2027 Best Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

The U.S. median annual wage for the combined occupation of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors was $59,350 in May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook). It is a national occupational median, not an entry-level salary, a South Dakota wage, or a forecast for graduates of either program.

When assessing earnings, compare job postings for your intended location and license level. Supervised positions and independently licensed roles can differ substantially in duties and compensation. For an investment decision, estimate the change from your current earnings, then weigh it against tuition, borrowing, time away from work, and the years needed to reach your intended role.

These two university sources serve different comparison needs. Neither a program description nor a catalog entry should substitute for written confirmation of current clinical-placement arrangements, licensure alignment, costs, and student outcomes.

• Northern State University: Its counseling master's degree page is the direct program-level starting point for assessing the training offered, rather than relying on university-wide information (Northern State University). Students who need to coordinate graduate study with work should request the current course rotation and placement expectations before deciding whether this option is workable.
• University of South Dakota: Its official program catalog is the stronger starting point for auditing formal degree requirements and planning a course sequence (University of South Dakota). That matters if you intend to have the South Dakota licensing board review specific coursework; confirm which catalog applies to your entry year and how required clinical experiences are arranged.

Do not interpret either distinction as a claim that one school has better licensure results. Request comparable, recent completion, placement, and exam-pass information from both before making an outcomes-based comparison.

Plan on about two to three years of full-time study for a clinical mental health counseling master's degree; part-time study can take longer. That is a planning range, not a published completion time for either South Dakota program. The decisive variables are required coursework, when courses run, and whether you can complete supervised clinical work on schedule.

An accelerated calendar is useful only if it leaves enough time to secure a placement and meet training requirements. Ask each school for a term-by-term plan showing the earliest realistic graduation date for your intended enrollment status, including what happens if an internship site is unavailable in a particular term.

The important difference is where and when you take classes; either format must still accommodate supervised clinical training. This comparison highlights the practical checks most likely to affect a South Dakota student.

Online study may suit a working adult outside a campus area if approved placements are available locally. Campus study may suit someone who prefers face-to-face training and can reach the school and clinical sites reliably. Confirm the actual delivery format with the program; a degree described as flexible may still have fixed clinical hours.

A single statewide average would be a poor price estimate for these programs: published graduate tuition can differ by institution, residency status, enrollment load, and year, while mandatory fees and clinical-placement costs may be separate (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS; university tuition schedules). Without matching current, program-specific totals, an average would obscure what you would actually pay.

Request an itemized estimate through graduation from each school. Include required credits, resident or nonresident rates where applicable, fees, books, travel or relocation for placements, and any extra term if clinical work delays completion. Compare that net figure after grants or employer support - not just the advertised per-credit rate. The most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs list can help you identify options to price in detail.

Begin with the FAFSA and each university's graduate-aid office. Depending on eligibility and availability, funding may include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, university assistantships or scholarships, employer tuition benefits, and aid tied to service commitments (Federal Student Aid; university financial-aid offices). Ask whether an award continues during internship terms, when paid work may be harder to maintain.

Graduate PLUS needs a date-specific check. Federal Student Aid's current guidance restricts new graduate borrowing under that program beginning July 1, 2026, while certain students who borrowed for the same program before that date may qualify under transitional rules. Do not build a budget around Graduate PLUS without having your aid office confirm your individual eligibility (Federal Student Aid).

Borrow only after comparing likely total debt with your existing income and the work you intend to pursue. The most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs

Expect to need an accredited bachelor's degree and an application demonstrating readiness for graduate study and client-facing work. Programs may set their own rules for prior coursework, transcripts, recommendations, statements, interviews, and background checks; verify the current requirements with Northern State University and the University of South Dakota rather than assuming they are identical (institutional admissions and program pages).

If your bachelor's degree is outside psychology or a related field, ask whether prerequisite courses are required and whether they can be completed before or during enrollment. If you have previous graduate credits, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation: accepting a course toward the degree is not necessarily the same as confirming that it satisfies a licensing-related content requirement.

Expect study in counseling theory, helping skills, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, research, multicultural counseling, and treatment planning, followed by supervised practicum and internship work. Exact course names and clinical-hour requirements belong to each program's current catalog, while licensure standards belong to the South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists.

Read syllabi or course descriptions when a title is ambiguous. A course that sounds relevant may not cover the content or supervised experience expected for the license you want. Ask the program for a written explanation of how its curriculum maps to South Dakota's requirements, especially if you may later seek licensure in another state.

Students may be able to shape clinical training through electives or placements involving substance use, children and families, trauma, or other client populations. Availability depends on the school and its current clinical partners; an interest area is not necessarily a formally named concentration or an additional credential (Northern State University; University of South Dakota).

Choose a placement focus for the clients and setting you hope to serve, but keep the underlying licensing pathway in view. For example, school counseling and clinical mental health counseling can lead toward different professional roles. Ask whether a proposed elective or field site counts toward the specific degree and license requirements you intend to meet.

The best fit is the program that can get you to your intended practice setting at a cost and pace you can sustain. Use the ranking to build a shortlist, then test each option against the same questions:

1. Confirm the exact degree, current programmatic accreditation status if relevant to your plans, and how its coursework aligns with South Dakota licensing requirements; check accreditation with the accreditor and licensure with the state board.
2. Ask who secures practicum and internship sites, where students may complete them, and what happens if a site or supervisor falls through.
3. Compare written total-cost estimates, financial aid, expected completion time, and the income you may give up while studying.
4. Request recent, clearly defined program-level completion, placement, and licensure-exam results; ask what population and reporting period each measure covers.

A common mistake is choosing solely by rank, tuition, or the word "online." Another is assuming graduation automatically confers licensure. The most popular clinical mental health counseling programs can add context to your search, but popularity does not answer whether a program meets your clinical or financial needs.

The direct path is supervised counseling work followed, if requirements are met, by the applicable South Dakota counseling license and roles with greater clinical responsibility (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists). Work may focus on general mental health, substance-use concerns, or particular client groups, subject to training, license scope, and employer expectations.

If you want school-based guidance work rather than clinical treatment, compare school-counseling preparation and its separate credential requirements before applying. If you want research or faculty positions, investigate doctoral study rather than assuming a practice-focused master's is sufficient. These alternatives matter because another graduate path may better match the work you actually want to do.

National employment for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). That signals broad demand for the combined occupation, but it does not measure South Dakota vacancies or ensure a job in a preferred town.

For a local decision, compare current postings by location, setting, and required license or supervision status. Also ask prospective programs whether their clinical partners hire graduates. Demand may be easier to act on if you can consider more than one community or employer type; a placement network in your intended area may therefore be more valuable than a general national growth figure.

Investing in graduate education is an important decision. Research.com created the ranking to give readers a more consistent way to compare programs, using multiple sources and checking outcomes, accreditation, eligibility for federal aid, and cost rather than relying on a school's description alone.

The Best ranking first combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), licensure exam pass rates where applicable (20%), CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and institutional Title IV eligibility (4%). Shares are renormalized when a criterion does not apply. Program cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The method applies to online and on-campus programs; other Research.com rankings order programs by the single dimension named in each ranking.

Research.com used the following data sources to develop and check the ranking:

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

The ranking can narrow a shortlist, but it cannot determine whether a particular degree meets your licensing plans or whether its placement schedule works with your job. Check those details directly with each program and read more about the approach on Research.com's 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/
• O*NET OnLine - Clinical Mental Health Counseling (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• Northern State University - M. Ed. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Pathway
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://northern.edu/degrees/counseling-masters-degree
• University of South Dakota - M.A. in Counseling and Psychology in Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.usd.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=41&poid=9585&returnto=2666