2027 Most Valuable Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New York

The national median annual wage for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors was $59,350 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. It is an occupational median across workers, not an entry-level wage or a forecast of what a particular New York graduate will earn. Pay depends on setting, location, experience, duties, and licensure status.

For a useful return-on-investment comparison, ask schools for outcomes specific to their counseling graduates, then compare plausible earnings with your current pay, borrowing needs, time away from work, and the period required to complete post-degree licensure steps. Be wary of treating a university-wide earnings figure as an LMHC outcome.

The programs below differ in credential, institutional setting, and placement geography. Those distinctions can matter more than a small change in rank if they affect your commute, fieldwork options, or ability to finish. Confirm current credits, delivery format, tuition, and outcomes directly with each program before applying; the points below do not imply that one school guarantees licensure or employment.

• SUNY Oswego: Its MS in mental health counseling offers a SUNY option for students considering central New York. Compare its total resident cost and nearby placement possibilities with private programs rather than assuming public tuition alone determines value. Source: SUNY Oswego program information.
• SUNY New Paltz: Its MS is explicitly titled clinical mental health counseling, providing another public-university option in the Hudson Valley. It may fit students who want to build local placement connections without relocating to New York City; ask where students complete supervised training. Source: SUNY New Paltz graduate catalog.
• Canisius University: This Buffalo-based clinical mental health counseling option gives western New York applicants a local private-university comparison with SUNY choices. Its practical value depends on the aid offer and whether field placements align with the student's intended work area. Source: Canisius University program information.
• Touro University: Its mental health counseling program sits within Touro's School of Health Sciences. Students interested in health-service settings may find that academic context relevant, but should ask for specific counseling placement sites rather than infer access from the school's name. Source: Touro University School of Health Sciences.
• St. John Fisher University: Its MS in mental health counseling is a Rochester-area option for students comparing western New York private programs. Ask how its field-placement schedule accommodates work commitments and compare the resulting time to completion with other local choices. Source: St. John Fisher University program information.
• St. John's University: Its clinical mental health counseling credential is a Master of Science in Education, unlike the MS titles used by several other programs here. The degree designation alone does not determine LMHC eligibility; compare the actual coursework and NYSED alignment. Source: St. John's University program information; NYSED.
• Long Island University, Brentwood: LIU lists an MS in clinical mental health counseling at Brentwood, making campus location an important distinction for Suffolk County applicants. Ask whether required classes and placements can realistically be completed from that location. Source: LIU Brentwood program information.
• Long Island University, Post: LIU Post lists an MS in clinical mental health counseling at its Brookville campus. Nassau County applicants should compare its class and placement geography with Brentwood rather than assuming the two locations offer an interchangeable weekly schedule. Source: LIU Post program information.
• Pace University: Its mental health counseling MS is an option for applicants seeking to compare programs connected to the New York metropolitan area. Verify the current teaching location, attendance requirements, and placement assistance before treating geographic proximity as schedule flexibility. Source: Pace University program information.
• University of Rochester: The mental health counseling master's is housed in the Warner School of Education. Students attracted to an education-school setting should compare its counseling curriculum and supervised training plan with programs housed in psychology or health-science units; the school name itself is not a licensure credential. Source: University of Rochester Warner School program information.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer, particularly when fieldwork must fit around a job. New York's LMHC education rules call for at least 60 graduate semester hours in a qualifying program, so an unusually short advertised timeline deserves a close look at course sequencing and supervised training. Source: NYSED.

Completion of the degree is not the end of the licensing timeline. NYSED separately requires supervised experience and a qualifying examination. Before choosing an accelerated plan, ask when students begin fieldwork, whether courses are offered every term, and what happens if a placement is delayed. Source: NYSED.

Online study can reduce travel for lectures; campus study may make scheduled peer practice and local faculty contact easier. Neither format removes the need to satisfy New York's education and supervised-experience requirements. An online program based outside the state warrants particular scrutiny because its curriculum and placement arrangements must still work for an applicant seeking a New York license. Source: NYSED.

The decisive question is where - and under whose supervision - you can complete required clinical training. Request a written breakdown of live attendance, residency sessions, placement responsibilities, and the program's New York licensure disclosure. A flexible class schedule has limited value if required fieldwork conflicts with your employment.

There is no single reliable statewide average that describes the full cost of these specific counseling master's programs. Published tuition may be quoted per credit, per term, or for a different academic year, while institutional averages can combine unrelated graduate degrees. For a meaningful comparison, request a current program-specific estimate covering all required credits and terms. Source for institutional price definitions: NCES IPEDS.

The following components explain why a low tuition quote may not be the lowest-cost path. Compare them for each offer using the same expected completion schedule.

A public SUNY option may merit a closer look for an eligible New York resident, but compare its complete net cost with private offers after aid. The most affordable clinical mental health counseling programs can help form an initial shortlist, not replace personalized price estimates.

Start with each school's graduate aid office and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Depending on eligibility and the school's offerings, funding may include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, and employer tuition assistance. Federal loan eligibility and terms depend on current federal rules; institutional awards depend on the individual offer. Source: Federal Student Aid.

Do not assume a New York undergraduate grant carries over to a master's program. Ask the school to identify graduate-specific state or institutional awards, renewal conditions, and whether part-time enrollment changes eligibility. Compare aid as a reduction in total program cost, not just the first term's bill.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree, but course prerequisites and admission standards vary by institution. Schools may ask for transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview; a psychology major is not automatically required everywhere. Check each program's current admissions page rather than relying on another school's checklist. Source: institutional admissions requirements.

If you have prior graduate credits, request a written transfer-credit evaluation before depositing. Credits that transfer academically may not replace a required counseling course or supervised experience for New York licensure. Confirm both the university's policy and how the final curriculum will satisfy NYSED requirements. Source: NYSED; institutional transfer policies.

Expect study in counseling theory and techniques, assessment and diagnosis, ethics, research, multicultural counseling, group work, and supervised clinical practice. NYSED's education standards - not a program's marketing description - are the appropriate reference for checking whether the overall course of study supports an LMHC application. Source: NYSED.

Compare course sequences as well as titles. A student interested in substance-use treatment, for example, should ask whether that material appears in required coursework, an elective, or only an optional placement. Also check when clinical courses begin: their timing may determine whether you can keep working full time.

Programs may offer electives or clinical experiences focused on areas such as substance-use concerns, trauma, children and adolescents, or particular treatment settings. Availability varies by school and placement site. An elective emphasis is not the same as a separate professional license or a guaranteed specialty job.

Choose the broad qualifying counseling curriculum first, then evaluate whether the program can support your preferred population through coursework and supervised placements. If your intended role specifically requires a different New York credential, investigate that credential's education rules before choosing a counseling specialization. Source: NYSED.

The best-value program is the one you can afford, complete, and use toward your intended credential. Rankings can surface candidates; your final comparison should test the factors a statewide score cannot settle. The most popular clinical mental health counseling programs offer another perspective, but popularity does not establish personal fit.

Use these checks when speaking with admissions and program staff:

1. Ask how the current curriculum meets NYSED's LMHC education requirements and whether any programmatic accreditation is current; verify accreditation with the accreditor rather than assuming institutional accreditation means CACREP accreditation.
2. Request a term-by-term completion plan and recent examples of placement locations and schedules near where you will live.
3. Compare full net costs after aid, including fees, travel, expected borrowing, lost earnings, and the risk of taking longer than planned.
4. Ask for program-specific completion and licensure-exam outcomes, including the reporting period and how the school defines each measure.

A common mistake is choosing solely by tuition or rank while overlooking a difficult placement commute or an incompatible licensure curriculum. If a school cannot clearly explain either, pause before enrolling.

The most direct path is toward mental health counseling practice, initially under the supervision applicable to the role and ultimately, for eligible applicants who meet all requirements, as an LMHC. Related work may involve behavioral health teams, substance-use services, or community-based care. Scope and hiring requirements depend on the position and credential; the master's degree by itself is not an LMHC license. Source: NYSED; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

If you want to run a private practice, plan for the additional time and supervised experience involved in licensure rather than pricing the degree as an immediate route to independent work. If your aim is primarily research or teaching in higher education, compare doctoral pathways before assuming a practice-oriented master's is the most direct investment.

BLS projects 18% U.S. employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That is a national occupational projection, not a forecast for New York graduates or a guarantee of openings near a particular campus. Source: BLS Employment Projections.

For a local decision, review current postings in the region where you intend to work. Separate positions accepting a graduate working toward licensure from those requiring an LMHC, and note any population-specific experience or schedule requirements. Those distinctions tell you more about the usefulness of a proposed placement than the national growth rate alone.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision, so Research.com designed its counseling rankings to help readers look beyond a school's name. The team evaluates graduate outcomes, licensure exam results where applicable, accreditation, and cost, while checking the quality and comparability of the underlying data. A ranking is a starting point for comparison - not a substitute for confirming a program's current price, curriculum, and licensure fit.

The Best ranking begins with a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score: program completion accounts for 40%, employment or doctoral admission for 20%, applicable licensure exam pass rates for 20%, CACREP programmatic accreditation for 16%, and institutional Title IV eligibility for 4%. Shares are adjusted when a criterion does not apply. Cost contributes a smaller component - about 7% of the final Best score. The same approach applies to online and campus programs; other rankings order programs by the dimension named in the ranking.

Research.com used the following data sources to build the rankings. Readers can use them to investigate institutional figures, while asking schools for program-level figures that may not appear in national databases:

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

These measures can narrow a shortlist, but institutional averages may not describe counseling students specifically. See Research.com's methodology for more detail on how the rankings are created.

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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
• State University of New York at Oswego - M.S. in Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://ww1.oswego.edu/programs/graduate/mental-health-counseling-ms
• State University of New York at New Paltz - M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.newpaltz.edu/graduate/liberal-arts-sciences/psychology/ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Canisius University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MS)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.canisius.edu/academics/programs/graduate/clinical-mental-health-counseling
• Touro University - MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://shs.touro.edu/programs/mental-health-counseling/
• St. John Fisher University - M.S. in Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sjf.edu/graduate-programs/ms-in-mental-health-counseling/