2027 Best Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Carolina

National wages provide a benchmark, not a North Carolina salary offer. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following May 2025 median annual wages for occupations that can align with counseling pathways. Each occupation includes workers with different credentials and levels of experience.

These are national occupational medians, not starting salaries or projected earnings for graduates of any listed school. For a local decision, compare current North Carolina job postings for your target credential and area with the debt you would need to take on.

The most useful distinction among these options is often their intended practice setting, not a broad claim of flexibility. The program-level comparisons below identify what each named pathway is designed to emphasize; confirm current delivery, credits, accreditation, and placement support with the school before applying.

• Gardner-Webb University - school counseling: Its dedicated school-counseling program is the relevant option for applicants focused on serving students in schools rather than providing clinical therapy. Ask how its field placements and educator-licensure preparation work for candidates already employed in a school (Gardner-Webb University).
• North Carolina Central University - career counseling MA: This named pathway centers career counseling rather than a clinical mental health or school counselor credential. It is worth comparing if your intended work is in career development; verify the qualifications for the specific jobs you want (North Carolina Central University).
• North Carolina Central University - school counseling MA: The school-specific MA gives applicants a distinct option from NCCU's career and clinical mental health degrees. Confirm its current alignment with North Carolina educator licensure and whether your preferred school district can host the required fieldwork (North Carolina Central University).
• North Carolina State University at Raleigh - clinical mental health counseling: NC State identifies this program through its online and distance education offerings, making its delivery model especially relevant to students who cannot commute regularly to Raleigh. Ask which activities remain synchronous or in person and how clinical sites are approved (NC State University).
• East Carolina University - counselor education MS: ECU presents counselor education as an MS degree, so applicants should establish which available concentration and delivery arrangement match their intended credential. A general degree title is not enough to confirm clinical or school licensure fit (East Carolina University).
• North Carolina Central University - clinical mental health counseling MA: This is NCCU's named clinical mental health route, rather than its career- or school-counseling route. It is the pertinent option to investigate if North Carolina clinical licensure is your goal; request its current curriculum-to-board requirements comparison (North Carolina Central University).
• North Carolina State University at Raleigh - college counseling and student development: The program explicitly focuses on college counseling and student development, distinguishing its intended setting from NC State's clinical mental health offering. It merits attention for higher-education student-support careers, but applicants seeking independent therapy practice should check licensure eligibility separately (NC State University).
• Gardner-Webb University - clinical mental health counseling: Gardner-Webb offers a separately named clinical mental health pathway alongside school counseling. Choose between them based on the credential and population you intend to serve, then confirm clinical placement arrangements where you live (Gardner-Webb University).
• East Carolina University - counselor education department: ECU's counselor education department is a useful place to verify the current relationship between its degree, available specialties, and field training. That matters if a program listing alone does not clarify which curriculum supports your target credential (East Carolina University).
• Catawba College - clinical mental health counseling: Catawba identifies a clinical mental health counseling program, making it a potential comparison for applicants pursuing clinical practice rather than school or college advising. Request its current accreditation status, delivery schedule, and approved-site rules before comparing its cost with other clinical options (Catawba College).

A program name is a starting point, not verification that all requirements can be completed remotely or that the degree satisfies a particular board. Request a written, current answer to both questions from each finalist.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two years of full-time study; part-time enrollment can extend it to three years or longer. The decisive constraint is often the sequence of supervised training, which may not be available every term or at a site convenient to you. Schools' published timelines may assume a particular course load and a placement secured on schedule.

If speed matters, compare the fastest counseling programs, but ask when practica and internships begin and whether summer terms are required. An accelerated calendar helps only if you can meet its weekly course and fieldwork demands without jeopardizing completion.

The credential goal and supervised practice matter more than the classroom location. The comparison below shows where format can change a North Carolina student's day-to-day experience.

Neither format by itself establishes licensure eligibility. For an online program based outside North Carolina, ask the school for written confirmation of how its curriculum and fieldwork align with the North Carolina credential you intend to pursue (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction).

There is no single reliable price for an online counseling master's across North Carolina: schools differ in required credits, per-credit tuition, fees, residency rules, and how they charge for online study. An institution-wide graduate tuition average from NCES/IPEDS is useful background, but it is not the total price of a particular counseling program.

To compare offers, request a term-by-term estimate covering tuition, mandatory and online fees, travel for any campus requirements, clinical-site expenses, and likely time to completion. Public universities may charge different rates by residency or delivery category; do not assume "online" means in-state tuition. Start with the most affordable counseling programs, then compare each finalist's full estimated cost rather than its advertised per-credit rate.

Start with the FAFSA and each school's graduate aid office. Eligible students may have access to federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, or employer tuition assistance; availability depends on the program, enrollment, and individual circumstances (Federal Student Aid; U.S. Department of Education). Ask whether assistantships require on-campus work that an online student cannot do.

Check borrowing rules before relying on Graduate PLUS. Under rules taking effect for new graduate borrowing from July 2026, new graduate students generally cannot use Graduate PLUS; limited transition provisions may apply to some continuing borrowers. Ask the aid office to confirm your eligibility under current Federal Student Aid rules before treating that loan as a funding source. Reducing borrowing through aid or a manageable study schedule can matter more than a small difference in sticker tuition.

Programs typically require a bachelor's degree and may request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. They may also specify prerequisite coursework or experience; confirm these with the admissions office rather than assuming that an unrelated undergraduate major rules you out. If admission requirements are a concern, the easiest counseling programs can help identify options to investigate, but admission accessibility should not outweigh credential fit.

Before paying an application fee, ask whether your intended track admits online students where you live, whether previously earned graduate credits may transfer, and whether transfer credits can replace required counseling or fieldwork courses. Admission to a degree is separate from later approval for licensure (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction).

Common subjects include counseling skills, human development, group counseling, assessment, research, ethics, and cultural responsiveness. Clinical mental health tracks typically emphasize diagnosis and treatment planning; school tracks emphasize student development and the school setting; career-focused tracks emphasize career development and advising. Practicum and internship courses turn classroom skills into supervised work with the population a student plans to serve.

Course names alone can be misleading. Ask the program to map its required courses and supervised experiences - not just its electives - to the current requirements of the North Carolina licensing authority for your goal.

The programs considered here illustrate four materially different directions: clinical mental health, school, career, and college counseling or student development. Other interests, such as addiction or rehabilitation counseling, may be addressed through a dedicated program, coursework, or later training; do not assume a concentration exists or confers an additional credential without checking the catalog and relevant board.

Choose the specialization by working backward from the job. Someone seeking independent clinical practice should prioritize a clinical pathway and verify state-board fit. Someone committed to public-school counseling should prioritize educator-licensure alignment. A career or college counseling degree may fit advising work better than either, but it should not be treated as interchangeable with a clinical license (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction).

First identify the job and credential you want. Then compare only programs that can plausibly support that goal. For clinical licensure, check current requirements with the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; for public-school counseling, check the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Verify institutional accreditation and any claimed programmatic CACREP accreditation with the institution and accreditor, rather than assuming one type of accreditation substitutes for another (U.S. Department of Education; CACREP).

A useful shortlist test is to ask each program the same questions and keep its written answers:

• Which North Carolina credential is this specific track designed to support, and what requirements remain after graduation?
• Are online students responsible for finding field sites and supervisors, and are placements available near my home?
• What is my estimated total cost and completion schedule, including required visits and fieldwork?
• What are the current transfer-credit rules, completion outcomes, and applicable licensure exam results for this program?

Finally, compare value rather than price alone. A personal return-on-investment estimate should consider aid, likely debt, time away from work, completion probability, current earnings, plausible earnings after the credential, and how long you expect to work in the field. The most valuable counseling programs can inform a shortlist, but a less expensive degree that misses your required credential may be the costlier choice.

Possible paths include supervised clinical practice leading toward licensed clinical mental health counseling, school counseling after meeting educator-licensure requirements, and career or college advising where the employer accepts the degree. Clinical graduates may also pursue specialized settings such as substance-use services, subject to the qualifications for the role (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The degree is most likely to be a worthwhile investment when its track clearly matches the work you want and its supervised-training schedule fits your life. If your goal is general student advising rather than clinical or school practice, compare job requirements before committing to a licensure-oriented curriculum. Conversely, a short certificate or general advising degree is not a substitute for a required counseling master's and subsequent licensure steps.

National projections point to different levels of demand by specialty. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035. That suggests a comparatively strong national outlook for clinical and addiction-related work, but it does not establish the number of openings in a particular North Carolina community or guarantee a position after graduation.

Check current openings in the part of the state where you intend to live, noting whether employers request a provisional credential, full licensure, school certification, or experience. That distinction is especially important for career changers: the first job available after graduation may differ from the independently licensed role they ultimately want.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, so Research.com designed its ranking to help readers evaluate evidence beyond program descriptions. The team examines graduate outcomes, licensure exam results where applicable, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost, while accounting for criteria that do not apply to every program.

The Best ranking first 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 adjusted when a criterion does not apply. Program cost contributes a smaller component - about 7% of the final score. The approach is the same for online and on-campus programs; rankings focused on another dimension order programs by that dimension. These measures help readers make comparisons, but they cannot replace checking a program's current licensure fit or personal cost.

Research.com used the following sources to support the ranking and cross-check program information:

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

Readers can use the ranking to build a shortlist, then verify details directly with each school and the appropriate licensing authority. See Research.com's methodology for more information about how 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/
• O*NET OnLine - Mental Health Counselors (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• Gardner-Webb University - Master of Arts in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://gardner-webb.edu/programs/school-counseling/
• North Carolina Central University - Career Counseling, MA
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.nccu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/career-counseling-ma
• North Carolina Central University - School Counseling, MA
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.nccu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/school-counseling-ma
• North Carolina State University at Raleigh - M. Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://online-distance.ncsu.edu/program/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• East Carolina University - Master of Science in Counselor Education
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://degrees.ecu.edu/degree/counselor-education-ms/