2027 Most Affordable Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Louisiana

Pay depends on occupation, setting, experience, and credential. The figures below are U.S. occupational medians, not Louisiana starting salaries or earnings promised by a degree. They are BLS May 2025 wage figures paired with 2025-2035 national projections, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups some specialties within broader occupations, so these figures are best used to compare career directions, not specific Louisiana programs. For a personal affordability calculation, compare likely local job offers with your current pay and expected debt; do not apply a national median as an automatic post-graduation raise.

The strongest distinction is often the kind of counselor a program prepares, rather than a general claim about hands-on learning. The program-specific directions below show why applicants should compare curriculum and credential fit before price; schools should confirm current requirements and outcomes before enrollment.

• Nicholls State University - clinical mental health counseling: Its named clinical mental health pathway gives applicants a focused option outside the New Orleans program cluster. It is particularly worth investigating for students who want that specialty and need to compare travel and field-placement logistics from south Louisiana communities. Source: Nicholls State University, clinical mental health counseling program.
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - mental health counseling: This program sits within a seminary, making the relationship between counseling preparation and theological education a meaningful point of comparison with secular university programs. Applicants should inspect the required curriculum and ask how it matches the credential they intend to seek. Source: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, graduate catalog.
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - marriage and family counseling: The separately identified marriage and family degree offers a more relationship-focused choice than its mental health degree. Students interested in couples and family work should verify which Louisiana license the curriculum is designed to support rather than assume the two degrees are interchangeable. Source: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, graduate catalog.
• Xavier University of Louisiana - graduate education and counseling options: Xavier presents counseling in a graduate-school context alongside education, an important distinction for applicants weighing school-based and other counseling goals. Ask the university to identify the exact degree and credential pathway attached to the option under consideration. Source: Xavier University of Louisiana, graduate education and counseling program information.
• Xavier University of Louisiana - catalog-listed counseling program: The individual catalog entry is the place to check the formal curriculum rather than relying on a graduate-school overview. This matters when comparing required courses, fieldwork, and eligibility with another program carrying a similar title. Source: Xavier University of Louisiana, graduate catalog.
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans - clinical rehabilitation counseling: Its clinical rehabilitation counseling focus distinguishes it from general mental health tracks by centering a rehabilitation-oriented career direction. It merits closer review for applicants interested in disability-related services and health-care settings. Source: LSU Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, clinical rehabilitation counseling program.
• Loyola University New Orleans - marriage, couple, and family counseling: The named couples-and-family pathway offers a direct curriculum comparison with Loyola's clinical mental health option. Choose between them based on intended clients and license requirements, not the assumption that either specialty covers every counseling role. Source: Loyola University New Orleans, marriage, couple, and family counseling program.
• Loyola University New Orleans - clinical mental health counseling: This distinct clinical mental health pathway is the more direct Loyola option to investigate for broad mental health practice. Compare its required training and intended credential with the university's relationship-focused pathway before deciding that the programs are substitutes. Source: Loyola University New Orleans, clinical mental health counseling program.

Published program descriptions do not establish that every graduate secures a placement or license. Request the current catalog, total required credits and field hours, recent completion information, and written confirmation of the program's intended Louisiana credential.

A bachelor's degree typically takes about four years of full-time study. A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years full time; part-time study can take roughly three to four years or longer, depending on course rotation and placement availability. A doctorate generally requires additional years beyond a master's and is not the default requirement for entry into many counseling roles.

Ask for a term-by-term plan that includes practicum, internship, and any summer courses. A compressed classroom schedule is not necessarily an accelerated route to practice: supervised post-degree experience and examinations may still stand between graduation and independent licensure under Louisiana board rules.

Online study can reduce commuting and make coursework easier to fit around employment; campus study may make scheduled interaction and local placement coordination simpler. Neither delivery format replaces supervised clinical training or changes Louisiana's credential requirements. The decisive question is whether the specific program can support approved fieldwork where you live and meet the requirements for your intended license.

Before choosing online study, ask whether classes meet live, where residencies occur, who finds placements, and whether the program accepts students intending to practice in Louisiana. Before choosing a campus program, calculate commuting and reduced work hours. A cheaper tuition rate can lose its advantage if the required schedule substantially cuts earnings.

There is no single reliable price for "a counseling degree": undergraduate and graduate tuition, residency status, required credits, and institutional fees differ. NCES IPEDS reports institutional prices, but an institution-wide average is not a verified price for a particular counseling program. Compare each school's current published charges for the exact degree and enrollment plan rather than applying an unrelated national average.

For a usable comparison, estimate total cost to completion: tuition for every required credit, mandatory fees, books, travel to placements, any residency visits, and living expenses. Include lost wages if fieldwork reduces paid hours. Louisiana public-university resident pricing may make a program attractive to eligible residents, but compare the final aid-adjusted total - not public versus private or nonprofit status alone. The most valuable counseling programs provide another lens when weighing price against outcomes.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each school's graduate funding office. Eligible graduate students may qualify for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans; assistantships, institutional scholarships, employer tuition assistance, and placement-related stipends depend on the program. Federal Pell Grants and Louisiana's undergraduate-focused awards should not be assumed to cover a counseling master's. Sources: Federal Student Aid; Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Federal graduate borrowing rules have changed for new borrowers, including the availability of Graduate PLUS; limited exceptions may depend on a student's existing borrowing and program status. Before accepting an offer, ask the aid office to document your eligibility and loan limits under the rules applying to your enrollment period. Compare grants first, then the amount you would actually need to borrow after accounting for fieldwork-related income changes. Source: Federal Student Aid.

Master's applicants generally need an accredited bachelor's degree and must meet the school's stated application requirements, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Programs can differ on prerequisite coursework and whether a psychology or related undergraduate major is expected; use the current program catalog rather than assuming a statewide admissions standard. Sources: Louisiana counseling program catalogs.

Admission is separate from licensure eligibility. For a clinical pathway, verify the curriculum against the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners' education rules; then check its supervised-experience and examination requirements. For school counseling, check the Louisiana Department of Education's certification pathway. If you may practice outside Louisiana, check that state's rules too. Sources: Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners; Louisiana Department of Education.

Graduate counseling curricula commonly address counseling skills, human development, assessment, ethics, research, group work, multicultural counseling, and supervised practicum and internship. Clinical mental health students should look for training relevant to assessment and treatment; school counseling students should look for coursework and placements suited to student services. Exact course titles and required credits are program-specific.

A practical comparison is to put two catalogs side by side and mark the courses and field experiences required for your target credential. Treat missing or unclear supervised-training requirements as a question for the program director, not as proof that a shorter degree offers an easier route to licensure.

Options represented among Louisiana programs include clinical mental health, school counseling, marriage and family counseling, and clinical rehabilitation counseling. Addiction-focused training may appear as a specialization or within broader clinical preparation. The specialization matters because client populations, placements, and credential pathways can differ even when programs share core counseling courses.

Choose clinical mental health if your goal is broad mental health practice and the program meets the relevant board requirements. Choose school counseling for an education-setting goal, relationship-focused study for couples and families, or rehabilitation counseling for disability-related services. Do not select a concentration solely because it sounds versatile: ask which credential it supports and whether a change of specialty later would require additional coursework or supervised experience.

Begin with the credential you need, then shortlist programs that can credibly lead toward it. A best counseling programs comparison can help organize options, but its order cannot replace checking your own licensure fit, net price, and placement access.

Use these checks before paying an application deposit:

1. Confirm the destination: Identify the job and Louisiana license or certification you intend to pursue; ask the school to identify the corresponding degree track.
2. Verify recognition and requirements: Check institutional accreditation and any claimed CACREP programmatic status with the accreditor, and compare coursework and fieldwork with the relevant Louisiana authority. Accreditation, graduation, examination, and licensure are distinct steps.
3. Get a written completion plan: Request total credits, expected terms, placement responsibilities, schedule constraints, and policies on transferring prior graduate credits.
4. Compare net investment: Calculate aid-adjusted program cost, likely debt, foregone income, and the time until you could qualify for your intended role; consider your current earnings and the uncertainty of future pay.
5. Test the evidence: Ask for recent, program-specific completion and licensure-exam results where available, including the reporting period and number of students represented.

A major red flag is a school claiming its degree "leads to licensure" without specifying the state, license, fieldwork, and post-degree steps. Another is an attractive per-credit price without a full estimate for all required terms.

Career paths include licensed professional counseling, school counseling, marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation counseling, and substance-use treatment work. A bachelor's graduate may pursue related support positions while preparing for graduate study, but should check each job's credential rules. Graduate students should use their intended role to choose placements: school-based experience is not automatically a substitute for clinical training, or vice versa.

For a career change, compare the new role with the one you already hold. A worthwhile return depends on more than a headline salary: factor in program duration, completion likelihood, aid, debt, foregone wages, expected earnings over time, and the value of those future earnings relative to costs today. A degree may be professionally worthwhile without producing an immediate pay increase.

National demand provides context, not a Louisiana job guarantee. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% growth for the occupation encompassing mental health and addiction counseling from 2025 to 2035, substantially stronger than its 3% projection for school counseling. Those are different labor markets: the faster-growing occupation is not automatically the better choice for someone who wants to work in schools. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025-2035.

For a local decision, search current openings in the Louisiana parishes where you could work and record the licenses, experience, schedules, and supervision employers request. Compare those requirements with each program's field placements. This is especially important if you cannot relocate: statewide or national growth can conceal limited openings near home.

Research.com created the ranking because investing in education is a consequential financial and career decision. Its team evaluates program costs alongside evidence about completion, graduate outcomes, licensure exam performance where applicable, accreditation, and federal aid eligibility. The aim is to help readers identify affordable options without treating a low advertised price as the whole story.

The team used these data sources to build and check the ranking:

• IPEDS database: institutional reporting on programs, enrollment, completion, and prices.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used in comparisons.
• College Scorecard database: federal information on institutions and student outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions.

The broader counseling ranking framework scores graduate outcomes and accreditation first: completion carries 40% of that component, employment or doctoral admission 20%, applicable licensure exam results 20%, CACREP programmatic accreditation 16%, and Title IV eligibility 4%. In the Best ranking, program cost contributes about 7% of the final score; criteria that do not apply are reweighted. Other rankings order programs by the dimension named in their titles. These measures help narrow a shortlist, but applicants should confirm current prices and licensure fit directly with each school. See Research.com's methodology for further detail.

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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
• Nicholls State University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.nicholls.edu/education/graduate-programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling-mcmh/
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Counseling (Specialization in Clinical Mental Health)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.nobts.edu/graduate/masters/degrees/arts/mentalhealthcounseling
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Counseling (Specialization in Marriage and Family)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.nobts.edu/graduate/masters/degrees/arts/marriagefamilycounseling
• Xavier University of Louisiana - M.A. in Counseling - Professional School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.xula.edu/graduateschool/masterineducationandcounseling.html
• Xavier University of Louisiana - Counseling, M.A.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.xula.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=30&poid=6595