2027 Most Affordable Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Dakota

Pay depends on the occupation, setting, experience, and credentials - not the degree title by itself. The table uses national U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median annual wages from May 2025 and national employment projections for 2025-2035. It is useful for comparing career directions, not predicting a South Dakota job offer.

For an investment decision, compare offers for the specific role and location you want, including benefits and any supervised post-degree period. A national median may be a poor proxy for an entry-level position in your community (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The most useful distinction is whether a program's stated focus matches your intended credential and whether its training can fit your location. These program-level starting points should be checked against current catalogs and admissions guidance before you apply.

• South Dakota State University: Its graduate program specifically identifies a clinical mental health counseling focus within Counseling and Human Resource Development. That explicit focus gives prospective clinical counselors a clear starting point for checking coursework and South Dakota licensure alignment; confirm the current online delivery arrangements and field-placement requirements with the program (South Dakota State University).
• Northern State University: Its counseling master's degree provides a different program to investigate if you are comparing graduate routes in the state. Ask Northern to identify the exact track and credential available to an online applicant, then verify its required fieldwork and intended professional outcome; those details matter more than assuming programs with similar names qualify graduates for the same work (Northern State University).

A counseling master's commonly takes roughly two to three years of full-time study; part-time study can take longer. Your actual schedule depends on required courses, when field experiences begin, and how quickly you can secure an approved supervisor and site. An accelerated course calendar may shorten classroom time without eliminating clinical requirements.

Ask each school for a term-by-term plan for your intended enrollment pace, including placement dates and any required in-person sessions. If finishing sooner is central to your decision, compare the fastest counseling programs, then check whether their schedules are workable alongside your job and fieldwork obligations.

An online program can reduce commuting and make graduate study more feasible outside a campus city. An on-campus program may make scheduled skills practice and local placement coordination easier for some students. Neither format removes the need to demonstrate counseling skills under supervision, and neither is inherently a better route to licensure (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Choose based on where you can reliably complete both coursework and fieldwork. If you live far from a campus, ask an online program who finds placement sites, whether supervisors need advance approval, and whether evening or weekend fieldwork is realistic. If you live near a campus and want regular face-to-face practice, compare that option's total cost before paying more for flexibility you may not need.

There is no single statewide average that reliably states what an individual will pay for an online counseling master's. Published prices can reflect different academic years, credit loads, residency classifications, fees, and levels of study. Use each school's current graduate tuition schedule and required-credit total to build a comparable estimate rather than treating an institution-wide average as the program's price (National Center for Education Statistics; institutional tuition schedules).

Include mandatory online and program fees, books, travel for any campus sessions, placement-related expenses, and income you may give up while completing supervised work. Compare resident and nonresident rates where they apply, and request a written estimate based on your enrollment plan. For a broader value check, consider the most valuable counseling programs alongside the affordability ranking: the lowest price is not necessarily the lowest-risk investment if completion or career fit differs.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and each school's graduate financial aid office. Depending on eligibility and the program, funding may include federal graduate loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition assistance, or other awards. Federal aid requires an eligible student and program; admission to an online degree alone does not establish eligibility (Federal Student Aid).

Ask whether an assistantship requires campus-based work and whether scholarships can be retained during part-time enrollment or clinical placement terms. Compare net cost after grants and employer support, not just the amount you can borrow. Federal graduate borrowing rules may change, so confirm the aid available for your entry term with Federal Student Aid and the institution before committing to a financing plan.

For a counseling master's, expect schools to review an earned bachelor's degree and an application that may include transcripts, a statement of purpose, recommendations, and an interview. Prerequisite coursework, minimum academic standards, background checks, and deadlines vary by program; check the current South Dakota State University or Northern State University admissions page rather than assuming one school's rules apply to another (South Dakota State University; Northern State University).

Admissions and professional eligibility are separate questions. Before applying, tell the program where you plan to practice and ask it to identify the degree, supervised training, accreditation status, and examination preparation relevant to that goal. Also ask how previous graduate credits are evaluated: acceptance of transfer credits is a school decision, and transferred coursework may not satisfy a licensing board's content requirements (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Clinical counseling curricula commonly address counseling theories, ethics, assessment, research, group work, diagnosis, and supervised practice. School-focused curricula emphasize work with students and school systems. Course names and required content vary, so compare the actual catalog and fieldwork sequence against the credential you intend to pursue rather than choosing by a broad program title (South Dakota State University; Northern State University).

Look closely at when practica and internships occur. A plan that places most fieldwork near the end may be manageable for someone who can adjust their work schedule later; another student may need a program with earlier notice and more placement support. Ask for a sample study plan before enrolling.

Common counseling directions include clinical mental health, school, addiction, marriage and family, and rehabilitation counseling. They are not interchangeable labels: the intended client population, supervised experiences, and professional credential can differ (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

Start with the job you want. If you want to provide clinical mental health services, prioritize a curriculum designed for that licensing path. If you want to work as a school counselor, verify the state's educator-credential requirements and the program's preparation for school settings. A general counseling course or certificate may be useful professional development, but it is a poor substitute for the specialized degree a target credential requires.

Use the ranking to create a shortlist, then test each option against your career goal. The following checks expose costly mismatches before you pay an application fee:

1. Name the target role and state. Ask the relevant South Dakota board or education agency which degree content, supervised experience, and examinations apply; check other states separately if you may move.
2. Verify accreditation and aid eligibility. Check institutional recognition and any claimed CACREP program accreditation with the accrediting organization, rather than treating institutional and programmatic accreditation as the same thing.
3. Request a personal cost and completion plan. Include required credits, fees, aid, fieldwork, travel, likely time away from work, and the school's transfer-credit decision.
4. Confirm placement logistics. Ask who approves sites and supervisors, where current students complete training, and what happens if a local placement falls through.

A low-cost program is worth considering when it fits your credential goal and you can realistically complete it with manageable debt. Avoid relying on a ranking alone - or on an "easy admission" claim - as evidence of professional eligibility. If entry requirements are a concern, review the easiest counseling programs, but apply the same licensure and fieldwork checks.

A relevant master's can be a step toward clinical mental health or addiction counseling; a school-focused degree can support a separate path into school counseling. Rehabilitation services offer another direction. Actual eligibility depends on the program completed, the position, and any required state license or certification - graduation does not automatically grant authority to practice (South Dakota Board of Examiners for Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists; South Dakota Department of Education).

To judge whether the degree is worth it, compare your current earnings with realistic opportunities in your target occupation, then account for tuition, aid, borrowing, time in school, reduced work hours, completion probability, and any post-degree supervised period. Consider those costs and potential earnings over several years rather than assuming the national occupational median will be your starting salary (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

National projections suggest stronger growth for some counseling specialties than others: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors during 2025-2035. That supports investigating clinical and addiction pathways, but it is not a forecast of openings in a particular South Dakota town.

Search current postings by credential, employer, and location before choosing a concentration. Check whether roles that interest you require independent licensure, accept a supervised candidate, or offer placement opportunities. For students committed to living in a smaller community, the availability of local supervisors and suitable positions may matter more than a strong national growth rate.

Investing in education is a consequential decision, especially when a counseling degree may also require supervised training and a separate license. Research.com developed its rankings to make program comparisons more transparent, drawing on multiple sources and checking the quality, credibility, and accuracy of the information used. This affordability ranking helps readers identify lower-cost options; it should be read alongside each program's current tuition, clinical requirements, and outcomes.

Research.com's counseling rankings consider program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, CACREP programmatic accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and cost. For context, the Best ranking combines completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable exam pass rates (20%), CACREP accreditation (16%), and Title IV eligibility (4%); weights are adjusted when a criterion does not apply. Cost then contributes about 7% of that final score. The same approach applies to online and campus programs, while other rankings emphasize the dimension named in their title.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

• IPEDS database: institutional information, including enrollment, completions, and reported costs.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used for comparison.
• College Scorecard database: federal information on institutions, costs, aid, and outcomes where available.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions that support consistent comparisons.

These sources help readers narrow a shortlist rather than rely on an advertised tuition figure alone. Learn more about the process on Research.com's methodology page. Because published datasets can lag behind a program's current catalog, confirm prices and requirements directly with any school 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/
• O*NET OnLine - Mental Health Counselors (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• 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
• 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