travel costs. A program's general claim that it "prepares students for licensure" is not a substitute for a state-specific answer.

There is no single defensible "average cost" for a Kansas clinical mental health counseling degree without specifying which programs, credit loads, residency categories, and fees are included. NCES/IPEDS publishes institutional graduate tuition and fee information, but an institutional figure is not necessarily the total price of this particular clinical program. Compare each school's current published rate against a written program-specific estimate instead.

Calculate the full cost through graduation: required credits, tuition by residency status where applicable, mandatory fees, books, travel to placements, and the income you may forgo during clinical training. Public-university in-state pricing can matter, but compare the final aid-adjusted price with any private university offer rather than treating institution type as a shortcut. The most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs can help form a cost-focused shortlist; verify today's charges with each school.

Graduate students should start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each institution's graduate funding office. Depending on eligibility and availability, funding may include Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships or assistantships, employer tuition benefits, and placements with compensation. Federal Student Aid explains federal loan eligibility; a school's aid offer establishes what that student can actually use.

Compare net cost and expected debt, not scholarship headlines. Ask whether aid renews during internship terms and whether an assistantship's work schedule conflicts with clinical hours. If borrowing is necessary, model repayment against a conservative early-career salary rather than the BLS national median. For a second lens on price and outcomes, review the most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree, transcripts, and materials that let a program assess readiness for graduate study and client-facing work. Specific prerequisites, GPA thresholds, references, interviews, and background-check policies vary by institution; verify them on the current admissions page. A bachelor's degree outside psychology does not necessarily rule someone out, but missing foundational coursework may change the plan.

Admissions and licensure are separate checks. Before paying an application fee, ask whether the exact degree and track you intend to enter meet the educational requirements for the Kansas license you want. If you already hold graduate counseling credits, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation: accepted academic credits may not replace a program's required supervised clinical experiences.

A clinical counseling curriculum typically covers counseling theories and skills, diagnosis and assessment, ethics, research, multicultural counseling, group work, and treatment across the lifespan, followed by supervised practicum and internship experiences (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs). Course names vary, so compare syllabi and clinical requirements rather than relying on a short course list.

For Kansas-focused comparison, ask a program to identify where its curriculum addresses the educational areas required by the BSRB and how it documents supervised training. This is particularly important when choosing a broader counseling degree with several tracks: only the coursework and placements in your track establish what you will complete.

Specialized interests within clinical mental health counseling can include substance use treatment, trauma-informed practice, child and adolescent counseling, or work with couples and families. Availability differs by program, and an elective is not the same as a formally recognized concentration or a separate professional credential.

Choose a specialization for the clients and settings you want to serve, then check whether appropriate faculty, electives, and placements are available when you need them. If your primary goal is school counseling or marriage and family therapy licensure, compare the distinct educational and licensing paths before assuming a clinical mental health counseling track is interchangeable with either one (Kansas BSRB; Kansas State Department of Education).

Start with your intended Kansas credential and work backward to the degree. The BSRB is the authority for counselor licensure; the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) identifies programs holding its programmatic accreditation. Accreditation is useful evidence about a program, but confirm the exact program's current status and check the board's educational rules rather than assuming accreditation alone awards a license.

Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then ask each school the same decision-making questions:

1. Does this exact degree and track satisfy current Kansas BSRB educational requirements, and where is that documented?
2. Who finds and approves clinical placements, and what happens if a nearby site is unavailable?
3. What is my total expected cost after aid, including fees and placement-related expenses?
4. How long do students on my intended full-time or part-time schedule typically take to finish?
5. Which outcomes are reported for this specific program and reporting period, rather than for the university overall?

A common mistake is choosing solely by rank, advertised tuition, or an online label. A lower sticker price may lose its advantage if travel or an extended timeline increases costs; a convenient format may not fit your local placement needs. The most popular clinical mental health counseling programs offer another comparison, but popularity does not answer those personal-fit questions.

The most direct path is graduate clinical training followed by the steps required for Kansas professional and, where sought, clinical counselor licensure. Other paths may include counseling roles in community agencies or substance use settings, with duties limited by the credential held and the employer's requirements. The Kansas BSRB determines licensing requirements; earning the degree itself is not a license or permission to practice independently.

This degree is a strong potential fit if you want sustained client-facing counseling work and are prepared for supervised training after and during graduate school. If you mainly want to conduct research, prescribe medication, or work as a school counselor, compare the relevant psychology, medical, or school-counseling pathways first. That distinction can prevent an expensive mismatch between your degree and intended job.

The BLS projects 18% U.S. employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That signals national demand, but it is not a Kansas vacancy count or a guarantee of a job near a preferred town. Clinical employers may also differ in the supervision they can offer a recent graduate.

For a local job-market test, search current postings in the Kansas communities where you could realistically work. Record the required license level, hours, supervision arrangements, setting, and pay range. Compare those requirements with each program's clinical preparation and your post-degree licensing timeline. This is more useful than treating a national growth projection as evidence that every Kansas graduate will have the same opportunities.

An education investment deserves evidence beyond a program's description. Research.com evaluates counseling programs using graduate outcomes, licensure-exam results where applicable, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost. The Best ranking first builds a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score: completion accounts for 40%, employment or doctoral admission for 20%, licensure-exam pass rates for 20% where applicable, CACREP accreditation for 16%, and institutional Title IV eligibility for 4%. Shares are adjusted when a measure does not apply; cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs.

To strengthen the ranking's credibility and accuracy, the Research.com team drew on these data sources:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completion, and cost data.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federally reported institutional outcomes and costs.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and context.

The ranking helps narrow a shortlist, not replace a licensure or cost check. Program-level clinical placement arrangements, individual aid offers, and current state-board requirements can differ from what broad datasets capture. Other Research.com rankings order programs by the single dimension named in each ranking. Read more about the approach on Research.com's methodology page.

• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Nebraska
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Oklahoma
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Colorado
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Iowa
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Texas
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Minnesota
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Best Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Mexico

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Counselors
  Used to verify salary, employment outlook, and typical education requirements.
  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/
• CACREP - Directory of Accredited Programs
  Used to verify CACREP accreditation status of specific programs.
  https://www.cacrep.org/directory/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - M.A. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-clinical-mental-health/
• Wichita State University - M. Ed. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.wichita.edu/academics/education/cles/med_counseling-clinical-mental-health-track.php