Choosing a counseling master's program in New Orleans means looking beyond a familiar name: the degree must fit your budget, schedule, and path toward Louisiana licensure. This guide is for prospective students and working professionals comparing clinical mental health counseling options. It explains program differences, costs, training requirements, and career prospects so you can judge whether the investment fits your goals. It will also feature the 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Orleans, created by the Research.com team of data scientists to help students identify programs worth considering.
Key findings about Clinical Mental Health Counseling degrees in New Orleans
For Louisiana licensed professional counselor (LPC) goals, compare the actual master's curriculum with state board requirements; a counseling degree or CACREP accreditation alone does not grant a license (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
The U.S. median annual wage for the BLS clinical mental health counseling occupational category was $59,350 in May 2025; projected national employment growth is 18% for 2025-2035, not a forecast of openings in New Orleans (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
New Orleans options include a clinical mental health counseling pathway at Loyola, a faith-integrated counseling option at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a counseling degree plan at Xavier; compare their curricula and field-placement arrangements before comparing price (institutional program catalogs and pages).
What can I expect from a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree in New Orleans?
A clinical mental health counseling degree prepares students to assess concerns, develop treatment plans, provide counseling under appropriate supervision, and work within professional and ethical limits. For someone seeking Louisiana LPC licensure, the relevant option is generally a qualifying graduate counseling program - not a short counseling certificate or a bachelor's degree alone (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Expect a combination of counseling theory, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, and supervised fieldwork. The important local question is where that fieldwork happens: a placement serving New Orleans clients may help you test your interest in community mental health, hospital-affiliated services, or private practice, but availability and supervision arrangements depend on the program and site. Ask who secures placements and whether students can complete them while employed.
Where can I work with a Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree in New Orleans?
Potential settings include community behavioral health agencies, hospitals and health systems, substance-use treatment providers, nonprofit organizations, and private practices. New Orleans students should compare programs' placement relationships with the setting they hope to enter: a hospital placement and a community-agency placement can expose students to different clients, schedules, and documentation practices.
The degree does not make a graduate an independent practitioner. Employers and practice settings may require a Louisiana LPC, another recognized credential, or work under supervision; confirm the requirements of a specific role before counting on it as a postgraduation option (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
The national median annual wage for the BLS clinical mental health counseling occupational category was $59,350 in May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook). This is an occupation-wide midpoint, not a New Orleans starting salary or an estimate of what graduates from any listed school earn. Experience, licensure, employer, hours worked, and practice model can change individual pay.
Use that figure as a broad earnings benchmark when considering debt, not as a promised return. Request program-specific employment information if available, and compare actual local job postings for roles you could hold immediately after graduation with those requiring an LPC.
These New Orleans options offer different starting points for comparison. Their published program pages establish the distinctions below, but do not establish comparable graduate earnings or licensure-pass outcomes; request those measures directly before making an outcomes-based choice.
Loyola University New Orleans: Loyola presents a dedicated clinical mental health counseling pathway, making it a direct option for applicants who want to examine a clinically focused curriculum against Louisiana LPC education requirements. Its program page is the place to confirm the current degree plan and supervised-training arrangements rather than assuming the pathway name establishes licensure eligibility (Loyola University New Orleans, counseling program page).
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary: Its mental health counseling degree is situated in a seminary, a substantive distinction for applicants who want to consider how counseling preparation and Christian faith relate in their education. That fit should be weighed alongside, not substituted for, a course-by-course check of clinical training and Louisiana licensure requirements (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, graduate catalog).
Xavier University of Louisiana: Xavier publishes the counseling program in its academic catalog, giving applicants a formal curriculum to review when checking required courses or discussing possible transfer credit. This is particularly useful for students with prior graduate coursework, although the catalog - not an informal credit estimate - must be paired with a school-specific transfer evaluation (Xavier University of Louisiana, academic catalog).
A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years full time; part-time study can take longer. Your actual timeline depends on course sequencing, field-placement hours, summer enrollment, and whether approved transfer credits replace required courses. Ask for a term-by-term plan that includes practicum and internship, not just classroom credits (institutional counseling program catalogs).
Graduation and independent licensure are separate milestones. Louisiana also requires supervised postdegree experience and an accepted examination for LPC licensure, so applicants should budget time for that stage rather than treating the master's completion date as the date they can open an independent practice (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Online coursework may help a working student avoid regular trips to campus, but it does not remove supervised clinical training. An on-campus option may make scheduled face-to-face classes easier to plan around a New Orleans placement; an online option may suit a student with an established local support network and a feasible placement site. Either way, ask about required campus visits, live class times, placement approval, and supervision before enrolling.
Delivery format by itself does not determine Louisiana LPC eligibility. Compare the specific curriculum and fieldwork with the Louisiana board's rules, and check that any online program can support an approved placement where you intend to train (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
A reliable New Orleans average for the full cost of these specific counseling degrees is not established by an undergraduate tuition average or a school's single-year sticker price. Graduate prices vary by institution, enrollment pace, fees, and aid; fieldwork may also reduce the hours a student can work. For a useful comparison, request each school's current total program tuition and mandatory fees, then add books, travel to placements, and expected living costs (institutional tuition schedules; National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).
Do not assume a public institution is automatically cheaper for your circumstances or that a private nonprofit institution is automatically a poor investment. Compare net cost after grants and employer benefits with your likely borrowing and completion timeline. The most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs can help start a price-focused shortlist, but confirm each school's current graduate charges.
Eligible graduate students may seek federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans through the FAFSA, along with institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition support, and any aid for which they meet program-specific rules. Ask financial aid offices whether scholarships continue during internship terms and whether part-time enrollment changes eligibility (Federal Student Aid; institutional financial aid offices).
Do not build a financing plan around automatic Graduate PLUS access. Federal rules beginning July 1, 2026, restrict new graduate borrowers' access; qualifying continuing borrowers may fall under transitional provisions. Because eligibility depends on individual borrowing and enrollment history, obtain a written determination from the financial aid office and check current Federal Student Aid guidance before accepting an offer (Federal Student Aid, Graduate PLUS guidance).
Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the chosen school's graduate admissions rules. A psychology major is not necessarily required, but a program may ask for particular prior coursework, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or screening before clinical placement. Requirements and deadlines are school-specific; check the current Loyola, seminary, or Xavier catalog rather than assuming one application works for all three (institutional graduate admissions and counseling program catalogs).
If you have earlier graduate credits, ask for a written evaluation identifying which courses will count toward this degree and whether their content fits Louisiana's licensure education rules. Admission with transfer credit is not the same as board approval of a future LPC application (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Expect coursework in counseling techniques, human development, assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, research, ethics, and counseling across cultures, followed by practicum and internship. Exact titles and credit allocations differ by school (institutional counseling program catalogs). When comparing degree plans, look beyond a course called "clinical counseling": check whether required content, supervised practice, and sequencing align with the Louisiana board's education rules.
A practical test is to ask each program for its current LPC curriculum-mapping document, if available. It can reveal a missing requirement before you commit tuition or discover that a needed course is offered only in a particular term.
Specialization can mean a formal concentration, selected electives, or the client population served during internship; these are not interchangeable credentials. Possible interests include substance-use counseling, trauma-related care, or work with children and families, but confirm which options each New Orleans program actually offers in its current catalog. A placement in a specialty setting may provide exposure without conferring a separate certification.
If your goal is school counseling rather than clinical mental health practice, compare the distinct school-counselor education and credentialing path before applying. Similarly, a faith-integrated counseling curriculum may be attractive for some practice goals, but it does not replace state LPC requirements (institutional program catalogs; Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Start with the credential and job you want, then compare programs on requirements that could change your ability to finish, qualify for licensure, and manage debt. These checks are more useful than treating popularity as a quality score:
Verify licensure fit: Ask how the current curriculum and supervised training address Louisiana LPC education requirements, and confirm programmatic accreditation status directly with the accreditor and school (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners; CACREP).
Test fieldwork feasibility: Ask who identifies placements, what supervision is required, and whether working students can meet site schedules.
Price the whole path: Compare written estimates of tuition, fees, aid, borrowing, and any income you may forgo during training - not tuition per term alone.
Request comparable outcomes: Ask for program completion and licensure-exam results with their reporting periods, and check whether figures describe this degree rather than the whole university.
A degree may be worth the investment if it fits your intended credential, you can complete its clinical requirements, and the financing works against realistic postdegree job options. If you primarily want to explore counseling without pursuing supervised practice and licensure, a shorter educational option may be a better first step. For another lens on cost and outcomes, review the most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs.
View the chart data as a table
Graduates (2024-25) by program (Source: Research.com)
Category
Value
New Orleans Baptist Theo
11
Xavier University of Lou
14
Loyola University New Or
25
Graduates may pursue supervised counseling roles on the way to Louisiana LPC licensure, then consider positions in community agencies, integrated behavioral health, substance-use services, or private practice, subject to employer and licensing requirements. Clinical supervision or program leadership may become options with additional experience and any required credentials. A master's in clinical mental health counseling should not be assumed to qualify someone for a separately regulated profession such as psychology (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Choose fieldwork with the next role in mind. Someone seeking agency work may value experience with team-based care and documentation, while someone interested in eventual private practice still needs a workable supervised postdegree route before independent practice.
View the chart data as a table
Median wage by U.S. state - Mental Health Counselors (BLS OEWS, May 2025) (Source: BLS)
State
Value
AK
80,770
AL
47,310
AR
51,580
AZ
65,300
CA
59,250
CO
62,390
CT
63,590
DC
60,450
DE
56,020
FL
56,790
GA
58,960
HI
60,090
IA
60,880
ID
63,360
IL
60,730
IN
53,760
KS
59,470
KY
54,190
LA
37,910
MA
59,890
MD
59,530
ME
59,970
MI
61,690
MN
58,780
MO
56,910
MS
46,990
MT
59,000
NC
55,490
ND
68,630
NE
63,770
NH
54,840
NJ
62,820
NM
74,100
NV
57,210
NY
59,450
OH
58,360
OK
59,350
OR
74,590
PA
52,010
PR
46,790
RI
65,120
SC
52,370
SD
53,650
TN
49,580
TX
62,630
UT
63,890
VA
59,880
VT
61,810
WA
68,910
WI
62,220
WV
49,430
WY
62,980
The BLS projects 18% U.S. employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for the clinical mental health counseling occupational category (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). This national projection supports considering the field, but it does not measure New Orleans vacancies, competition, or the number of supervised roles available to new graduates.
For a local reality check, review current postings from New Orleans-area behavioral health agencies, health systems, and treatment providers. Separate roles open to graduates working toward licensure from those requiring an existing LPC; that distinction matters more to your first job search than the national growth rate alone.
2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Orleans
Investing in a graduate degree is a consequential decision. To make its counseling rankings useful and credible, Research.com examines graduate outcomes, accreditation, licensure exam results where applicable, and cost rather than relying on a school's reputation alone. Popularity should be read as one comparison lens, not proof that a program is the strongest licensure or financial fit.
The Best counseling ranking first combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), licensure exam pass rates where applicable (20%), CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and federal Title IV institutional eligibility (4%). Inapplicable criteria are removed and the remaining shares renormalized; program cost contributes about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs, while other rankings order programs by the dimension named in each ranking. These sources were used to create the rankings:
IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completions, and education-cost data.
Peterson's database - program and institutional information used in comparisons.
Readers can use the ranking to build a shortlist, then check current program-level requirements and prices directly with each school. Research.com explains its broader approach on its methodology page.
# 1 position
Loyola University New Orleans
Master
M.S. in Counseling – Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Delivery mode: campus
45.40
/ 100
Final score
Specialization
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Required credits
60 semester credits
GPA range
3.00 - 4.00
Program completion rate
75% (2024-25)
Employment or doctoral admission
100% (2024-25)
Application deadline
Early Decision: Aug 1 - Dec 1; Regular Decision: Mar 1
Application process
direct
GRE
Conditional: GRE required if undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 (not required for applicants who already hold a graduate degree)
Prerequisites
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
Additional requirements
Application; 1-3 page statement of educational goals; resume; official transcripts; GRE if UG GPA below 3.0 (or no prior graduate degree); three letters of recommendation; in-person writing sample; in-person individual and group interview.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), with institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Loyola University New Orleans earned a Research.com Student Interest Score of 45.4/100, supported by 25 graduates (2024-25) and 75% program completion rate. The program is CACREP-accredited, valid through 2029-03-31.
# 2 position
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Master
MA in Counseling (Specialization in Clinical Mental Health)
Delivery mode: campus
34.60
/ 100
Final score
Specialization
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Required credits
84 semester credits
GPA range
2.75 - 4.00
Program completion rate
77% (2023-24)
Employment or doctoral admission
100% (2023-24)
Licensure exam pass rate
100% (2023-24)
Application deadline
Fall: July 1; Spring: December 1
Application process
direct
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or equivalent from a CHEA-accredited institution, minimum 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Additional requirements
Standard NOBTS application, graduate counseling orientation (in-person or videoconferencing), Contact Form, NOBTS Counseling Entrance Exam, ACE Survey, and Trauma Symptoms Index; later Phase Two application requires faculty evaluation and interview.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), with institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary earned a Research.com Student Interest Score of 34.6/100, supported by 11 graduates (2023-24) and 77% program completion rate. The program is CACREP-accredited, valid through 2031-03-31.
# 3 position
Xavier University of Louisiana
Master
Counseling, M.A.
Delivery mode: campus
37.70
/ 100
Final score
Specialization
Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Required credits
60 semester credits
GPA range
2.50 - 4.00
Program completion rate
100% (2019-20)
Employment or doctoral admission
90% (2019-20)
Licensure exam pass rate
100% (2019-20)
Application deadline
Fall: April 1 (priority), May 1 (general); Spring: October 1 (priority), December 1 (general)
GRE
yes
Prerequisites
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
Additional requirements
Graduate application and application fee; bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum 2.5 GPA; official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended; GRE or MAT scores (no minimum score);
Accreditation
Accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), with institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Xavier University of Louisiana earned a Research.com Student Interest Score of 37.7/100, supported by 100% program completion rate and 100% licensure exam pass rate. The program is CACREP-accredited, valid through 2033-03-31.
Frequently asked questions about Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree in New Orleans
Do I need a master's degree to become an LPC in Louisiana?
Yes. Louisiana LPC applicants must meet the board's graduate education requirements, along with its supervised experience and examination requirements. A degree alone is not a license (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Is a CACREP-accredited program required?
Check the Louisiana board's current rules and the specific degree before deciding. CACREP accreditation identifies a programmatic review standard, but accreditation by itself does not award an LPC or establish that an individual applicant has met every board requirement (CACREP; Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Can I complete the degree online and do clinical training locally?
Possibly. Confirm that the program permits a New Orleans-area placement, explains how supervision is approved, and meets any in-person requirements. Online classes do not eliminate fieldwork.
How long will it take before I can practice independently?
The master's often takes about two to three years full time, followed by the supervised postdegree experience and examination required for Louisiana LPC licensure. Ask the school and state board about the sequence that applies to you (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).
Should I pick the most popular program?
Use popularity to identify options, not to settle the decision. Curriculum-to-licensure fit, placement support, completion prospects, and total net cost are more directly tied to your goals.
