2027 Best Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Mississippi

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $59,350 national median annual salary for May 2025 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. It is an occupation-wide benchmark, not a Mississippi starting salary or an estimate of what a new master's graduate will earn. Pay can differ with licensure, experience, employer, location, and caseload (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook).

For a useful investment comparison, request recent, program-specific employment information and review actual Mississippi job postings for both supervised-entry and licensed roles. Compare those opportunities with the earnings you would forgo or retain while studying rather than treating the national median as a guaranteed return.

These program pages point to different decisions a student must make. The distinctions below concern the named program or its published description; confirm current credit requirements, clinical hours, outcomes, and licensure alignment directly with each institution before applying.

• Mississippi State University: Its clinical mental health counseling offering is identified with the Meridian campus, making training location a particularly useful point of comparison. Students based outside the area should ask how campus attendance and placement geography work together before assuming they can complete the program close to home (Mississippi State University, Meridian program page).
• Mississippi Christian University: Its graduate offering is explicitly presented as a mental health counseling master's rather than a general counselor-education degree. Applicants comparing tracks should ask the department for its current clinical sequence, placement arrangements, and documentation of alignment with Mississippi licensure rules (Mississippi Christian University, mental health counseling program page).
• University of Mississippi: Its published degree is a Master of Education in Counselor Education, so the decisive comparison is the emphasis within that degree - not the university name alone. A prospective clinical counselor should obtain a track-specific course plan and confirm that it serves the intended LPC pathway (University of Mississippi, counselor education program page).
• Reformed Theological Seminary: Its Master of Arts in Counseling places counseling education in a seminary setting, a distinctive institutional context among these options. Students interested in that approach should review the current curriculum and clinical preparation alongside licensure requirements rather than assuming institutional mission determines credential eligibility (Reformed Theological Seminary, Master of Arts in Counseling program page).
• Jackson State University: Its published material identifies a master's program specifically in clinical mental health counseling. Because the linked program document dates to 2021, applicants should request a current handbook and outcomes before relying on its curriculum details for an enrollment decision (Jackson State University, clinical mental health counseling program document).
• Delta State University: Its published option is an M. Ed. in Counseling, which makes the available concentration and degree plan the key facts to verify. Students seeking clinical practice should confirm the current track, required fieldwork, and Mississippi LPC educational fit rather than assuming every counseling M. Ed. has the same destination (Delta State University, M. Ed. in Counseling program page).

Plan on roughly two to three years for a full-time counseling master's; part-time study can take longer. The practical constraint is often the sequence of prerequisites, practicum, and internship rather than the number of courses alone. Request a term-by-term plan for your intended start date, particularly if you need evening classes or must keep full-time employment (CACREP, counseling accreditation standards; individual program catalogs).

Graduation and independent practice are separate milestones. Mississippi's licensing board sets requirements beyond the degree, including supervised experience and examination requirements; ask the board and your prospective program how graduates typically move from training into supervised practice (Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).

Online delivery can reduce routine travel for a working student or someone living far from a campus. It does not remove the need for supervised, client-facing clinical training. An on-campus format may simplify access to scheduled classes and local placement networks, but commuting and fixed meeting times can raise its real cost.

Choose by looking at the least flexible part of the program: fieldwork. Ask each school which courses require live attendance, whether any campus visits are mandatory, who approves local sites, and what happens if a suitable supervisor cannot be found. If you expect to seek licensure outside Mississippi, obtain written guidance on that state's educational requirements as well; online availability does not establish nationwide licensure eligibility (CACREP; Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).

There is no single defensible Mississippi program average that captures what every clinical mental health counseling student will pay. Published graduate tuition may be quoted per credit, term, or academic year, while required credits, residency status, fees, and time to completion vary. Compare each school's current graduate tuition and fees in IPEDS or its official schedule, then obtain a program-specific estimate; an institution-wide figure is not necessarily the price of this degree (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

The table shows which charges belong in a realistic comparison. It is a budgeting framework, not a set of published prices.

Use the most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs as a starting list, then ask every school for the same full-program cost estimate. Do not assume a public university will be cheaper for you than a private nonprofit option after aid, or that a lower tuition rate means a lower total cost.

Eligible graduate students can investigate federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, school-funded assistantships, institutional scholarships, and relevant employer tuition benefits. Federal loan eligibility depends on the student and institution; assistantships and scholarships depend on each program's current funding and rules (Federal Student Aid; individual institutions). Complete the FAFSA and ask programs whether clinical semesters affect assistantship duties or enrollment-based aid eligibility.

Ask financial aid offices for a written estimate covering every semester, including internship terms. Borrowing only enough for the first year without planning for later fieldwork can leave a student unable to finish. If a school discusses additional federal graduate borrowing, confirm the rules applicable to your own enrollment and borrowing history with its financial aid office rather than relying on an older financing guide (Federal Student Aid).

Expect to need a bachelor's degree and a graduate application; schools may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or evidence of relevant preparation. A psychology or counseling undergraduate major is not automatically required at every institution, and individual programs may set prerequisite courses or minimum academic standards. Check the current admissions page for the specific track rather than applying rules from another university (individual institution admissions offices).

If you already hold graduate credit, ask for a written transfer-credit review before accepting an offer. Credits that count toward a degree may not replace a program's supervised clinical sequence or satisfy a licensing board's educational review. Also disclose an intended state of practice early so an adviser can flag possible curriculum differences (individual program catalogs; Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).

Expect study in counseling theories, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, research, group counseling, multicultural counseling, and clinical work with clients, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Exact titles and sequencing differ. CACREP's standards provide one framework for evaluating counselor preparation, but accreditation of a particular institution does not by itself establish that its specific counseling track holds CACREP recognition (CACREP).

Read the course plan with your intended job in mind. Someone aiming for outpatient mental health work should check the depth of clinical assessment and supervised client contact; someone interested in substance use treatment should ask where that content and relevant placements appear. A course title alone does not show how much practice it contains.

Options may include focused electives or placements involving substance use, children and adolescents, couples and families, or particular treatment settings. Availability is program-specific; a school may offer the topic as coursework without offering a formal concentration. Ask whether the focus appears on the transcript and whether appropriate supervised placements are available (individual program catalogs).

Keep a specialization separate from a credential. School counseling, marriage and family therapy, and clinical mental health counseling can involve different educational and licensing paths. If a particular license is your goal, confirm its requirements with the responsible board before choosing electives on the basis of a program's marketing description.

Start with the job and state in which you intend to practice, then compare programs against requirements you cannot easily fix after enrollment. The most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs can broaden your shortlist, but your best investment depends on fit, completion likelihood, and net cost - not a ranking position alone.

Use these checks when speaking with program directors and financial aid offices:

1. Ask for the current degree plan and written explanation of how its clinical track aligns with Mississippi LPC educational requirements; verify licensure rules with the state board.
2. Check the specific program's current CACREP status in CACREP's directory, and distinguish programmatic accreditation from institutional accreditation.
3. Ask who arranges practicum and internship sites, where recent students trained, and what support is available if a placement falls through.
4. Request the total estimated price after aid, the expected completion schedule, and any limits on transfer credit.
5. Ask for recent program-level completion, examination, and employment information, including the reporting period and how each measure was defined.

A common mistake is choosing the cheapest advertised tuition or a convenient online format before checking clinical placements and licensure alignment. For return on investment, weigh aid and debt alongside completion probability, earnings you may give up while studying, your current earnings, plausible post-degree work, and the time over which you expect the degree to pay off.

A graduate may pursue supervised counseling work and, after satisfying the applicable requirements, licensed professional counseling roles. Relevant work can include outpatient therapy, community mental health, behavioral health services, and substance use counseling. Job titles are not reliable substitutes for checking the employer's credential requirements: some roles require independent licensure, while others allow practice under supervision (Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The degree is less direct if your intended career requires a school counseling credential or a different professional license. Before enrolling, find several Mississippi postings for the exact work you want and compare their degree, license, and experience requirements with the program's published outcomes.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% national employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That projection signals broader demand for the occupation, not a Mississippi-specific number of openings or a promise that every graduate will find a position (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

For a local decision, compare postings in the communities where you can realistically work. Look separately at supervised-entry roles and positions requiring an LPC, then note which employers and clinical specialties recur. This matters especially if you need to remain in one area while completing both graduate fieldwork and later supervised experience.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision, so Research.com designed this ranking to make program comparisons more transparent. Its team evaluates available outcomes, accreditation, eligibility, and cost data, while recognizing that published measures cannot capture every aspect of a student's fit with a program.

The Best ranking begins with a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score: program completion contributes 40%; employment or doctoral admission, 20%; applicable licensure-exam pass rates, 20%; CACREP programmatic accreditation, 16%; and institutional Title IV eligibility, 4%. Shares are adjusted when a criterion does not apply. Program cost then contributes a smaller component - about 7% of the final score. The method applies to online and campus programs alike; other Research.com counseling rankings emphasize the dimension named in their titles.

The ranking draws on the following data sources to improve coverage and cross-check program information:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completion, and cost reporting.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional outcomes and aid information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

Use the ranking to narrow your search, then confirm current curriculum, clinical placements, accreditation status, and your own net cost with each school. Research.com explains the broader approach on its methodology page.

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• 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/
• NBCC - NCE / NCMHCE
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.nbcc.org/exams
• Mississippi State University - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.meridian.msstate.edu/counselor-education-clinical-mental-health-counseling
• Mississippi Christian University - Mental Health Counseling (M.S.)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/counseling/graduate-programs/mental-health-counseling-ms
• University of Mississippi - M. Ed. in Counselor Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://olemiss.edu/programs/educ/master-education-counselor-education/
• Reformed Theological Seminary - Master of Arts in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://rts.edu/degree/mac/
• Jackson State University - Counseling (M.S.) Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.jsums.edu/commcounseling/files/2021/04/Masters-in-Clinical-Mental-Health-Counseling.pdf