2027 Most Affordable Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Des Moines

There is no single salary attached to a counseling master's. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 national median annual wage of $59,350 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. That is a midpoint for employed workers across experience levels and locations - not an entry-level offer or a Des Moines wage.

Specialization changes the comparison: BLS reports a May 2025 national median of $46,850 for rehabilitation counselors. A prospective student weighing clinical and rehabilitation programs should compare the work itself and likely employers alongside pay, rather than assume the two degrees lead to the same jobs or earnings. Request recent, clearly defined graduate employment results from each school; do not treat national occupational medians as program outcomes.

The Des Moines options differ most clearly by professional direction and institution, not by an independently verified claim that one guarantees better outcomes. These program-specific distinctions can help you decide which admissions office to question first (Drake University; Grand View University).

• Drake University - clinical mental health counseling: This is Drake's clinical mental health route, rather than its rehabilitation counseling route. It is the closer starting point for applicants interested in mental health treatment; confirm the current curriculum, placement arrangements, and Iowa licensure alignment with Drake.
• Drake University - rehabilitation counseling: Its explicit rehabilitation focus distinguishes it from the two clinical mental health options. Applicants interested in disability-related counseling and vocational services should ask which credentials its curriculum supports and where students complete supervised experience.
• Grand View University - M.S. in clinical mental health counseling: This offers a clinical mental health master's at a different Des Moines institution from Drake. For students comparing the two clinical routes, the decisive evidence will be each school's current total price, schedule, supervised-placement support, and documented outcomes - not the degree title alone.

Published program details can change. Ask each school for a current degree plan and written cost estimate before comparing these options on credits, completion time, or price.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years of full-time study; part-time enrollment can take longer. The actual schedule depends on required coursework, course rotation, and when supervised placements are available. A shorter advertised timeline may be unsuitable if it conflicts with work or caregiving responsibilities (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; institution program requirements).

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when practicum and internship occur. Compare that plan with your expected earnings while enrolled: finishing sooner may reduce living expenses, but only if the schedule remains manageable enough to complete.

Online coursework can reduce commuting and make study more workable for employed Des Moines residents. Campus instruction offers scheduled face-to-face contact, but either format still requires supervised practice; "online" does not mean clinical training happens entirely from home. Placement location, approved supervisors, and any required campus visits can substantially change the real cost and convenience (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Iowa Board of Behavioral Science).

Choose by delivery requirements, not the format label. Ask whether the school arranges Iowa placements or expects you to find one, and verify credential eligibility if you may later practice outside Iowa. You can compare broader best counseling programs criteria alongside the affordability ranking.

A reliable Des Moines-wide average for these specific counseling master's programs is not established here. NCES/IPEDS institutional graduate tuition figures are useful context, but they do not necessarily equal a counseling program's complete price. Without comparable current program-level estimates, presenting a city average could mislead students (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

For an actionable comparison, obtain each school's current tuition calculation for the entire required degree. Add mandatory fees, books, travel to placement sites, and living expenses during any period when fieldwork limits paid employment. Subtract grants or employer assistance, then compare likely borrowing - not just sticker tuition. The most valuable counseling programs ranking offers another lens, but your net cost and intended credential should remain central.

Start with each university's graduate scholarships or assistantships, employer tuition assistance, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Eligible graduate students may qualify for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans; grants commonly available to undergraduates should not be assumed available for a master's degree (Federal Student Aid).

Graduate PLUS rules are especially important for a 2027 applicant. New graduate borrowers beginning after July 1, 2026, generally cannot rely on Graduate PLUS loans; transitional eligibility may apply to certain students who borrowed for the same program before that date. Ask the financial aid office to assess your individual eligibility and remaining funding gap under current Federal Student Aid rules. Do not commit to a program on the assumption that loans will cover every expense.

Expect to document a bachelor's degree and submit the materials each program currently requests, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Psychology or human-services experience can strengthen an application, but do not assume a particular undergraduate major is required without checking the school's published criteria (Drake University; Grand View University).

Admissions eligibility and professional eligibility are different. Before applying, send the program your intended Iowa credential and ask how its curriculum, accreditation status, and fieldwork satisfy the relevant board's education requirements. Also ask whether prior graduate coursework can transfer and whether transferred credits affect the fieldwork sequence (Iowa Board of Behavioral Science; Iowa Board of Educational Examiners).

Clinical mental health study commonly covers counseling theories, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, group work, research, and supervised practicum and internship. Rehabilitation-focused study places greater emphasis on disability, vocational assessment, and career-related support. Exact titles and requirements vary by program and applicable credential standards (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Drake University; Grand View University).

Read the course sequence rather than counting appealing electives. A program may offer relevant classes yet schedule a required course or placement at a time you cannot attend; that can delay graduation and increase total cost.

The clearest local comparison among the programs discussed here is clinical mental health counseling versus rehabilitation counseling. The former aligns with interest in mental health assessment and treatment; the latter aligns with disability and employment-related services (Drake University; Grand View University). Neither label should be treated as automatic authorization to practice.

If your goal is addiction treatment, school counseling, or marriage and family therapy, ask whether a specific curriculum and supervised experience meet that occupation's requirements. Choosing a broadly relevant degree and planning to "add" a credential later can require substantial additional coursework or training (Iowa Board of Behavioral Science; Iowa Board of Educational Examiners).

Begin with the job and credential, then compare programs that can plausibly lead there. A low price loses its advantage if the curriculum does not fit your goal or placement logistics delay completion. Use the affordability ranking as a shortlist and examine the most popular counseling programs only as another perspective - not as evidence of personal fit.

Before paying an enrollment deposit, get written answers to these questions:

1. Which Iowa credential is this exact degree designed to support, and which requirements remain after graduation?
2. What is my estimated total cost through completion after confirmed aid, including fees and placement-related expenses?
3. Who finds and approves supervised placements, and can they be completed near my home or workplace?
4. What do recent program-level completion, exam, and employment results measure, and for which graduating cohort?

Compare the answers on the same basis. Common red flags include an unclear licensure explanation, a tuition quote that omits required terms or fees, and an online program that cannot explain how you will complete fieldwork.

Clinical mental health graduates may pursue supervised post-degree practice toward eligible counseling roles; rehabilitation graduates may pursue disability and vocational-service work. Other counseling occupations have distinct education or credential requirements. Iowa licensure is a separate process involving the applicable board's review of education and other requirements, potentially including examination and supervised experience; graduation alone does not confer a license (Iowa Board of Behavioral Science; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

For career changers, compare the jobs available before independent licensure with the jobs you hope to hold afterward. Ask employers whether they hire graduates completing supervision and whether they provide qualified supervision; that answer can matter as much as a program's classroom schedule.

National demand is strongest in the broad BLS category covering substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: employment is projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035. This supports investigating clinical mental health and addiction-related work, but it does not measure vacancies in Des Moines or guarantee a local placement or job (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

Test local demand before borrowing: review recent Des Moines-area postings for your intended role, note the requested license and experience, and ask programs where their recent graduates obtained supervised positions. A national growth projection is most useful when paired with evidence that local employers hire people at your anticipated credential stage.

Education is a consequential investment, so Research.com evaluates more than an advertised tuition rate. Its counseling rankings consider graduate completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam results, CACREP programmatic accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost. The affordability ranking emphasizes cost; readers should still examine the other measures before treating a lower price as better value.

For its Best ranking, Research.com combines completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure-exam results (20%), CACREP accreditation (16%), and Title IV eligibility (4%), renormalizing when a measure does not apply. Cost contributes about 7% of the final Best score. The same approach applies to online and campus programs. To support the quality, credibility, and accuracy of its rankings, the team draws on these sources:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completions, and reported costs.
• 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.

These measures help narrow a shortlist, not predict an individual student's outcome. For more detail, see Research.com's methodology. Confirm current prices, accreditation, and Iowa credential eligibility directly with each program before enrolling.

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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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Drake University - M.S. in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.drake.edu/degree-programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling
• Drake University - MS in Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.drake.edu/degree-programs/rehabilitation-counseling
• Grand View University - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.grandview.edu/academics/programs/ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling