2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a $59,350 U.S. median annual wage in May 2025 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. This occupation includes workers with different roles and experience levels; the figure is neither a South Dakota wage nor an expected first-year salary.

Compare actual South Dakota job postings by setting, credential, supervision status, and benefits. A salaried clinic role and fee-based private practice have different expense and income patterns. When evaluating the degree's return, compare plausible post-degree earnings with your current pay, borrowing costs, time away from work, and the period you may spend gaining supervised experience.

These programs deserve comparison for different practical reasons. Their published program materials are starting points, but applicants should request the current degree audit and clinical-placement policies before treating a feature as a commitment for their entering cohort.

• Northern State University: Northern State presents counseling as a master's-degree option on its program page (Northern State University). Students considering its clinical mental health pathway should focus their follow-up on how that pathway is delivered and where they can complete supervised training - especially if they need to remain employed or live far from campus.
• University of South Dakota: USD's graduate catalog provides a formal program listing that applicants can use to check the required academic plan (University of South Dakota Graduate Catalog). That makes it a useful basis for reviewing course sequencing and identifying any requirements that could affect time to completion; confirm which catalog applies to your admission year.

Neither description establishes that one program has better graduate outcomes or lower total costs. For a broader shortlist, compare the best clinical mental health counseling programs against the requirements that matter to you.

Plan on about two to three years for a full-time counseling master's; part-time enrollment can take longer. This is a planning range, not a published completion promise from either South Dakota program. The required course sequence, start terms, and availability of clinical placements determine your actual timeline.

An accelerated plan may reduce time away from higher-paying work, but only if its internship schedule is feasible. Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when practicum and internship begin, whether summer enrollment is required, and what happens if a placement is delayed. Those answers are more useful than an advertised minimum duration.

Online delivery can reduce travel for classes, while campus study can make scheduled, in-person skills practice easier. Neither format removes the need for supervised clinical training. Some programs also require live online meetings or in-person intensives, so "online" does not necessarily mean self-paced or fully remote.

For a South Dakota resident outside a campus city, the best format is the one that fits both coursework and an approved local placement. Before paying an enrollment deposit, obtain written confirmation of residency-related tuition, campus-visit requirements, placement support in your area, and whether the curriculum meets the education requirements of the state where you intend to seek licensure (institution program office; relevant state licensing board).

There is no single verified statewide average that would accurately describe the full cost of these specific counseling master's programs. Use each institution's current graduate tuition schedule and required program credits to build a comparable estimate; a general university tuition figure may exclude program fees and clinical expenses (Northern State University; University of South Dakota).

Include tuition, mandatory fees, books, travel or technology, placement-related expenses, and any earnings you would forgo during fieldwork. Check whether residency changes the tuition rate and whether the published rate applies to your course format. The most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs can help identify options to price out, but compare total expected cost, not the lowest advertised rate.

Start with the FAFSA and each university's graduate financial-aid office. Depending on eligibility, options can include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, graduate assistantships, employer tuition support, and aid tied to an approved clinical site (Federal Student Aid; institution financial-aid offices). Ask whether an assistantship can realistically coexist with required field hours.

Do not budget on the assumption that a new graduate student can use Graduate PLUS. Under federal changes taking effect July 1, 2026, new graduate borrowers generally cannot receive new Graduate PLUS loans; certain continuing borrowers may qualify for a limited transition under the applicable program and borrowing rules (Federal Student Aid). Have the financial-aid office confirm your individual eligibility and the borrowing limits that apply to your enrollment.

Expect to need a completed bachelor's degree and an application that lets the department assess academic readiness and fit. Schools may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, or an interview; check the current requirements and deadlines for the particular counseling pathway rather than assuming the requirements for another graduate program apply (Northern State University; University of South Dakota).

Ask two separate questions before applying: "Can I be admitted?" and "Will this curriculum support my intended license?" Admission is a university decision. Licensure eligibility is determined under state rules and can also depend on courses, supervised experience, and examinations after graduation (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Clinical counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theory, assessment and diagnosis, ethics, research, group work, and supervised practice. Look beyond course titles: syllabi and the degree audit show how a program develops interviewing, documentation, treatment-planning, and culturally responsive counseling skills (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; institution catalogs).

If you have prior graduate credits, request a written transfer-credit review. A transferred theory course may reduce coursework, but it should not be assumed to replace a program's supervised practicum or internship. Confirm both the university's transfer policy and how accepted courses will appear in documentation you may later submit for licensure.

Students can often shape their clinical focus through approved electives and placement settings, such as substance-use treatment, work with children and families, or community mental health. Availability depends on the program and its current placement network; an area of interest is not necessarily a named concentration or a separate credential (institution program materials).

Choose the training that matches the work you want to do. If your primary goal is counseling in schools, compare a school-counseling pathway and its separate credential requirements. If you want clinical mental health practice, prioritize the qualifying clinical curriculum and supervision opportunities before selecting electives based on a specialty label (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Use rankings to build a shortlist, then compare the programs on evidence that could change your outcome. The most valuable clinical mental health counseling programs offer another comparison point, but your own return on investment also depends on aid, debt, completion probability, lost earnings, expected earnings after graduation, and how far into the future you weigh those earnings.

Before committing, get clear answers to these checks:

1. Ask the South Dakota licensing board and program director how the current curriculum aligns with your intended license; verify institutional and any claimed programmatic accreditation with the relevant accreditor.
2. Request the full degree plan and ask which courses, campus visits, and placements require daytime availability.
3. Get an itemized cost estimate and a written decision on any proposed transfer credits.
4. Ask for available program-level completion, placement, and exam results, including their reporting years and definitions.

A common mistake is choosing the cheapest or most flexible-looking option before checking clinical placement access. If that access is uncertain where you live, a lower tuition bill may not produce the lower-cost path to completion.

The degree can support a progression from supervised counseling work toward licensed clinical practice, subject to South Dakota's requirements. Relevant roles may focus on outpatient mental health, community-based care, or substance-use treatment; job titles and permitted responsibilities depend on the employer and license held (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

It is a stronger investment for someone who wants sustained client-facing clinical work and can accommodate supervised training. Someone primarily seeking a quick credential, school-specific employment, or a role that does not require clinical licensure should compare other education paths before taking on a counseling master's degree.

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 signals a favorable national outlook, but it does not establish the number of openings in a particular South Dakota community or guarantee a position after graduation.

Test the local market before selecting a placement: review current postings in the places you would work, note which license or supervised status employers accept, and ask potential clinical sites whether they hire graduates. This is especially important if you cannot relocate; a program's training opportunities and your intended job market need to overlap.

Investing in graduate education is an important decision. Research.com designed its counseling rankings to make program comparisons more transparent, using multiple education datasets and checking the measures behind its scores. Popularity is only one way to compare programs; it should not stand in for evidence that a degree fits your licensing plans or budget.

The team used the following data sources to create the ranking:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completion, and cost data.
• Peterson's database - program and institution information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional data, including available outcome measures.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

Research.com's counseling rankings assess graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost, then order programs by the dimension named in each ranking. For context, the Best ranking first weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable exam pass rates at 20%, CACREP accreditation at 16%, and Title IV eligibility at 4%; weights are adjusted when a measure does not apply. Cost contributes about 7% of its final score. Readers can use the rankings to narrow a shortlist, then verify current program details directly. See Research.com's methodology for more information.

• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Dakota
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Nebraska
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Minnesota
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Iowa
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Montana
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Colorado
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Wisconsin
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Most Popular Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois

• 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/
• 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