2027 Most Affordable Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas

Pay depends on occupation, credential, employer, experience, and location. These U.S. occupational medians provide career context, not Kansas starting salaries or promised outcomes. The figures refer to May 2025 wages published in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Do not treat the highest median as the best financial choice. Compare it with your current earnings, the time you would spend studying, likely borrowing, and the kind of work you actually want to do.

Program names can conceal important differences in career direction. The following highlights distinguish the published options by their stated focus; confirm current credits, tuition, fieldwork, and credential alignment directly with each university before applying. You can also compare the broader set of best counseling programs when outcomes and fit matter more to you than price alone.

• Emporia State University - clinical counseling with addictions counseling: This option identifies addictions as its clinical focus rather than treating substance-use work as a general elective interest. It merits a closer look if that population is central to your plans; ask how the coursework maps to the Kansas credential you want (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - clinical counseling concentrations: Its concentrations give applicants a way to compare clinical interests within the university's counseling offerings. Review the requirements of the particular concentration, rather than assuming every concentration prepares students for the same credential (Emporia State University).
• Wichita State University - M. Ed. counseling, clinical mental health track: The clinical mental health track sits within a Master of Education in counseling. That degree title alone neither establishes nor rules out clinical license eligibility; examine the track's course and supervised-training requirements against Kansas BSRB rules (Wichita State University; Kansas BSRB).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - clinical mental health counseling: This is the university's clinical mental health option, distinct from its family-focused and school-focused counseling options. Compare its placement arrangements and total charges with other clinical programs if your goal is professional counseling practice (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - marriage, couple, and family counseling: Its explicit family and relationship focus is the relevant distinction for applicants interested in that practice area. Confirm which Kansas license the curriculum is designed to support rather than assuming it follows the clinical mental health route (MidAmerica Nazarene University; Kansas BSRB).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - school counseling plus: This named school-counseling option is the one to investigate if your goal is work in schools rather than clinical practice. Ask what "plus" adds, which field placements are required, and how the program aligns with KSDE licensing rules (MidAmerica Nazarene University; KSDE).

Plan on roughly two to three years for a typical full-time counseling master's, with part-time study usually taking longer. CACREP-accredited entry-level programs require at least 60 semester credits, and the timing of practicum and internship can limit how much a student can accelerate, even if classroom courses are available year-round (CACREP).

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when fieldwork begins and whether required courses are offered every term. For a working professional, a slower schedule may preserve income; a faster schedule may reduce the time before a career change but make employment during clinical training harder.

Online delivery changes where you take classes, not the need for supervised, approved field training. It can make study more practical for someone far from campus, but only if the program can support placements near home and its coursework meets the requirements of the state where the student intends to seek a credential (CACREP; Kansas BSRB; KSDE).

On-campus study may make scheduled classes and campus-based relationships easier to manage, while requiring travel or relocation. Before favoring either format, ask who finds field sites, how supervision works, and whether any campus visits are mandatory. The most popular counseling programs offer another comparison point, but enrollment interest is not evidence of lower cost or license eligibility.

There is no single reliable price for a Kansas counseling master's: universities may publish graduate tuition by credit, while required credits, fees, residency classification, and placement-related expenses differ. NCES/IPEDS institutional tuition figures are useful for screening schools, but they do not necessarily equal the price of a particular counseling program (National Center for Education Statistics).

Request a program-specific total-cost estimate covering all required credits, mandatory fees, books or software, travel to field sites, and any terms needed to finish an internship. At public universities, verify whether you qualify for resident tuition; at private universities, compare the actual aid offer rather than assuming the published price is what you will pay. An apparently cheaper accelerated option may also carry an opportunity cost if its placement schedule forces you to reduce paid work.

Start with the FAFSA and each school's graduate aid office. Depending on eligibility and availability, options may include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, and employer tuition support. Ask whether an award applies across every term needed for fieldwork; a first-year offer may not cover the entire program (Federal Student Aid; individual institutions).

Do not build a new enrollment plan around Graduate PLUS availability. Under the federal rules taking effect July 1, 2026, new graduate students cannot take out new Graduate PLUS loans. A limited transition applies to students who were enrolled in the same program and had received a Direct Loan for that program before the cutoff, subject to federal conditions and time limits. Have the financial aid office confirm your eligibility before relying on that exception (Federal Student Aid).

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree, but schools set their own rules for prior coursework, academic records, recommendations, statements, interviews, and any required screening. A bachelor's in psychology is not automatically required, and a particular undergraduate major does not by itself establish readiness for a Kansas counseling credential; check each program's admissions page (individual institutions).

Before paying an application fee, send admissions staff your transcript and intended career goal. Ask whether prerequisite courses are missing, whether previous graduate credits can transfer, and whether transferred work can satisfy both university graduation rules and the coursework relevant to your intended license. Acceptance of credits is a school decision, not proof that a licensing board will accept them.

Expect coursework in counseling theories, ethics, assessment, human development, research, and working with diverse clients, followed by supervised practicum and internship. The emphasis changes with the pathway: clinical students need preparation for mental health practice, while school-focused students need coursework and placements relevant to schools (CACREP; KSDE).

Compare course lists against the specific Kansas credential you plan to seek. A title such as "counseling" or "Master of Education" is less informative than the required courses, placement setting, and the program's written explanation of credential alignment.

Kansas applicants can compare clinical mental health, school, addictions, and marriage, couple, and family counseling among the program options described above (Emporia State University; Wichita State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University). These are not interchangeable labels: they signal different client groups, placements, and potential credential routes.

Choose the population and work setting first, then compare programs within that path. If you are undecided, ask whether a concentration changes required coursework or only adds electives. Avoid paying for a second degree later because the first specialization did not fit your intended license.

The best-value choice is the program you can complete at a manageable cost and use toward your intended work. A meaningful return-on-investment comparison considers aid and debt, study time and forgone income, your current earnings, plausible post-degree earnings, completion prospects, and how long you expect to work in the new role - not institution type alone. The most valuable counseling programs can help broaden your shortlist, but you still need a personal cost and credential check.

Use these questions when you contact a shortlisted school:

1. Which Kansas license or school credential is this exact program designed to support, and what requirements remain after graduation?
2. What is my estimated cost through graduation after aid, including fees and fieldwork-related expenses?
3. Who arranges placements, and can I complete them where I live or expect to work?
4. How long did recent students typically take to finish, and which required courses or placements can delay completion?

A common mistake is selecting the lowest tuition without answers to those questions. Another is assuming that online delivery, CACREP accreditation, or a degree title automatically resolves every state licensing requirement; verify the exact pathway with the relevant Kansas authority.

A master's can support a move toward clinical counseling, addiction treatment, school counseling, or family-focused practice when the program and subsequent credential requirements fit the role. Clinical licensure and school educator licensing are separate routes; supervised experience, examinations, and application requirements may continue after graduation (Kansas BSRB; KSDE).

This investment makes the most sense if you want work that requires advanced counseling training and are prepared for supervised practice. If you primarily want to explore the field, a related entry-level role or targeted continuing education may be a lower-cost way to test your interest before committing to a licensure-oriented degree.

The national outlook differs by specialty. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% growth from 2025 to 2035 for the occupation covering mental health and substance-use counselors. That is evidence of national demand, not a forecast of openings in your preferred Kansas town or a guarantee of employment.

For a local search, compare the employers and placement sites accessible from each program with where you intend to live. Also check whether postings require a full clinical license, accept a provisional credential, or seek a school credential. Those distinctions tell you more about your first job options than a broad national growth figure.

Investing in a master's degree is an important decision, so Research.com evaluates affordability alongside evidence that a program can support students' goals. Its counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, applicable licensure exam pass rates, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and program cost; each ranking orders programs by the dimension named in its title. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs. For a fuller account of the scoring process, see Research.com's methodology.

To support credible, consistent comparisons, the Research.com team used these data sources in creating the ranking:

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

Use the ranking to build a shortlist, not as a substitute for confirming a current tuition quote, placement arrangements, and the credential requirements for your intended career.

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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
• Emporia State University - M.S. in Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/clinical-counseling-addictions-counseling/
• Emporia State University - MS, Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/concentrations/
• Wichita State University - M. Ed. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.wichita.edu/academics/education/cles/med_counseling-clinical-mental-health-track.php
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - M.A. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-clinical-mental-health/
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Master of Arts in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mnu.edu/pgs/mac-marriage-couple-amp-family-counseling/