2027 Best Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

There is no single salary for a counseling master's. The table uses the latest national Occupational Outlook Handbook wages specified for these occupations, with a May 2025 wage reference period; projections cover 2025-2035. The occupations are useful comparisons, but they do not predict pay for a new South Dakota graduate (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

Use the relevant occupation - not the highest figure - to assess a program. Experience, employer, hours worked, and licensure status can change earnings substantially. For a realistic return-on-investment estimate, compare likely post-degree earnings with what you earn now, then account for tuition, aid, borrowing, time away from work, completion probability, and the years over which you expect to benefit.

The most useful distinction among these options is the professional route each program supports. The highlights below identify concrete program-level differences to investigate; verify current credits, placement rules, and credential alignment with each school before enrolling.

• South Dakota State University - school counseling: Its Counseling and Human Resource Development master's has a dedicated school counseling specialization (South Dakota State University). That targeted route is worth considering if your goal is working with students in schools rather than pursuing clinical practice; confirm South Dakota school-counselor credential requirements separately.
• South Dakota State University - marriage and family counseling: This specialization explicitly centers marriage and family counseling, distinguishing it from the university's school and clinical mental health routes (South Dakota State University). It is the more relevant curriculum to investigate if your intended work focuses on couples and family relationships; check its fit with the license you plan to seek.
• Northern State University - career-path comparison: Northern presents its offering as a counseling master's degree rather than one of SDSU's separately titled specializations (Northern State University). If you are considering Northern, request its current program of study and ask which credential path your chosen coursework supports before comparing it with a named SDSU track.
• Northern State University - location and placement: Northern's Aberdeen location makes placement geography a particularly important question for students who intend to remain in northeastern South Dakota (Northern State University). Ask which sites the program approves, how supervision works, and whether required campus attendance fits your schedule; location alone does not establish that a placement is available.
• South Dakota State University - clinical mental health counseling: SDSU identifies a separate clinical mental health counseling specialization (South Dakota State University). Choose this route to investigate for behavioral health practice rather than assuming its school-counseling curriculum leads to the same licensure pathway.
• South Dakota State University - rehabilitation counseling: The university also offers a named rehabilitation counseling specialization, a more focused option than its general clinical mental health route for students interested in disability-related counseling and rehabilitation settings (South Dakota State University). Compare the two curricula against the jobs and credentials you actually want.
• University of South Dakota - catalog-defined requirements: USD publishes its graduate program requirements in its academic catalog (University of South Dakota). Use the current catalog entry to compare required courses, fieldwork, and credential alignment with the other options; catalog requirements, rather than a broad university description, should drive this decision.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer. The actual timeline depends on required credits, course rotation, internship scheduling, and whether you must complete prerequisites. Ask each program for a term-by-term plan for your intended specialization rather than assuming an advertised minimum applies to you.

An accelerated schedule may reduce time away from full-time earnings, but concentrated coursework and fieldwork can make continued employment difficult. Transfer credit can shorten some students' plans, yet programs may restrict older courses or require clinical training to be completed in residence. Request a written credit evaluation before counting on a shorter timeline.

Online delivery changes where you attend classes; it does not remove supervised practice or state credential requirements. For a student who cannot relocate, an online or hybrid format may preserve employment and widen the choice of schools. An on-campus format may be easier if you want regular in-person instruction and access to nearby placement sites.

Compare actual attendance requirements rather than format labels. Ask whether classes are live, how often you must travel to campus, who finds and approves placements, and whether a site near your South Dakota home qualifies. An out-of-state online program deserves an additional check: obtain written confirmation that its curriculum meets the education requirements for the South Dakota credential you seek (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

No single verified statewide average captures the price of these counseling specializations. Published tuition may vary by institution, residency, enrollment load, and delivery format; it also leaves out fees, books, travel, and placement-related costs. Compare each school's current graduate tuition schedule and cost-of-attendance estimate for the same academic year and credit load (institutional tuition schedules; National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

For a decision-ready estimate, ask for the total required credits and multiply them by the applicable tuition rate, then add mandatory fees and likely fieldwork expenses. Compare that total with aid - not just a per-credit price. The most affordable counseling programs ranking can help narrow a shortlist, but verify each current bill directly with the school.

Graduate students may be able to use federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans if they meet federal eligibility rules and their school participates in federal aid programs. Assistantships, institutional scholarships, employer tuition assistance, and qualifying outside awards can reduce borrowing; availability varies by program. File the FAFSA and request each school's graduate aid offer before comparing net costs (Federal Student Aid; institutional financial aid offices).

Ask whether an assistantship includes tuition support, a stipend, or both, and whether its work hours conflict with clinical placement. Do not assume a scholarship advertised for undergraduates applies to a master's student. If you expect to borrow, compare projected payments with a conservative earnings scenario rather than treating a national occupational median as your starting salary.

Expect to need a bachelor's degree and a graduate application; programs may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework. Requirements can differ by specialization and application cycle, so use the current admissions page for each program rather than assuming every counseling master's has the same entry rules (South Dakota State University; Northern State University; University of South Dakota).

If your undergraduate major was outside psychology or education, ask whether specific foundation courses are required and whether you can complete them before or after admission. Working applicants should also ask when fieldwork begins: being academically admissible does not necessarily mean a program's schedule is compatible with full-time employment.

Core study commonly covers counseling theory, assessment, ethics, multicultural counseling, research, and supervised practicum and internship. The specialization then changes the emphasis: a school track addresses educational settings, while a clinical mental health track focuses on behavioral health assessment and treatment. Family and rehabilitation tracks bring different client populations and professional questions into the curriculum (South Dakota State University program descriptions).

When comparing course lists, look beyond similar titles. Check whether the required - not merely elective - courses address the education rules for your intended credential, and ask how the program documents completed clinical hours. A certificate or a collection of electives is not automatically a substitute for a qualifying master's degree (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

South Dakota State University identifies school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling, and rehabilitation counseling specializations within its Counseling and Human Resource Development master's (South Dakota State University). These are meaningful choices because they point toward different clients, workplaces, and credential checks - not simply different elective themes.

If you remain undecided between paths, request sample degree plans and compare the required field experiences. Choosing a track because it sounds broad can be costly if you later need additional coursework for a different credential. The most popular counseling programs may offer another way to explore options, but popularity does not establish the right licensure fit.

Choose backward from the work you want to do. A program is a strong investment only if its credential fit, completion schedule, placement access, and net cost make sense for your circumstances. A ranking can organize the search; it cannot determine your license eligibility or personal return on investment.

Use these checks to turn a shortlist into a decision:

1. Identify the intended job and verify its South Dakota license or school-credential requirements with the relevant state authority.
2. Ask each program which required courses, supervised experiences, and accreditation status apply to your specific track; verify any claimed CACREP accreditation in the CACREP directory.
3. Request a current degree plan, total-cost estimate, placement policy, and written transfer-credit evaluation.
4. Compare aid-adjusted cost, likely time out of work, debt, completion prospects, and realistic post-degree earnings over your intended career horizon.

Common mistakes include treating institutional accreditation as proof of CACREP programmatic accreditation, assuming online study eliminates in-person fieldwork, and selecting the lowest tuition without pricing the full degree. The most valuable counseling programs ranking can complement - not replace - those checks (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; South Dakota licensing and education authorities).

Depending on specialization and completed credential requirements, graduates may pursue school counseling, clinical mental health or addiction counseling, marriage and family counseling, or rehabilitation counseling. Some also use counseling training in adjacent student-support or human-services roles, where job titles and credential expectations are set by employers.

The key distinction is between a degree and authorization to practice independently. If your goal is private clinical practice, map the supervised experience and examination steps after graduation before committing to a program. If you want to work in schools, investigate the state's school-counselor credential route instead of assuming a clinical license serves the same purpose (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

National projections point to stronger growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors than for school counselors: 18% versus 3% over 2025-2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). That difference may influence a student choosing between clinical and school pathways, but national growth rates do not measure openings in a particular South Dakota community.

Before enrolling, search current openings in the part of the state where you intend to live and record the credential, experience, schedule, and pay requirements. In a smaller local market, the ability to arrange fieldwork and later accept work across a wider geographic area may matter as much as the national outlook. If relocation is not possible, weigh local employer demand more heavily than a broad projection.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com created this ranking to help readers compare counseling programs using consistent evidence rather than relying on reputation alone. Its team checks data quality and applies the same scoring approach to online and on-campus programs.

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 federal 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. Other Research.com rankings order programs by the dimension named in their titles.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

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

The resulting ranking is a starting point, not a substitute for checking a program's current curriculum, accreditation, total price, and fit with the credential you want. See Research.com's methodology for more about how the ranking was 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
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) - School Counseling Specialization
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-school-counseling-specialization
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.) - Marriage and Family Counseling Specialization
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-marriage-family-counseling
• Northern State University - M. Ed. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Pathway
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://northern.edu/degrees/counseling-masters-degree
• Northern State University - Master of Education in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://northern.edu/degrees/counseling-masters-degree
• South Dakota State University - Counseling and Human Resource Development (M.S.)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.sdstate.edu/programs/graduate/counseling-human-resource-development-ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling