2027 Best Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri

Pay depends on the occupation, setting, experience, and credential - not the degree name by itself. These latest available U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics national occupational medians refer to May 2025 wages; they are not Missouri-specific starting salaries or promises of post-graduation earnings.

The figures describe different occupations, not interchangeable outcomes of one counseling degree. Before treating a salary as a return on investment, match the occupation to the program's intended credential and compare actual Missouri job postings by location and experience level (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The clearest differences among these Missouri options are their intended credential, degree structure, location, and institutional setting. Those differences matter more than a shared "counseling" label: confirm current credits, fieldwork arrangements, accreditation, and eligibility directly with a program before enrolling.

• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in School Counseling: Its education-degree format is explicitly directed toward school counseling rather than clinical practice (University of Missouri-St. Louis). It is a relevant comparison for students targeting school-based roles in the St. Louis area; verify its current certification pathway with the university and Missouri education department.
• Missouri State University-Springfield, School Counseling: This dedicated school-counseling option gives Springfield-area applicants a local alternative to programs elsewhere in the state (Missouri State University). Compare its field-placement geography and certification preparation with other school-focused degrees if remaining in southwest Missouri matters.
• University of Central Missouri, MS in Counseling: The MS counseling degree provides a central-Missouri option for applicants comparing counseling pathways (University of Central Missouri). Ask which current emphasis matches your intended credential rather than assuming the broad degree title qualifies you for every counseling role.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Unlike the university's school-counseling degree, this program is explicitly directed toward clinical mental health counseling (University of Missouri-St. Louis). It suits applicants whose goal is a potential professional-counselor licensure pathway rather than school certification.
• Southeast Missouri State University, MA in School Counseling: Its school-specific MA offers a southeast-Missouri option for students who need to consider placement and travel near home (Southeast Missouri State University). Compare its certification alignment and available internship sites with programs in larger metro areas.
• Missouri Baptist University, MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This clinical degree offers a private-university option in the St. Louis area (Missouri Baptist University). Students comparing it with public programs should request a full net-cost estimate and confirm how the curriculum meets Missouri professional-counselor requirements.
• Covenant Theological Seminary, MA in Counseling: The seminary setting distinguishes this option for applicants who want counseling study in a theological learning environment (Covenant Theological Seminary). If clinical licensure is the goal, check the exact degree curriculum against Missouri's requirements rather than relying on the institution's religious orientation or the degree title.
• Evangel University, MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This is Evangel's clinical pathway, distinct from its school-counseling degree (Evangel University). It may fit applicants seeking that pathway in a Christian-university setting; verify clinical placement arrangements and licensure alignment before deciding.
• Missouri State University-Springfield, Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This option targets clinical practice rather than the university's school-counseling pathway (Missouri State University). For a southwest-Missouri applicant, the consequential comparison is whether its clinical placements and schedule are workable alongside employment.
• Evangel University, MS in School Counseling: This school-focused degree is the more relevant Evangel option for applicants pursuing student-support work rather than clinical mental health practice (Evangel University). Ask how its current curriculum and fieldwork connect to Missouri school counselor certification.

For a separate view of student interest - not career fit - compare Missouri's most popular counseling programs.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years of full-time study; part-time study can take longer. The schedule depends on required courses, when practicum and internship are offered, and whether you can complete supervised work while employed. Ask for a term-by-term plan, not just the school's advertised minimum time.

For a working professional, a faster finish is not automatically cheaper: an intensive placement may reduce paid work. Conversely, a longer part-time route may add fees or postpone eligibility for higher-responsibility roles. Compare both scenarios against your actual work and caregiving schedule.

An online format can reduce routine travel and make coursework easier to fit around work, but it does not eliminate in-person supervised training. A campus program may make face-to-face faculty contact and nearby placement coordination easier. Neither format is inherently better for licensure; curriculum, approved fieldwork, and state requirements are the deciding factors (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

If you live far from a campus, ask an online program whether it will approve a placement near you, who finds the site, and whether any campus visits are mandatory. If you expect to practice outside Missouri, check that state's requirements separately before enrolling. Treat "fully online" as a delivery description, not a guarantee that all training can be completed remotely.

There is no single verified Missouri-wide average price that accurately represents the total cost of these specific counseling degrees. Published graduate tuition and fees are useful starting points, but they may not include program charges, books, placement travel, insurance, or earnings lost during fieldwork. Public-university residency rules can also make the quoted price different for in-state and out-of-state students (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS; individual institutions).

Request each school's current cost per credit, required credits, mandatory fees, and estimated fieldwork expenses. Then compare the price after grants and scholarships with the time needed to finish. Missouri's most affordable counseling programs can help narrow the search, but the lowest tuition may not produce the lowest total cost for a student who must travel or reduce work hours.

Graduate applicants can submit the FAFSA to determine eligibility for federal aid and should ask programs about assistantships, institutional scholarships, employer tuition assistance, and payment plans. Availability and award conditions vary; check whether support continues during internship terms (Federal Student Aid; individual institutions).

Do not build a new 2027 borrowing plan around Graduate PLUS. Under federal changes effective July 2026, new graduate borrowers generally cannot take out Graduate PLUS loans. A limited transition applies to qualifying students who had a Direct Loan for the same program before July 1, 2026; those students should confirm their remaining eligibility and time limit with their aid office. Other federal graduate loan eligibility is subject to applicable limits (Federal Student Aid).

Master's applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the school's stated admission requirements. Programs may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, or an interview; prerequisites and any background-check rules differ by school and placement site (individual Missouri university admissions offices). A bachelor's in psychology can be useful, but do not assume it is required - or that it substitutes for graduate counseling coursework.

Before applying, ask whether your prior credits can transfer and whether accepted credits reduce tuition and time to completion. More importantly, ask the program to identify the Missouri license or certificate its curriculum is designed to support. A generic admission offer does not establish future credential eligibility.

Clinical counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theories, assessment, ethics, human development, group work, and supervised clinical practice. School programs add preparation for student development, school-based services, and work within education systems. Exact course titles and required content vary, so use the current catalog rather than a brief program description when checking Missouri credential requirements (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; individual university catalogs).

Pay particular attention to practicum and internship sequencing. If a required course is offered only in a particular term, missing it could delay placement and graduation; ask an adviser for the sequence before accepting an offer.

The main choice in this program set is school counseling versus clinical mental health counseling. Choose school counseling if the goal is serving students in an educational setting; choose clinical mental health if the goal is working toward the applicable professional-counselor credential. Rehabilitation, addiction, and marriage and family work are additional career interests, but a course or concentration name alone does not establish eligibility for a particular license or employer role (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Missouri professional licensing boards).

If you are unsure of the setting, compare required placements and the specific credential named by each program. A short certificate may add skills for someone already qualified, but it should not be treated as a substitute for a qualifying master's when that credential requires graduate education.

Start with the job you want, then work backward to its credential and an affordable program that can get you there. Rankings can identify options, but they cannot account for your existing earnings, placement commute, or ability to finish.

Use these checks before paying an enrollment deposit:

1. Verify the pathway: Ask the school which Missouri license or school certificate the degree is designed to support, and confirm current requirements with the responsible state agency.
2. Check accreditation precisely: Distinguish institutional accreditation and federal-aid eligibility from programmatic CACREP accreditation; ask whether programmatic recognition applies to the exact degree and track you would enter (CACREP; U.S. Department of Education).
3. Price the complete plan: Compare net tuition, fees, aid, placement travel, likely borrowing, and work hours you may lose - not the per-credit price alone.
4. Test completion risk: Request a course sequence, transfer-credit decision, placement policy, and recent program-level completion and examination outcomes where available.

A useful return-on-investment comparison includes your baseline and plausible post-degree earnings, debt, completion probability, time out of work, and the number of years over which you expect the credential to pay off. Missouri's most valuable counseling programs offer another comparison point, not a substitute for that personal calculation. A red flag is any program that promises licensure or a salary without explaining the additional requirements and uncertainty.

A school-counseling pathway can lead toward school counselor positions after the required Missouri certification steps. A clinical mental health pathway can lead toward supervised counseling work and, after meeting the applicable state requirements, potential professional licensure. Other roles may include substance-use treatment or community mental health positions, depending on employer requirements and training (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

These are not interchangeable endpoints. If you want independent clinical practice, ask specifically about post-degree supervision and examination steps. If you want a school job, confirm certification eligibility before choosing a clinically oriented degree.

National demand is strongest in the career categories represented by mental health and addiction counseling: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors over 2025-2035. That projection signals a growing national occupation, but it does not establish the number of openings in your Missouri community or guarantee a job after graduation.

For a local reality check, compare current postings in your intended part of the state. Note whether employers request provisional or full licensure, school certification, particular clinical experience, or evening availability. That exercise can reveal whether a nearby placement network - and not merely an online course schedule - is essential to your transition into the field.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential financial and professional decision. To make the ranking useful for comparison, the Research.com team evaluates reported outcomes, accreditation, eligibility for federal aid, and cost rather than relying on institutional reputation alone. Readers should still confirm current program details with each school; a ranking cannot determine whether a particular degree meets their intended licensing or certification requirements.

The Best ranking begins with a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score: program completion accounts for 40%, employment or doctoral admission for 20%, applicable licensure-exam pass rates for 20%, CACREP programmatic accreditation for 16%, and institutional Title IV eligibility for 4%. Inapplicable criteria are excluded and the remaining weights are adjusted. Program cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The method applies to online and on-campus programs alike; other Research.com counseling rankings order programs by the dimension named in each ranking.

The ranking draws on these sources to check institutional characteristics, outcomes, and costs:

• IPEDS database, for institution-reported education and cost data.
• Peterson's database, for program and institution information.
• College Scorecard database, for federal institution-level data and outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics, for federal education data and definitions.

This approach gives readers a starting point for comparing programs while keeping the final decision tied to career fit and personal cost. See Research.com's methodology for more information about how the ranking was created.

• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Iowa
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Nebraska
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Oklahoma
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Indiana
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota
• 2027 Best Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Minnesota

• 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/
• University of Missouri-St Louis - Master of Education in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.umsl.edu/degrees/masters/med-school-counseling.html
• Missouri State University-Springfield - M.S. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.missouristate.edu/SMHBS/Counseling/GradCounseling/school-counseling.htm
• University of Central Missouri - Master of Science in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.ucmo.edu/academics/programs/masters-degrees/coe/counseling-and-educational-leadership/counseling-ms/
• University of Missouri-St Louis - Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.umsl.edu/degrees/masters/med-clinical-mental-health-counseling.html
• Southeast Missouri State University - Master of Arts in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://semo.edu/academics/programs/education-health/graduate/ma-school-counseling