2027 Fastest Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

As a national benchmark, the 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 median describes workers across experience levels and locations - not starting pay, South Dakota wages, or the expected return on a particular degree.

School and career counselors and advisors had a separate national median of $64,330 in May 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Comparing these figures as though they were offers from local employers would be a mistake. For a personal estimate, check current openings for your intended credential and location, then compare likely pay with your present earnings, borrowing, and time out of work.

Program titles reveal an important difference in emphasis, but they do not establish which option finishes fastest. These school-specific distinctions help identify which details to verify before applying:

• Northern State University: Its counseling master's is presented as a counseling degree rather than in the title of one clinical specialization (Northern State University, counseling master's program page). Students comparing career directions should obtain the current track-specific course plan and ask which tracks, if any, can be completed online on their intended timeline.
• South Dakota State University: Its named M.S. option is Clinical Mental Health Counseling within Counseling and Human Resource Development (South Dakota State University, program page). That explicit clinical focus makes it the more direct option to investigate for a mental health counseling goal; confirm its current delivery format, supervised-placement rules, and South Dakota licensure alignment before treating it as an online or accelerated choice.

Neither a degree title nor a ranking position substitutes for a current catalog, a written completion schedule, and guidance from the relevant licensing authority.

A full-time, licensure-oriented counseling master's typically takes about 2-3 years; part-time study generally takes longer. The important distinction in a "fastest" comparison is elapsed time to graduation, not how quickly online lectures can be watched. Required courses may run only in certain terms, and supervised placements must fit the program calendar.

Ask for the earliest feasible graduation date for your entry term and credit load. Then ask whether that date assumes summer enrollment, a prearranged field site, or a specific course sequence. A shorter advertised schedule is less useful if you would need to reduce paid work or cannot secure the required supervision locally.

Online study can make regular coursework more accessible to South Dakota residents far from campus. On-campus study may simplify access to scheduled in-person activities and nearby placement networks. Neither format removes the need for supervised experience in a practice-oriented degree; delivery format alone also does not determine licensure eligibility (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Compare the actual attendance rules, not the "online" label. Ask about live class times, campus visits, skills intensives, internship geography, and whether the school will approve a supervisor in your community. A campus program may be quicker for someone who can use its established placement network; an online option may be more workable for someone who cannot relocate.

There is no single statewide average that reliably describes the full price of the specific online, licensure-oriented counseling programs a student might compare. Published tuition can omit required fees, books, travel to campus activities, and costs associated with completing an internship. Institutional tuition averages also need not equal a particular graduate program's price (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Request a current, program-specific estimate through graduation that identifies tuition by residency and delivery status, mandatory fees, expected course load, and any summer terms. Then compare that estimate - not a per-credit headline - with the most affordable counseling programs. A shorter program can lower living costs, but only if its schedule does not create an unaffordable loss of income.

Eligible students in qualifying graduate programs may use federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans; institutional scholarships, assistantships, and employer tuition assistance are also worth checking. Submit the FAFSA and ask the financial aid office which awards apply to your exact program and enrollment status (Federal Student Aid; U.S. Department of Education). Do not assume that an online format or a shorter schedule automatically increases eligibility.

Graduate PLUS availability changed for new graduate borrowers beginning July 2026; limited transition eligibility may apply to qualifying continuing borrowers (Federal Student Aid). If borrowing affects your decision, ask the aid office to confirm your eligibility under the rules for your start date and show a term-by-term funding plan. Also ask whether a reduced course load or clinical placement would change your aid.

A counseling master's normally calls for a bachelor's degree and an application review, but prerequisite courses, GPA rules, references, interviews, and background checks vary by program. A bachelor's in psychology may be helpful without necessarily being required; rely on the institution's current admissions requirements, not assumptions based on a program title (Northern State University; South Dakota State University).

If admission requirements are the immediate obstacle, the easiest counseling programs offer another comparison point. "Easier to enter" should never replace a check of credential alignment. Applicants with prior graduate coursework should also request a transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling: accepted credits may not replace sequenced clinical courses or supervised fieldwork.

Expect coursework in counseling theories, helping skills, assessment, ethics, research, and work with clients or students from varied backgrounds, followed by supervised practice. Clinical mental health curricula emphasize clinical assessment and treatment; school counseling curricula focus more directly on services in educational settings. The current catalog and fieldwork handbook - not a general course list - show what an individual program requires (Northern State University; South Dakota State University).

Look closely at when skills courses and placements begin. If the internship cannot start until prerequisites are finished, taking more online courses in an earlier term may not shorten graduation. Ask which courses are offered every term and whether any must be taken in person.

The most consequential distinction is between clinical mental health and school counseling because the intended workplaces and South Dakota credential pathways differ. Addiction-focused coursework can be relevant to treatment settings, but a concentration name alone does not establish eligibility for a separate professional credential (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

Choose the credential goal first and the specialization second. If you are undecided, ask whether changing tracks would add courses or delay fieldwork; do not assume electives can convert one qualifying degree path into another.

Start with the job and state credential you want, then compare programs that plausibly lead there. Institutional accreditation, programmatic CACREP status, federal aid eligibility, and state licensure requirements are separate checks; one does not prove the others (U.S. Department of Education; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists). Ask the program and the relevant state authority to clarify any uncertain requirement before paying a deposit.

For each viable option, request the same documents: a term-by-term plan, complete cost estimate, placement handbook, and written explanation of credential preparation. Compare completion probability and the ability to keep working alongside tuition and likely debt. The most valuable counseling programs can help frame that comparison, but your return on investment also depends on baseline earnings, post-degree opportunities, financial aid, time to completion, and how far into the future you expect benefits.

A qualifying master's can be a step toward clinical counseling or school counseling, subject to the applicable state credential requirements. Clinical graduates may seek supervised roles before qualifying for independent practice; school-focused graduates should verify educator credential requirements separately (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education). Graduation itself is not a license.

The degree is a stronger investment for someone committed to the required supervised work and a defined counseling role. If your goal is a nonclinical support position or a discrete skill for an existing job, compare job postings and consider whether a shorter credential would meet the employer's requirements without the time and cost of a licensure-oriented master's.

National employment for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). That suggests substantial demand for the occupation nationally, but it does not establish the number of openings in a particular South Dakota community or guarantee a new graduate a position.

Use current local job postings to identify the credentials employers actually request, and discuss hiring relationships with potential internship sites. For a student in a smaller community, the availability of a supervisor and a suitable first job may matter more than the national growth rate. Telehealth can widen service delivery, but practicing across state lines requires attention to the rules that apply where the client is located (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, especially when a shorter timeline could affect cost, work hours, and clinical training. Research.com evaluates program information and checks multiple education datasets to make its rankings more useful and credible. The fastest-program ranking focuses on the dimension named in its title; readers should still assess whether a program's pace works alongside its licensure preparation and total cost.

Research.com's broader counseling ranking methodology considers graduate outcomes, accreditation, and cost. Its 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%). Inapplicable criteria are renormalized; cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs, while other rankings order programs by their named dimension. The following sources inform the rankings:

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

A ranking narrows the search; it cannot confirm that a particular course sequence, internship site, or credential meets your needs. See Research.com's methodology for more on how the rankings are created, then confirm current program details with each university.

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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
• 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