2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Mississippi

The national median annual wage for the relevant substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors occupation was $59,350 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A median describes workers across experience levels and settings; it is not an expected first-year salary for a Mississippi graduate.

When assessing return on investment, compare likely local job offers with your current earnings and with the debt, foregone work hours, and time needed to reach your intended license. The most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs comparison can inform that review, but your own aid offer and career plan matter more than a single value label.

Programs can differ in location, degree structure, and the kind of clinical preparation they emphasize. The distinctions below identify useful comparison points from institutional program materials; confirm current requirements directly, particularly when a school's publicly available document is dated.

• Mississippi State University: Its clinical mental health counseling program is based at the Meridian campus. That location may be a practical advantage for students who can commute to Meridian or hope to build placement connections in eastern Mississippi; ask which courses and field placements require travel. Source: Mississippi State University-Meridian.
• Delta State University: Delta State presents counseling within its graduate M. Ed. offerings, giving applicants a reason to distinguish the clinical mental health route from other counseling preparation before choosing courses. It is especially worth examining for students who want to study in the Delta, provided the clinical track and placement options match their licensing plans. Source: Delta State University.
• Mississippi Christian University: Its mental health counseling master's is a distinct graduate counseling option at a private institution. Applicants weighing it against public universities should request a full program-cost estimate and discuss how the curriculum, clinical placements, and institutional environment fit their goals. Source: Mississippi Christian University.
• University of Mississippi: Its M. Ed. in counselor education makes the precise counseling pathway an important admissions question. Students comparing clinical work with school-based counseling should verify the available track and its licensing or certification alignment rather than treating those outcomes as interchangeable. Source: University of Mississippi.
• Jackson State University: Jackson State has published a document specifically for its master's in clinical mental health counseling, making it a relevant option for applicants focused on that profession in the Jackson area. The available program document is dated 2021, so obtain the current catalog and clinical-training requirements before relying on it for a 2027 decision. Source: Jackson State University.

None of these characteristics alone establishes that one program is the best fit. Request each school's current degree plan, placement policies, total cost, and evidence of alignment with Mississippi licensing rules before comparing offers.

A full-time clinical mental health counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer. The decisive scheduling constraint is often the practicum or internship, whose site hours may not fit around a standard workday. Confirm each school's published credit requirement and course rotation rather than assuming a program advertised as flexible can be completed quickly.

Working students should ask when fieldwork begins, how many terms it spans, and whether evening or weekend sites are available. An accelerated plan makes sense only if you can complete required clinical hours without jeopardizing employment or delaying graduation.

Online delivery may reduce commuting to class, but it does not remove in-person clinical training. Campus study can make regular contact with faculty and local placement networks easier, while an online program may suit a working student who has access to approved field sites near home. Neither format is inherently more suitable for licensure; the curriculum and supervised experience are what require scrutiny.

Before selecting an out-of-state online program, ask for written confirmation of how its courses and placements address Mississippi licensing requirements. Also ask who secures a placement if a local site falls through. A low advertised tuition rate offers little savings if repeated travel or a delayed internship adds substantial expense. Source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors.

There is no single reliable price for this degree across Mississippi programs: tuition may be charged by credit or term, public-university rates can depend on residency, and fees and clinical travel vary. Rather than relying on an unverified statewide average, use each institution's current graduate tuition schedule and required credits to build a comparable estimate. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS; individual institutions.

Include mandatory fees, books, background checks if required, travel to placements, and income lost if fieldwork reduces your paid hours. Compare your estimates with the most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs, then subtract grants or assistantships actually offered to you. The lowest listed tuition is not necessarily the lowest cost to finish.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each university's graduate aid application. Eligible students may have access to federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans; programs may also offer assistantships, scholarships, or employer-supported tuition benefits. Ask whether an assistantship's duties and schedule are compatible with clinical placements. Source: Federal Student Aid; individual institutions.

Do not assume Graduate PLUS will cover a funding gap. Under federal changes effective July 2026, new graduate borrowers generally cannot use Graduate PLUS, while certain existing borrowers may qualify under transitional rules. Check your individual eligibility with Federal Student Aid and the school's aid office before committing to a program. Source: Federal Student Aid.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must satisfy the institution's graduate admissions requirements. Programs may request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework; those details differ by school. A non-counseling undergraduate major need not automatically rule out a career change, but confirm whether missing courses would add time or cost. Source: individual institutions' graduate admissions and program materials.

Before applying, send the program your intended career goal and ask which degree track prepares students for Mississippi professional counselor licensure. If you already hold graduate credits, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation. Acceptance by the university does not necessarily mean those credits will replace required counseling or clinical courses.

Clinical mental health counseling curricula typically cover counseling techniques, human development, assessment, diagnosis, group counseling, multicultural practice, research, and professional ethics, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Course titles alone are not enough for a licensure comparison: review catalog descriptions, credit allocation, and who approves clinical sites against current Mississippi board requirements. Sources: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors; institutional program materials.

Students interested in treating substance-use disorders, for example, should look beyond a single elective. Ask whether relevant courses, faculty supervision, and suitable placements are available when you need them.

Depending on the program, students may shape their training through electives and placements involving substance use, children and adolescents, trauma, or community mental health. A specialization can help you develop experience, but an elective title is not a separate license or certification. Confirm that a suitable supervisor and placement site are available before choosing a program chiefly for a stated interest area.

School counseling is a different professional destination, with separate education and credential considerations. Applicants deciding between school-based work and clinical mental health practice should compare the exact tracks and Mississippi credential requirements first. Sources: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors; Mississippi Department of Education.

The strongest choice is the program that supports your intended license and is feasible to complete - not automatically the one with the most familiar name. Use the best clinical mental health counseling programs comparison to build a shortlist, then request answers to these decision-critical questions:

1. Licensure fit: Which current Mississippi board education requirements does the degree address, and what must graduates complete afterward?
2. Accreditation: What is the institution's accreditation status, and does the specific counseling program hold CACREP accreditation? Verify programmatic status directly in CACREP's directory rather than inferring it from university accreditation.
3. Clinical access: Who arranges practicum and internship sites, and can placements be completed near your home?
4. Total investment: What will your likely net cost and completion time be after aid, fees, travel, and reduced working hours?
5. Evidence of results: What recent, clearly defined program-level completion, placement, or examination outcomes can the school document?

A common mistake is assuming that graduation automatically qualifies someone for licensure. Another is choosing by tuition alone while overlooking fieldwork logistics. For a meaningful return-on-investment comparison, consider your current earnings, likely post-degree opportunities, debt, probability of finishing, and the time over which benefits and costs occur. Sources: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

The direct path is toward supervised clinical counseling work and, after meeting applicable requirements, professional counselor licensure. Graduates may pursue roles in community agencies, behavioral health organizations, hospitals, or treatment programs. Independent practice is a later possibility for those who obtain the necessary license; job title and permitted duties depend on licensure status and employer policy. Source: Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors.

If your primary goal is school counseling, compare school-counselor preparation instead of assuming a clinical mental health track meets that credential's rules. If you want a doctorate or a research-focused career, ask how much research preparation the master's provides; a practice-oriented degree and a research-oriented route serve different goals.

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 points to substantial national demand, but it does not establish the number of openings in any Mississippi county or guarantee a position after graduation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections.

For a local decision, examine current postings in the area where you intend to live and separate jobs open to supervised, not-yet-independently-licensed counselors from those requiring a full license. Ask placement coordinators which employers regularly accept trainees. That evidence is more useful for planning your first job than a national growth rate alone.

Investing in a graduate degree is a consequential decision. Research.com developed its counseling rankings to help readers compare programs using documented measures rather than reputation alone. The team evaluates graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam results, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and program cost; it uses the same approach for online and on-campus programs. The Most Popular ranking orders programs by its named dimension, rather than treating popularity as proof of quality or licensure eligibility.

The ranking draws on the following data sources, which the team uses to check program and institutional information:

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

These sources make the ranking a useful starting point, not a substitute for checking a program's current curriculum, price, and clinical placements. Readers can find more detail on Research.com's methodology.

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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
• 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
• Delta State University - Master of Education in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.deltastate.edu/academics/graduate-programs/med-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/
• 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