2027 Best Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Chicago

Pay depends on occupation, credential, employer, experience, and hours worked. National BLS medians provide a consistent benchmark, but they are not Chicago wages or estimates of what a new graduate will earn. The figures below refer to occupations, not salaries awarded to holders of a particular degree.

These May 2025 U.S. median annual wages and 2025-2035 national projections show why specialty matters when estimating a degree's potential return (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

Do not treat the higher median in another specialty as a reason to select its degree without checking the job and credential. For a Chicago decision, compare actual local job postings by required license and experience, then estimate whether your likely earnings change can justify tuition, borrowing, and time away from work.

The Chicago-area options here are not interchangeable: some target a school credential, others clinical practice, and one is a doctorate for advanced professional work. These program-specific distinctions offer a starting point for comparison, not a substitute for confirming current credits, placements, accreditation, costs, and eligibility with each school.

• Roosevelt University - MA in School Counseling: Roosevelt offers a dedicated school counseling degree rather than treating school practice as an incidental clinical elective (Roosevelt University). It warrants a closer look from applicants committed to pupil support; ask how its field experiences and curriculum satisfy the current Illinois school counselor endorsement rules.
• Chicago State University - School Counseling: Chicago State identifies school counseling as its program's focus (Chicago State University). For students comparing school routes, the consequential distinction from a clinical master's is preparation for work in educational settings; confirm the current degree plan and endorsement pathway directly.
• Northeastern Illinois University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: NEIU publishes this degree in its academic catalog, making the stated curriculum and requirements a useful basis for a course-by-course licensure review (Northeastern Illinois University). It suits applicants who want to verify clinical preparation against Illinois LPC requirements before enrolling.
• The Chicago School at Chicago - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This is a Chicago-campus clinical mental health counseling program, rather than a school counseling pathway (The Chicago School). Applicants seeking in-person clinical training should compare its actual placement support and supervision arrangements with programs closer to their preferred internship sites.
• Adler University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Adler frames its counseling education around social justice and the social contexts affecting clients (Adler University). That emphasis may appeal to students interested in community-facing practice, provided the required clinical training and credential pathway also match their goals.
• Adler University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: For applicants considering work with underserved communities, the practical question is how Adler's stated social-justice emphasis appears in required courses and supervised experiences (Adler University). Request the current degree plan and placement examples rather than relying on a mission statement alone.
• Roosevelt University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Roosevelt offers a clinical mental health degree distinct from its school counseling MA (Roosevelt University). It is the relevant Roosevelt option for applicants targeting clinical rather than school credentials; compare both curricula if you are still deciding between those careers.
• DePaul University - School Specialty Area, Counseling MA/MEd: DePaul identifies a school specialty area within its counseling graduate offerings (DePaul University). This structure matters to applicants who want to compare the available degree designations and verify precisely which one supports Illinois school counselor endorsement.
• DePaul University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA: DePaul separately identifies a clinical mental health pathway (DePaul University). Students interested in clinical practice should compare its required coursework and internship with the school specialty rather than assuming the two lead to the same credential.
• Adler University - PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision: Unlike the listed master's routes, this doctorate is oriented toward counselor education and supervision (Adler University). It is a more relevant option for appropriately qualified professionals planning to teach, supervise, or conduct research than for a newcomer seeking an initial counseling credential.

Program pages can change between application cycles. Before treating any distinction as decisive, obtain the current catalog, a total-cost estimate, written placement policies, and the school's explanation of how its program meets the credential requirements that apply to you.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study often takes longer. A bachelor's generally takes about four years of full-time study, while a counselor education doctorate adds multiple years beyond prior graduate preparation. These are planning ranges, not promises: credits, course sequencing, transfer approvals, and access to an internship can change the finish date.

Ask for a term-by-term plan that includes the earliest possible practicum and internship dates. Working adults should check whether field hours occur during their usual workday; a nominally flexible evening program can still require daytime availability at a school or clinical site.

Online programs move some or most classroom instruction off campus; they do not eliminate supervised practical training. On-campus study can make face-to-face meetings easier, but it does not automatically provide an internship. In either format, Illinois applicants need to establish that coursework, supervision, and placements support their intended credential (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Illinois State Board of Education).

For a working Chicago student, online study may reduce commuting to class while leaving travel to placement sites unchanged. Campus study may be preferable when scheduled in-person instruction fits better with how you learn or when the program's placement arrangements suit your location. Compare the required attendance and field schedule, not simply the "online" or "on-campus" label.

There is no single reliable price for a Chicago counseling degree. Published tuition may be quoted per credit, term, or academic year, while the full bill depends on the program's required credits, fees, length, and any extra terms needed for fieldwork. Public-university residency rules may also change the price an applicant pays; a private university can be nonprofit or for-profit, and ownership alone does not establish value.

To compare costs, request a current estimate covering all required credits and mandatory fees, then add books, transportation to placements, and likely living expenses. Subtract aid that does not need repayment. The most affordable counseling programs are a useful place to start, but verify each quoted price against your actual enrollment plan.

An average tuition figure, even where available in NCES/IPEDS reporting, would mix institutions and enrollment patterns rather than describe what a particular student will pay. A complete program-level estimate is more useful for this decision (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Start with each institution's aid office and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Depending on the student and program, support may include institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition benefits, and eligible federal graduate loans; availability and award amounts are not automatic (Federal Student Aid). Illinois residents should also ask the institution whether any current state-administered aid applies to their degree and enrollment status.

Do not build a new graduate student's budget around Graduate PLUS. Federal Student Aid's current Graduate PLUS rules restrict new borrowing under that program beginning July 1, 2026. A continuing student may qualify under a limited transition provision tied to earlier borrowing and continued enrollment in the same program; the financial aid office should verify individual eligibility and limits (Federal Student Aid). Ask what loan options are actually available for your start date before accepting an offer.

For a realistic return-on-investment check, compare grants and expected debt with program duration, forgone earnings, your current pay, a plausible post-degree role, and the time needed to qualify for that role. Lower tuition helps, but delayed completion or an unaffordable placement schedule can erase an apparent price advantage.

Master's applicants typically need a completed bachelor's degree and the materials specified by the institution, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. A psychology major is not universally required; prerequisite courses and admission standards differ by program. Doctoral applicants should expect separate requirements concerning prior graduate preparation and professional or research goals (individual institutional admissions offices).

Before applying, request answers to three questions: Will your earlier coursework meet prerequisite rules? How many graduate transfer credits, if any, can be accepted? And does the specific degree and specialty align with the Illinois credential you intend to seek? Transfer credit that reduces classroom requirements may not replace required supervised training or satisfy a licensing board's course-content rules.

Clinical mental health curricula commonly cover counseling theories, helping skills, assessment, ethics, group counseling, human development, and supervised clinical practice. School counseling adds preparation centered on pupils, schools, and educational systems. Exact course titles, required credits, and fieldwork requirements come from each program's current catalog, not from the degree label alone (Northeastern Illinois University; DePaul University; Roosevelt University).

Read course descriptions with your intended Illinois credential in hand. A program can offer an appealing elective yet lack a required subject or field experience needed for your planned pathway. Ask the program to identify any gaps in writing before you enroll.

The most consequential distinction in the listed Chicago options is school counseling versus clinical mental health counseling. School counseling is designed around student support in educational settings; clinical mental health counseling focuses on assessment and treatment in clinical and community settings. Counselor education and supervision is an advanced doctoral direction rather than an interchangeable entry-level specialty (Illinois State Board of Education; Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Adler University).

Interests such as addiction, couples and families, or rehabilitation may appear as coursework or practice interests, but an elective is not the same thing as a separate degree or professional license. If one of these areas is your goal, ask about the applicable credential, required supervised experience, and whether the program's placements serve that population.

Start with the job you want and work backward to its credential. Popularity can help identify programs to investigate - the most popular counseling programs provide another comparison - but enrollment interest cannot establish licensure fit or affordability.

Use this sequence to turn a shortlist into a decision:

1. Name the target role. Separate school counseling, clinical practice, and advanced teaching or supervision before comparing degree titles.
2. Verify credential alignment. Check the Illinois licensing or educator authority's current rules, then ask each school for its written mapping of coursework, accreditation status, and fieldwork to those rules.
3. Check placement feasibility. Ask who finds sites, what supervision is provided, when field hours occur, and whether the program supports placements accessible from your home or workplace.
4. Compare complete costs and time. Include fees, aid, borrowing, commuting, missed work, and the likelihood of finishing on your intended schedule.
5. Request relevant outcomes. Ask for recent program-level completion, exam-pass, and employment information, including its reporting period and what proportion of students it covers.

A common mistake is to assume that institutional accreditation, programmatic accreditation, Illinois licensure eligibility, and eventual independent practice all mean the same thing. They do not. Another is to pick the quickest or cheapest format without checking whether required field hours fit a work schedule. Compare the most valuable counseling programs alongside your own expected debt and career timeline, rather than treating a ranking as a personal return-on-investment calculation.

A clinical counseling master's can be a route toward supervised counseling work and, after meeting additional Illinois requirements, more independent clinical practice. A school counseling master's points toward school counselor roles when the graduate meets educator-licensure and endorsement requirements. A doctorate in counselor education and supervision is more directly relevant to teaching, research, and supervision; it does not replace checking the credentials required for clinical work (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Illinois State Board of Education).

These paths are worthwhile for people who want sustained client or student contact and can accommodate supervised training. Someone seeking a quicker move into a nonclinical support role, or who cannot make time for an internship, should compare other qualifications before taking on graduate debt. Employers' position descriptions are useful reality checks: note which roles require a license, an endorsement, or post-degree experience rather than assuming the degree alone is sufficient.

National demand is strongest among the counseling occupations highlighted here for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: BLS projects 18% U.S. employment growth from 2025 to 2035. That projection indicates a growing national occupation, not a guaranteed Chicago opening or a forecast for every counseling specialty (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

For a local assessment, search current Chicago-area vacancies for your intended specialty and record the required Illinois credential, supervision status, work setting, and schedule. Compare those requirements with a program's curriculum and placement options. Growth matters less to an individual applicant if nearby employers seek a different license - or if the available jobs require experience the program does not help them obtain.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision. Research.com created its rankings to help readers compare programs using documented outcomes, credentials, and costs rather than reputation alone. Its team draws on the following sources and checks how the available measures apply to each program:

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

For the Best ranking, a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score weighs program completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure-exam pass rates at 20%, applicable CACREP programmatic accreditation at 16%, and federal Title IV institutional eligibility at 4%. Weights are adjusted when a measure does not apply. Program cost then contributes a smaller component - about 7% of the final score. The method is the same for online and on-campus programs; rankings named for another dimension order programs by that dimension. These measures support comparison, but they cannot predict an individual student's outcome. Read more about 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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Roosevelt University - Master's in School Counseling, MA
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.roosevelt.edu/programs/masters-school-counseling-ma
• Chicago State University - M.A. in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.csu.edu/psychology/school_counseling.htm
• Northeastern Illinois University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.neiu.edu/education/counselor-education/master-arts-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• The Chicago School at Chicago - M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Chicago Campus
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.thechicagoschool.edu/programs/counseling/clinical-mental-health-counseling/ma-chicago/
• Adler University - Master of Arts in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.adler.edu/programs/masters-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling/