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

Pay depends on the occupation, employer, experience, and credential - not the degree name alone. The following national occupational medians are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 wage reference period. They are useful for comparing career directions, but they are not Texas-specific starting salaries or outcomes reported by the listed universities.

A higher occupational median does not automatically make a degree the better investment. Compare the jobs you could realistically enter, any additional credential requirements, and the income you would give up while studying. For a Texas salary decision, check recent local job postings and ask programs for occupation-specific graduate outcomes rather than treating a national median as an offer.

The clearest differences among these offerings are their intended practice settings, degree structures, and whether the offering is a master's or a certificate. The highlights below identify what to examine in each program's published materials; confirm current credits, placements, costs, and credential alignment with the institution before enrolling.

• Texas State University, clinical mental health counseling MA: Its catalog identifies a thesis option within professional counseling. That makes it especially worth examining if you want a substantial research project alongside preparation for clinical practice (Texas State University graduate catalog).
• The University of Texas at San Antonio, clinical mental health counseling: Its program is explicitly focused on clinical mental health counseling rather than school certification. Students aiming for community or clinical settings should compare its published clinical training plan with Texas LPC education requirements (UT San Antonio program information; Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council).
• Texas State University, school counseling MA: This is a separately identified school counseling route, not merely an elective within the clinical mental health thesis option. It is the more relevant Texas State comparison for applicants whose goal is school counselor certification (Texas State University graduate catalog; TEA).
• University of Houston-Clear Lake, clinical mental health counseling MS: The university identifies this offering as a clinical mental health counseling Master of Science. Houston-area applicants should assess whether its required placements and their travel demands fit their work schedule (University of Houston-Clear Lake program information).
• Texas Woman's University, Counseling and Development: The program's broader counseling-and-development identity warrants a close look at its available degree plans before assuming a particular career outcome. Choose a plan by the credential and setting it serves, not by the umbrella program name (Texas Woman's University program information).
• Texas A&M University-Victoria, clinical mental health counseling: Its professional counseling department identifies a dedicated clinical mental health counseling program. It is a useful comparison for applicants seeking that pathway outside the state's largest metro campuses; verify where students arrange supervised training (Texas A&M University-Victoria program information).
• East Texas A&M University, clinical mental health counseling MS: The published offering specifies both an MS credential and a clinical mental health focus. Applicants planning to remain in East Texas should compare its field-placement process with their access to local sites and supervisors (East Texas A&M University program information).
• The University of Texas at San Antonio, school counseling: This is a distinct offering from UT San Antonio's clinical mental health master's. For prospective school counselors, that distinction matters more than a shared university name: confirm the current TEA-approved preparation and certification pathway (UT San Antonio program information; TEA).
• Texas A&M University-Texarkana, clinical mental health certification: The linked graduate catalog describes a certification offering, not a stand-alone counseling master's. Treat it as a potential additional-credential pathway and ask whether your existing degree qualifies; do not substitute it for a required master's without confirmation (Texas A&M University-Texarkana graduate catalog).
• Texas Woman's University, Counseling and Development degree planning: Its program-level information is most useful when comparing a specific counseling route with the others above. Ask the department for that route's current course sequence, clinical-placement arrangements, and written credential guidance before comparing prices or completion times (Texas Woman's University program information).

These distinctions are selection criteria, not claims that one program guarantees licensure or employment. A school that publishes an appealing pathway still needs to fit your intended credential, placement location, and budget.

Many counseling master's students should plan for roughly two to three years, with part-time study potentially taking longer. The actual timeline depends on course rotation, transfer-credit approval, and when a student can complete supervised practicum and internship requirements. Finishing classes quickly does not remove those fieldwork obligations.

Ask each school for a term-by-term plan for your intended enrollment status. If you work full time, compare the hours when placements must be completed - not just whether lectures are offered in the evening. If a school advertises an accelerated schedule, check whether its placement sequence makes that schedule realistic for you.

Online study can reduce travel for coursework, while a campus program may simplify access to local peers, faculty, and established field sites. Neither format eliminates the need to meet clients or students during supervised training. Research.com applies the same ranking method to online and on-campus counseling programs, but delivery format alone cannot establish credential eligibility.

For an online option, ask where fieldwork may occur, who approves sites and supervisors, and whether any campus visits are required. For a campus option, calculate the time and expense of commuting to both classes and placements. The better format is the one you can complete while meeting the requirements of your intended Texas credential (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council; TEA).

There is no single price that reliably represents every Texas counseling master's: tuition can differ by institution, residency status, enrollment pace, and program fees. A comparable, current statewide average for this specific degree is not established here, so quoting one as your likely bill would be misleading. Use each university's current graduate tuition schedule and required degree plan to build a personal estimate (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS; institutional tuition schedules).

Include tuition, mandatory fees, books, travel to placements, and any income lost when fieldwork limits paid hours. At public universities, check whether you qualify for resident tuition rather than assuming you do. Then compare the most affordable counseling programs against your total expected cost; the lowest tuition rate may not produce the lowest overall bill.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, then ask departments about assistantships, scholarships, and placement-related funding. Graduate students may be eligible for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, subject to federal rules. State or institutional assistance can have different residency, enrollment, and funding requirements; verify eligibility before counting it in your budget (Federal Student Aid; Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).

Graduate PLUS is not a routine financing option for new graduate borrowers beginning July 1, 2026. Limited transitional eligibility may apply to qualifying students who were already in a program and had borrowed a Graduate PLUS Loan for that program before the change; confirm your status under current federal guidance rather than assuming the loan will cover a 2027 start (Federal Student Aid). Request an aid offer showing grants separately from loans, and calculate the remaining cost before committing to a deposit.

Programs generally require a completed bachelor's degree and an application that may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Specific prerequisite courses, GPA standards, test policies, and background-check expectations vary by institution and placement site; use the current admissions page for each program rather than a generic checklist (institutional admissions requirements).

Before applying, distinguish admission prerequisites from professional credential requirements. For a prospective Texas LPC, check the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council's current educational rules and how the program documents compliance. For a school counselor, verify the program's relationship to TEA-approved preparation. Ask how prior graduate credits are evaluated: an accepted transfer course may reduce tuition without replacing a required practicum or internship.

Common coursework includes counseling theories, ethics, assessment, human development, research, group counseling, and culturally responsive practice, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Clinical mental health plans may emphasize diagnosis and treatment; school counseling plans may focus more directly on student support and school systems. The relevant comparison is the required sequence, not the longest elective catalog (Texas State University graduate catalog; UT San Antonio program information).

Request a degree audit or sample plan and mark which courses must precede fieldwork. That reveals whether a missed course offering could delay graduation and whether an elective genuinely supports the credential or client population you hope to serve.

The most consequential choice in the programs discussed here is clinical mental health versus school counseling. Clinical mental health fits students seeking a path toward counseling clients in behavioral health settings; school counseling fits those targeting K-12 student support and TEA certification. Other counseling-related directions include addiction, rehabilitation, and marriage and family work, but their job titles and credential rules should be checked separately (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council; TEA; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do not assume a concentration label is a state license. If you are uncertain between school and clinical practice, compare required courses and field sites early: switching paths late may add coursework, expense, and time.

Start with the job and credential you want, then narrow the ranking to programs that plausibly serve that goal. CACREP is programmatic accreditation worth checking, but institutional eligibility, program accreditation, and Texas credential approval are different questions; confirm each with the relevant accreditor, university, and state authority (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council; TEA).

Use the same questions for every school so a lower advertised price or attractive format does not hide a costly mismatch:

1. Ask which Texas credential the specific degree plan is designed to support and request the current written requirements.
2. Request the full course sequence, placement rules, and expected time to completion for your enrollment pace.
3. Compare total net cost after aid, including placement travel and foregone earnings; ask whether transfer credit changes the sequence.
4. Ask for program-level completion, exam, and employment outcomes when available, including their reporting years.

A ranking can identify candidates, while the most valuable counseling programs comparison can prompt a closer look at cost and outcomes. Neither replaces a personal return-on-investment calculation that considers completion probability, debt, your current earnings, plausible post-degree work, and how long you expect to use the credential.

A clinical mental health graduate might seek supervised post-degree work toward LPC licensure and later pursue roles in agencies, health systems, or private practice when appropriately licensed. A school counseling graduate may seek certification and district employment. Rehabilitation and addiction-related positions offer other directions, but an employer may require a different credential or specialized preparation (Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council; TEA; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

For someone already working in education, a school-focused route may make more sense than retraining for clinical practice. For someone whose goal is therapy, a school counseling degree is not a shortcut to an LPC pathway. A certificate can make sense for an eligible professional adding preparation, but it should not be mistaken for a qualifying master's.

National demand is strongest among the counseling occupations most closely associated with behavioral health: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors over 2025-2035. This national projection signals opportunity, not a forecast for every Texas city, employer, or new graduate.

Build a local test of demand before enrolling: review postings in the areas where you would actually work, note the required license or certification, and ask schools where recent students completed placements. The most popular counseling programs can show which options attract attention, but popularity is not evidence of local hiring or a good personal fit.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com designed its counseling rankings to help readers compare programs using outcomes, accreditation, and cost rather than reputation alone. Its team checks multiple education datasets to improve the quality, credibility, and accuracy of those comparisons; readers should still confirm current program details directly with each school.

The Best ranking first combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure-exam pass rates (20%), CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and federal Title IV eligibility (4%). Weights are adjusted when a measure does not apply. Program cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs; rankings named for affordability, popularity, or value order programs by their stated dimension.

The ranking draws on these data sources, which provide complementary information about institutions, students, and outcomes:

• IPEDS database: institutional reporting on enrollment, completion, and costs.
• 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 ranking is a starting point for a shortlist, not a substitute for checking the degree plan and the credential you intend to pursue. Read more about the approach on Research.com's methodology page.

• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Louisiana
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Oklahoma
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Mexico
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Colorado
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Mississippi
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Arizona
• 2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Alabama

• 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
• Texas State University - M.A. Major in Professional Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://mycatalog.txstate.edu/graduate/education/counseling-leadership-adult-school-psychology/professional-counseling-clinicalmental-thesis-ma/
• The University of Texas at San Antonio - Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://future.utsa.edu/programs/master/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Texas State University - M.A. Major in Professional Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://mycatalog.txstate.edu/graduate/education/counseling-leadership-adult-school-psychology/professional-counseling-school-ma/
• University of Houston-Clear Lake - Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.S.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/clinical-mental-health-counseling-ms
• Texas Woman's University - M.S. in Counseling and Development
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://twu.edu/human-sciences/graduate-programs/counseling-development/