2027 Best Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Chicago

National occupation figures give applicants a benchmark, not a salary offer. The latest figures used here are U.S. median annual wages for May 2025 and national employment projections for 2025-2035; they are not Chicago-specific wages or projections (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The clinical category includes more than one kind of position, while the school category also includes career counselors and advisors. Neither figure isolates Chicago master's graduates. For a realistic personal estimate, compare local job postings requiring the credential you plan to earn, and distinguish entry-level or associate-license roles from independently licensed positions. Do not base a loan decision on the national median alone.

The most useful differences among these Chicago options concern the credential each program targets, the structure of its degree, and the experience a student wants to gain. These program-specific highlights are comparison prompts, not a ranking within the ranking; confirm the current catalog and licensure disclosures with each school before applying.

• Roosevelt University - MA in School Counseling: This is a dedicated school-counseling degree rather than Roosevelt's clinical mental health route. It belongs on the shortlist of applicants aiming for an Illinois school counselor endorsement, who should confirm its current state-approval and field-placement provisions (Roosevelt University).
• Chicago State University - School Counseling: Chicago State presents its school-counseling option through its psychology program. Applicants drawn to that academic setting should compare its school-based training and endorsement requirements directly with education-school programs rather than assuming the same curriculum from the degree label (Chicago State University).
• Northeastern Illinois University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: The catalog identifies a 60-credit clinical mental health curriculum. That defined course load gives working applicants a concrete basis for estimating their term-by-term schedule and comparing total tuition with other clinical options (Northeastern Illinois University catalog).
• The Chicago School - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Chicago: This is a campus-specific clinical mental health option within an institution focused on psychology and behavioral health. It may suit applicants who want to study in that setting, provided its placement arrangements and full cost fit their plans (The Chicago School).
• Adler University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Adler incorporates a social-justice practicum into its training model, adding a community-focused experience to clinical preparation. Ask how that requirement is scheduled alongside clinical fieldwork if you need to maintain substantial paid employment (Adler University).
• Roosevelt University - MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Roosevelt offers a distinct clinical degree alongside its school-counseling MA. The separation matters if you want to pursue professional counselor licensure rather than a school endorsement; review the clinical curriculum against current Illinois rules (Roosevelt University catalog).
• DePaul University - School Specialty Area, Counseling MA/MEd: The school specialty is presented with MA and MEd degree options. Ask an advisor what, if anything, differs for your intended endorsement, schedule, and prior education before selecting the degree designation (DePaul University catalog).
• DePaul University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA: This is DePaul's clinical pathway, separate from its school specialty. Applicants considering both should compare the required placements and intended credentials first; choosing the wrong pathway is harder to remedy than changing an elective (DePaul University).
• National Louis University - MS in Counseling, Illinois: National Louis presents an Illinois-focused MS rather than an MA. The degree letters alone do not determine licensure eligibility, so request its current Illinois licensure alignment, course sequence, and placement expectations if you are comparing it with clinical MA programs (National Louis University).

Accreditation deserves a separate check across every option. Institutional accreditation, eligibility for federal student aid, CACREP accreditation of a particular counseling program, and Illinois approval for educator preparation answer different questions; none should be inferred from another (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; U.S. Department of Education; Illinois State Board of Education).

Plan on roughly two to three years of full-time study for many counseling master's pathways, with a longer timeline when taking fewer courses per term. The exact duration depends on the program's credits, course rotation, and when supervised practica and internships can begin. A published accelerated schedule is useful only if you can secure its required placements and sustain its workload.

For working professionals, compare the sequence, not just the advertised completion time. Ask whether evening courses lead into daytime fieldwork, whether placements run during summer, and how an interrupted internship affects graduation. A shorter program that requires you to leave a job sooner may cost more overall than a longer part-time option.

Online coursework can reduce trips to campus, but it does not remove supervised practice or Illinois credential requirements. On-campus study can make face-to-face meetings and local cohort connections easier; neither format is inherently better for licensure. The practical question is whether the specific program can support an approved placement where you live and meets the rules for your intended credential (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Illinois State Board of Education).

Chicago commuters should compare required campus visits, class times, site assignments, and travel between home, work, and placement. If you live outside Illinois while attending a Chicago-based online program, obtain written guidance from the school and the relevant licensing authority for the state where you intend to practice. Do not assume a program's Illinois alignment establishes eligibility elsewhere.

There is no single trustworthy Chicago counseling-master's average that covers the different credit totals, public and private nonprofit institutions, enrollment patterns, and charges represented here. NCES/IPEDS publishes institutional tuition information, but an institution-wide graduate figure is not necessarily the price of a specific counseling degree (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS). Use each school's current program rate and required credits to build a comparable estimate instead.

Include mandatory fees, field-placement expenses, books, travel, and income you may forgo during supervised training. Check a public university's residency rules rather than assuming living in Chicago establishes in-state pricing. If keeping borrowing low is the priority, use the most affordable counseling programs as a shortlist, then request a written estimate for your own enrollment plan.

Start with the federal aid application and each school's graduate aid office. Depending on eligibility, students may be able to use Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition support, or relevant service-based funding. Federal loan rules and annual availability can change, so confirm the terms for your entry year through Federal Student Aid rather than relying on an older borrowing example (Federal Student Aid).

Ask whether scholarships continue during internship terms and whether aid requires a minimum course load. Then compare net program costs, borrowing, and the earnings you would give up while studying. The most valuable counseling programs can help start that comparison, but value for you also depends on completion likelihood, your current earnings, expected post-degree work, and how long you expect to work in the field.

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the chosen school's graduate admissions standards. Programs may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or relevant prerequisite coursework; policies differ, including whether a psychology major is necessary. Check the current admissions page for the specific clinical or school pathway rather than assuming one university-wide rule applies (Roosevelt University; DePaul University; Northeastern Illinois University).

Before paying an application fee, ask admissions and the program director to identify any prerequisite deficiencies, transfer-credit limits, and required background checks for field placements. A transferred course might shorten study only if the program accepts it toward the required curriculum; it should not be assumed to satisfy an Illinois credential requirement without confirmation (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Illinois State Board of Education).

Clinical mental health curricula commonly cover counseling theories, assessment, ethics, multicultural counseling, group work, and supervised practice. School pathways also address counseling in educational settings and the needs of students and families. Course titles vary, so compare syllabi and required fieldwork against the credential you want rather than counting similarly named classes (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Illinois State Board of Education).

A useful curriculum check is whether the training matches the clients you hope to serve. Someone interested in substance-use treatment should inspect relevant electives and placements; a future school counselor should inspect school-site supervision and endorsement preparation. A short certificate may add a skill, but it should not be treated as a substitute for a qualifying master's degree where a licensed role requires one.

The clearest distinction in the Chicago programs discussed here is school counseling versus clinical mental health counseling. Within clinical training, electives and placements may help students focus on populations or issues such as substance use, trauma, or family relationships. Such a focus is not automatically a separate professional license or certification.

Choose a specialization only after identifying its likely workplace and credential. For example, an applicant who wants to work in a school should not choose a clinical track solely because it offers courses about children. Conversely, school-counseling preparation should not be assumed to qualify a graduate for independent clinical practice (Illinois State Board of Education; Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation).

The best fit is the program that meets the requirements of your intended role at a cost and pace you can realistically manage. Rankings can narrow the field, while the most popular counseling programs offer another way to explore options; neither measure establishes personal fit. Use the following checks before committing.

1. Identify your target job and ask the appropriate Illinois authority which degree, supervised experience, examinations, and credential it requires.
2. Verify institutional accreditation, any applicable programmatic accreditation, and Illinois educator-program approval separately.
3. Request the current course sequence, placement rules, completion information, and a written total-cost estimate for your likely schedule.
4. Ask who secures internship sites, what happens if a placement is delayed, and whether transfer credits or part-time study change credential eligibility.
5. Compare aid, expected debt, time away from paid work, and plausible earnings over your intended career - not just tuition or a national median wage.

A major red flag is an unclear answer about which credential graduates can pursue. Another is a low advertised price that excludes required credits, fees, or placement costs. If your goal is to provide clinical therapy, a school-only pathway is the wrong investment; if you need an immediate pay increase and cannot accommodate supervised training, postponing graduate study may be more prudent.

A clinical pathway can lead toward counseling work in community agencies, health care, addiction services, or private practice, subject to the credentials and supervision required for the position. A school pathway is directed toward counseling roles in educational settings. Graduates may begin in supervised positions and later pursue roles with greater independence as they meet additional requirements; graduation itself is not a license (Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; Illinois State Board of Education).

If your long-term aim is research, university teaching, or advanced supervision, investigate whether those jobs require doctoral study or additional qualifications before treating a master's as the final step. If you primarily want to support clients without pursuing professional licensure, compare the duties and entry requirements of related human-services jobs first; a counseling master's may be more education than that goal requires.

The national outlook is stronger for some counseling occupations than others: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors and advisors. These national projections do not predict openings in a particular Chicago neighborhood or guarantee a job after graduation (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

Chicago's range of school systems, health care providers, and community organizations gives applicants several types of placement and employer to investigate. To test demand for your intended pathway, review current local postings for required Illinois credentials, supervision status, work hours, and pay. That evidence is more useful for a personal decision than treating broad occupational growth as a forecast for one program's graduates.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com created this ranking to make program comparisons more transparent, using multiple sources and checking outcomes, accreditation, eligibility for federal aid, and cost rather than relying on reputation alone. The ranking is a starting point for a shortlist - not a substitute for confirming that a particular degree meets your career and licensing goals.

Research.com used these data sources to create the ranking:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completion, and cost information.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used in comparisons.
• College Scorecard database: federal institutional and student-outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions.

For the Best ranking, a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure-exam pass rates (20%), CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and institutional Title IV eligibility (4%). Shares are renormalized when a criterion does not apply. Program cost then contributes a smaller component - about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs; other Research.com counseling rankings order programs by the dimension named in each ranking. These measures help readers identify options to investigate, but applicants should still verify current program-specific results and requirements. Further details appear in 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/
• NBCC - NCE / NCMHCE
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.nbcc.org/exams
• 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/