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

The national median annual wage for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors was $59,350 in May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook). That occupational figure covers workers with different employers, experience levels, and credentials; it is not a Kansas starting salary or a return promised by a degree.

Specialization changes the comparison. The national May 2025 median was $64,330 for school and career counselors and advisors, while rehabilitation counselors had a $46,850 median (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Before treating any median as a financial forecast, compare the credential and setting you actually intend to pursue, then account for tuition, forgone work time, and any additional supervised experience required after graduation.

The most useful distinctions among these Kansas options are their intended practice settings and how explicitly they let students shape a credential path. Compare the current catalog, fieldwork arrangements, and written licensure disclosures before relying on a program description.

• MidAmerica Nazarene University - clinical mental health counseling: This dedicated clinical mental health pathway is the relevant option for applicants focused on clinical rather than school-based practice. Ask how its required placements and courses map to Kansas clinical licensure (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - School Counseling Plus: The named Plus pathway distinguishes this option from a standard school-counseling track. Applicants should obtain a written explanation of what the additional preparation covers and which credentials, if any, it supports (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• Emporia State University - clinical counseling with addictions counseling: The identified addictions pathway gives students a way to prioritize substance-use counseling within clinical study. It is particularly relevant if you want to compare preparation for addiction-focused and broader clinical roles (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - clinical counseling concentrations: Its concentrations structure offers a choice of emphasis within clinical counseling rather than a single undifferentiated course sequence. Compare each concentration's required courses and placements with your target license before choosing one (Emporia State University).
• Wichita State University - clinical mental health counseling track: Clinical mental health is an identified track within its M. Ed. in counseling. This structure suits applicants who want to evaluate a clearly designated clinical curriculum against Kansas licensure requirements (Wichita State University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - marriage, couple, and family counseling: This pathway centers relationship and family counseling rather than treating it as an elective interest. It merits close comparison for students who want family-focused training and need to establish which Kansas license it prepares them to seek (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• Wichita State University - school counseling: The program's school-counseling handbook provides a program-specific document for checking expectations beyond a brief admissions page. Students planning K-12 work can use it to confirm fieldwork, progression, and licensure-related requirements before applying (Wichita State University).

Plan on roughly two to three years for a full-time counseling master's, with part-time study often taking longer. The actual timeline depends on course sequencing, required practicum and internship, and when placements are available. A program's advertised completion time may assume continuous enrollment and a timely fieldwork match.

Ask for a term-by-term plan that includes fieldwork, not just classroom credits. Working adults should check whether internship hours overlap with their paid job; an accelerated classroom schedule may offer little advantage if it delays or compresses the clinical experience they need.

Online study changes where much of the coursework happens, not whether counseling students need supervised practice. Campus programs may make regular in-person interaction easier; online or hybrid programs may reduce commuting for students who live far from a Kansas campus. Neither format is inherently a better licensure route.

Compare formats against the same practical questions: where will you complete practicum and internship, who finds and approves the site, how is supervision arranged, and are any campus visits required? If you may work outside Kansas, ask the program and that state's licensing board about eligibility before enrolling. Research.com's most popular counseling programs offer another way to explore options, but popularity does not establish licensure fit.

There is no single Kansas master's-in-counseling price that fairly represents every track and enrollment pattern. An institutional graduate tuition figure may cover many subjects and omit program fees, books, travel, and placement-related expenses; it should not be presented as the cost of a specific counseling degree (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

For a useful comparison, request each school's current tuition by credit, required credits, mandatory fees, likely annual increases, and estimated fieldwork expenses. Check public-university resident and nonresident rates separately, and confirm whether an online program uses a different rate. Research.com's most affordable counseling programs can help build a shortlist, but compare total expected charges rather than the lowest advertised tuition.

Start with the FAFSA and each school's graduate aid office. Depending on eligibility and availability, funding may include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition benefits, and aid tied to a particular placement or service commitment. Ask whether an award renews during internship terms and whether part-time enrollment changes eligibility (Federal Student Aid; individual institutions).

Do not build a new enrollment budget around a Graduate PLUS loan without checking eligibility. Under federal changes effective for new borrowing from July 2026, Graduate PLUS is generally unavailable to new graduate borrowers; limited transition eligibility applies to certain students already enrolled in a program who received a Graduate PLUS loan for it before the change, subject to federal limits (Federal Student Aid). Confirm your own status with the financial aid office. Borrowing less may mean choosing a slower schedule, but it can also reduce debt if paid work remains feasible.

Programs generally require a completed bachelor's degree and an application that may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Specific prerequisites, minimum academic standards, and background-check rules vary by institution and placement site; check the current admissions page rather than assuming all Kansas programs use the same criteria (individual institutions).

Applicants changing careers should ask whether undergraduate psychology coursework is required or merely recommended. Also ask how prior graduate credits are evaluated: acceptance by the university does not necessarily mean a transferred course satisfies a counseling program's clinical or licensure-related requirement.

Expect study in counseling theories, interviewing, human development, ethics, assessment, research, and multicultural practice, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Clinical tracks may place more emphasis on diagnosis and treatment planning; school tracks focus more directly on student development and school systems; addiction pathways add substance-use assessment and intervention (MidAmerica Nazarene University; Emporia State University; Wichita State University).

Course titles alone are a weak comparison tool. Request the degree plan and check whether required content, supervised hours, and field-site rules match the Kansas credential you intend to pursue. A course offered only occasionally can also affect when you graduate.

The Kansas programs discussed here include clinical mental health, school, addictions, and marriage, couple, and family counseling pathways (MidAmerica Nazarene University; Emporia State University; Wichita State University). These are consequential choices: they shape coursework, placements, and the professional credentials a graduate may seek.

Choose clinical mental health if your target is clinical counseling across treatment settings; choose school counseling if you intend to serve K-12 students. An addictions emphasis can sharpen preparation for substance-use work, while a marriage and family pathway better matches relationship-centered practice. Do not assume that adding a concentration makes you eligible for every related license; confirm its scope with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board or Kansas State Department of Education, as appropriate.

The best choice is the program that matches your intended credential, can support your fieldwork, and remains financially manageable through graduation. A ranking helps you identify candidates; these checks establish whether one is right for you:

1. Name the job and credential you want, then check current requirements with the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board or Kansas State Department of Education.
2. Ask each program to identify its institutional accreditation, any applicable CACREP programmatic status, and how its curriculum aligns with your target credential. Institutional and programmatic accreditation are different checks.
3. Request a complete cost estimate and a realistic course-and-placement schedule for your enrollment pace.
4. Ask who secures field sites, where recent students completed them, and what happens if a placement falls through.
5. Compare available program-level completion, exam, and employment information, including its reporting year and the number of students represented.

A common mistake is choosing the cheapest or fastest option before verifying licensure alignment. Another is treating accreditation, graduation, and licensure as interchangeable: a degree is an educational credential, while professional licensure can also require supervised experience and examinations (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education). Use Research.com's most valuable counseling programs as an additional comparison, then assess your own likely debt, completion time, current earnings, and post-degree options.

A counseling master's can support several paths, but the degree title alone does not determine which positions you can hold. Clinical mental health and addiction counseling lead toward behavioral health roles; school counseling leads toward K-12 positions; marriage and family preparation targets relationship-focused work. Rehabilitation counseling is another distinct occupation, though applicants should confirm whether a particular Kansas program prepares them for it (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Kansas licensing agencies).

Think beyond the first job when comparing programs. A school-focused curriculum is a strong match for someone committed to education, but a poor shortcut into clinical practice. Conversely, a clinical track may offer relevant preparation for a treatment setting without satisfying school counselor licensure rules. Ask employers which credentials they require for the specific roles you want.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That national projection indicates demand in a major counseling occupation, but it does not measure openings in your preferred Kansas community or guarantee placement after graduation.

The local market should influence fieldwork planning. Ask programs whether approved sites and supervisors are available in the areas where you could realistically live and work. If you are willing to relocate within Kansas, compare opportunities across community agencies, healthcare employers, treatment providers, and school districts rather than assuming one placement network serves every specialization equally.

An education investment deserves more scrutiny than a list of schools. Research.com developed this ranking to help readers compare programs using documented outcomes, credentials, and costs; its team reviews the underlying information for quality, credibility, and accuracy. The ranking is a starting point, not a substitute for checking a program's current licensure alignment and personal cost.

The Best ranking first combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure-exam pass rates (20%), applicable CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and institutional Title IV eligibility (4%). Weights are renormalized when a criterion does not apply. Program cost 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. The following data sources inform the rankings:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completion, and cost reporting.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database: federal institutional information and outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions.

Readers can use the ranking to narrow their options, then verify program-specific requirements directly. See Research.com's methodology for more information about how its 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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - M.A. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-clinical-mental-health/
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Master of Arts in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-school-counseling-plus/
• Emporia State University - M.S. in Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/clinical-counseling-addictions-counseling/
• Emporia State University - MS, Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/concentrations/
• Wichita State University - M. Ed. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.wichita.edu/academics/education/cles/med_counseling-clinical-mental-health-track.php