2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Georgia

Pay depends on the occupation, setting, experience, and credentials - not simply on having a counseling degree. The figures below are national occupational medians for May 2025, not Georgia starting salaries or outcomes for the programs in this ranking (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Use the row matching your intended occupation when testing affordability. A higher occupational median does not establish that a more expensive program pays off: your likely entry-level earnings, debt, time out of work, and probability of completing the credential all matter.

The listed offerings differ most meaningfully in degree designation, counseling focus, and location. Those differences can narrow your search, but verify current credits, accreditation, placement arrangements, and credential alignment directly with each program before applying (institutional program descriptions).

• Mercer University - clinical mental health counseling: This is Mercer's clinical mental health route rather than its clinical rehabilitation route. Start here if broad mental health practice is your goal, and ask how the curriculum maps to Georgia's professional-counselor education rules.
• Albany State University - counselor education M. Ed.: The M. Ed. designation makes the intended counseling track especially important to confirm; a degree title alone does not identify the credential it supports. Its Albany location is worth examining if you need training and placement options in southwest Georgia.
• Georgia State University - mental health counseling M.S.: This is the mental health-focused option among Georgia State's two listed counseling degrees. Compare its coursework and field placements with the university's clinical rehabilitation curriculum if you are deciding between broad clinical and disability-related work.
• Agnes Scott College - mental health counseling: This graduate offering provides a mental health path in Decatur. For students comparing Atlanta-area options, ask how its schedule and placement support fit their work commitments rather than assuming proximity makes fieldwork convenient.
• Clark Atlanta University - clinical counseling M.A.: The clinical focus makes intended licensure preparation the central question. Request the current course-to-requirement mapping and placement details before comparing it with other Atlanta-area clinical degrees.
• Georgia State University - clinical rehabilitation counseling M.S.: Its clinical rehabilitation focus is the clearest distinction from the university's mental health counseling M.S. It merits closer examination if disability-related counseling is central to your career plan; confirm how clinical and rehabilitation requirements are covered.
• Augusta University - counseling M. Ed.: The M. Ed. format gives prospective students a reason to verify the available counseling track rather than infer it from the degree abbreviation. Compare the current curriculum with the specific Georgia credential you intend to pursue, especially if remaining in the Augusta area matters.
• University of West Georgia - counseling offering: Its Carrollton-area location may change your commuting and field-placement options relative to Atlanta programs. Confirm the current program title, track, and placement geography with the university before deciding whether that location is an advantage.
• South University-Savannah - clinical mental health counseling M.A.: The Savannah location distinguishes this clinical route for students who intend to stay near the coast. Ask about current placement availability and the full program price; neither follows automatically from the campus location or degree title.
• Mercer University - clinical rehabilitation counseling: Unlike Mercer's clinical mental health offering, this route explicitly centers rehabilitation alongside clinical counseling. It is the more relevant Mercer curriculum to investigate if disability-related practice is your priority; verify its current credential alignment for the roles you want.

Use these distinctions to build a shortlist, then consult the best counseling programs comparison alongside each school's current catalog. A ranking cannot resolve a mismatch between a program's track and your intended license.

Plan on roughly two to three years of full-time study for a counseling master's, with part-time study often taking longer. This is a planning range, not a completion promise: each school sets its own credit load and course sequence, and supervised placements may require daytime availability (institutional program curricula).

An accelerated calendar can reduce time enrolled but may make paid work harder to maintain. If you need a part-time route, request a term-by-term plan showing when practicum and internship occur. Also ask whether previously earned graduate credits can transfer; acceptance, limits, and whether those credits satisfy required counseling courses are school-specific.

Online study changes how you attend classes; it does not eliminate supervised fieldwork. Campus study may simplify access to faculty and peers, while online delivery can reduce routine travel for a working student. In either format, the decisive questions are whether the program fits your intended Georgia credential and whether you can complete approved placements where you live (Georgia Composite Board; Georgia Professional Standards Commission).

Before choosing an online program based outside Georgia, obtain written answers about Georgia credential alignment, placement approval, any in-person requirements, and whether the institution can enroll students residing in the state. An online label is not evidence that a graduate will qualify for Georgia licensure.

There is no single dependable statewide counseling-master's price: institutions charge different tuition rates, programs require different numbers of credits, and published prices may exclude mandatory fees. Public-university residency classifications can also change tuition substantially, so check how a school classifies you rather than assuming a posted in-state rate applies (NCES IPEDS; institutional tuition schedules).

For a useful comparison, request a total program estimate covering required credits, fees, books, placement travel, and any lost earnings during fieldwork. Compare net cost after aid and likely borrowing, not just tuition per credit. The most affordable counseling programs can help form a shortlist, but confirm current charges and your residency status with each institution.

Start with the FAFSA and ask each school about federal loan eligibility, graduate assistantships, scholarships, and placement-related funding. Federal aid depends on the student and the eligible program; institutional awards may have separate deadlines. Georgia aid programs also have their own residency and degree-level rules, so do not assume an undergraduate award can fund a master's (Federal Student Aid; Georgia Student Finance Commission).

Graduate borrowing rules have changed for students beginning programs under the rules effective July 2026. New graduate students generally cannot rely on Graduate PLUS loans; limited transition provisions may apply to qualifying students who were already enrolled and had borrowed for that program. Ask the financial aid office to confirm your individual eligibility and remaining funding options before accepting an offer (Federal Student Aid).

When comparing offers, separate grants and assistantship funding from loans. A program with lower advertised tuition can still cost more if its schedule prevents you from working or requires substantial placement travel.

Graduate applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the individual program's academic and application requirements. Schools may request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework; do not assume a psychology undergraduate major is universally required (institutional admissions requirements).

Ask admissions whether prerequisites can be completed after admission and whether a prior graduate course will count toward this particular counseling curriculum. If you are changing careers, also ask when fieldwork begins and whether its hours can coexist with your job. Admission to a degree is separate from any later Georgia licensing or certification decision (Georgia Composite Board; Georgia Professional Standards Commission).

Expect coursework in counseling techniques, human development, assessment, ethics, research, and working with clients from varied backgrounds, followed by supervised practicum and internship. Clinical programs may emphasize diagnosis and treatment planning; school programs address counseling in educational settings; rehabilitation programs place greater focus on disability and access (institutional program curricula).

Do not compare catalogs by course title alone. Ask for the current degree plan and have the program explain which required courses and field experiences support your intended Georgia credential. A specialization can be appealing yet leave a gap if the curriculum does not meet the relevant board's educational requirements.

The listed Georgia offerings include clinical mental health and clinical rehabilitation counseling, while other counseling-degree searches may include school counseling or addiction-focused study. A degree track defines much more of your training than an elective or certificate, so check which credential the full curriculum - not merely its specialization label - is designed to support (institutional program descriptions; Georgia Composite Board).

Choose clinical mental health if your primary goal is mental health practice; investigate rehabilitation if disability-related counseling is central to the work you want. If you specifically want to counsel students in Georgia schools, examine school-counselor certification alignment instead of assuming a clinical degree is an equivalent route (Georgia Professional Standards Commission).

Start with the job and credential you want, then compare programs that plausibly lead toward them. Popularity is useful for discovering options, but it cannot tell you whether a curriculum fits your licensing path, finances, or location.

Use this sequence when contacting your shortlist; written answers make offers easier to compare:

1. Confirm credential alignment: Ask which Georgia license or certificate the degree prepares students to pursue and which requirements remain after graduation (Georgia Composite Board; Georgia Professional Standards Commission).
2. Check accreditation precisely: Verify institutional accreditation and any claimed CACREP accreditation for the specific program and track; do not assume one establishes the other (U.S. Department of Education; CACREP).
3. Test placement feasibility: Ask who arranges sites, where students train, and whether the required schedule works with your employment.
4. Compare complete costs: Obtain a current term-by-term price and aid estimate, including fees and likely borrowing.
5. Examine outcomes carefully: Ask for recent program-level completion and applicable exam or employment results, including the reporting period and number of graduates.

A degree is more likely to be a sound investment when it supports your intended credential at a manageable net cost and schedule. To assess value rather than sticker price alone, compare the most valuable counseling programs and consider completion probability, foregone earnings, debt, expected earnings relative to your current job, and the time needed to repay borrowing.

A clinical mental health graduate might begin in an eligible supervised role and work toward professional counselor licensure; independent practice requires meeting the Georgia board's applicable education, supervised-experience, and examination requirements. A school-counseling graduate should instead plan around Georgia educator certification rules. Rehabilitation graduates can consider disability and vocational-service roles, whose credential requirements vary by employer and duties (Georgia Composite Board; Georgia Professional Standards Commission; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

If you want a support position rather than a licensed counseling career, a shorter or less expensive educational route may be more appropriate. Conversely, if independent clinical practice is the goal, choosing a program solely because its title contains "counseling" is a costly mistake: verify the actual licensing pathway before enrolling.

Nationally, employment of 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 indicates demand for the occupational group, not a guaranteed Georgia opening or the same outlook for school and rehabilitation counselors.

For a local decision, compare openings in the Georgia settings where you would actually work and ask programs about recent placement sites - not just statewide demand. Employers may differ in the supervision they offer and the credentials they require. A strong job market therefore does not erase the need to choose the correct degree track, complete field training, and plan for any post-degree credentialing steps.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, so Research.com evaluates programs using multiple measures rather than relying on reputation alone. Its team checks graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam results, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost to help readers compare programs with different strengths.

The Best ranking starts with a graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score: program completion accounts for 40%, employment or doctoral admission for 20%, applicable licensure-exam results for 20%, CACREP programmatic accreditation for 16%, and institutional Title IV eligibility for 4%. When a measure does not apply, its weight is redistributed; cost then contributes approximately 7% of the final Best score. The method is the same for online and campus programs, while other rankings order programs by the dimension named in the ranking.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completion, and price reporting.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional and student-outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

These measures provide a starting point, not a substitute for checking whether a particular degree meets your career and licensing goals. Read more about the approach on the Research.com methodology page.

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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
• Mercer University - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://professionaladvancement.mercer.edu/academic-programs/graduate-and-professional/counseling-programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Albany State University - M. Ed. in Counselor Education - School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.asurams.edu/graduate/beaps/school-of-education/counselor-education-med/
• Georgia State University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.S.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.gsu.edu/program/ms-mental-health-counseling/
• Agnes Scott College - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.agnesscott.edu/graduate-studies/graduate-programs/mental-health-counseling/index.html
• Clark Atlanta University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.cau.edu/academics/schools-departments/school-education/department-counselor-education/master-arts-clinical