2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Fort Lauderdale

Pay depends on the occupation, credential, employer, and experience - not simply the degree title. These national occupational medians offer a way to compare career directions; they are not starting salaries or Fort Lauderdale-specific estimates. All figures refer to May 2025 earnings reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The school-counseling median exceeds the mental health and addiction counseling median nationally, but that difference alone is not a reason to choose a school track. Compare actual Broward-area offers and salary schedules against your likely debt, existing earnings, and the time needed to qualify for your intended role.

The named program pages point to a consequential distinction: Keiser presents a degree specifically in clinical mental health counseling, while Nova Southeastern identifies its offering as a master's in counseling and publishes a curriculum page. Use the following program-specific checks to determine which option fits your intended credential; confirm current requirements with the schools before enrolling.

• Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale: Its Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling names the clinical field in the degree itself (Keiser University). That makes it a logical first program to investigate if Florida mental health counselor licensure is your goal, but ask for its current credit, fieldwork, accreditation, and Florida eligibility documentation rather than treating the title as proof of eligibility.
• Nova Southeastern University - career-track fit: Nova publishes a course-level curriculum for its master's in counseling (Nova Southeastern University). Compare the required courses and any available tracks with Florida's rules for your intended clinical or school credential; the broader degree name makes that check especially important.
• Nova Southeastern University - completion planning: The published curriculum also gives working students a starting point for reviewing course sequence and fieldwork with an adviser (Nova Southeastern University). Ask which courses must precede placement and when required courses are offered, since those details can matter more to your completion date than a stated program length.

Plan on roughly two to three years of full-time study for a counseling master's; part-time study often takes longer. This is a planning range, not a published completion time for either named program. Credits, course sequencing, placement availability, and whether you can reduce paid work will determine your actual timeline.

For prospective Florida mental health counselors, graduation is not the end of the credentialing timeline: supervised experience and an examination are separate licensure requirements (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling). Before accepting an accelerated offer, ask whether its pace leaves enough room for required fieldwork and paid employment.

Online coursework can reduce trips to campus, which may suit a working Broward County student. It does not remove in-person fieldwork or automatically make placement nearby. Campus study may provide easier access to faculty and peers, but travel and fixed class times can raise the real cost of attendance.

Compare delivery at the program level: ask where skills courses and placements occur, whether the school secures sites in Broward County, and whether an online student receives the same supervision support. Florida licensure rules apply to the education and supervised experience regardless of course format; do not assume that an online program designed for another state meets them (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling).

There is no defensible single average for the named programs without comparable, current program-level price and credit information. Institutional graduate tuition figures can also differ from the amount charged for a particular counseling degree (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS). For each school, request a written estimate covering required credits, program fees, books, placement expenses, and any additional terms caused by course sequencing.

Start with the most affordable counseling programs, then compare net total cost, not the advertised price per credit. Florida residency may affect a public institution's tuition, but it should not be assumed to reduce a private institution's rate. Include foregone earnings if fieldwork requires you to cut paid hours.

Graduate students should complete the FAFSA and ask each school about federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan eligibility, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition assistance, and placement-related funding (Federal Student Aid). Graduate students generally should not budget around undergraduate-only grant programs. Compare aid letters on the same basis: grants reduce cost, while loans postpone payment and add interest.

Graduate PLUS rules have changed for students beginning programs under the regulations effective July 2026. New graduate borrowers generally cannot count on Graduate PLUS, while some borrowers who began an eligible program and borrowed earlier may qualify under transitional rules; confirm your individual eligibility with Federal Student Aid and the school's aid office before relying on that financing. A most valuable counseling programs comparison is a useful next step, but your own aid, earnings, and completion prospects determine value.

Expect to document an accredited bachelor's degree and submit the materials required by the specific program, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, or an interview. Do not assume a psychology major is mandatory - or that all applicants can waive prerequisite coursework. Confirm current requirements with Keiser University or Nova Southeastern University directly.

If you have prior graduate credits, obtain a written transfer-credit decision before paying a deposit. A school may accept a course toward its degree without Florida's licensing board accepting it as evidence of a particular educational requirement. Ask the program to identify the exact curriculum and credential pathway it recommends for applicants seeking Florida licensure.

Clinical counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theories, assessment, ethics, human development, group work, research, and supervised practice. School-focused study adds educational-setting competencies. The exact courses and credit allocations matter: Florida's mental health counseling board evaluates whether an applicant's education covers specified content and clinical preparation, not whether the transcript merely says "counseling" (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling).

Request a curriculum map showing which required courses address the credential you want. If a listed elective or placement supplies a required competency, find out whether you are guaranteed access to it and whether taking it extends the degree.

The most consequential distinction is between a pathway intended for clinical mental health counseling and one intended for school counseling. Other interests may include addiction, rehabilitation, couples and family work, or particular client populations, but an elective emphasis is not necessarily a separately recognized license or certification.

Choose the credential first, then assess whether a concentration strengthens your preparation for it. Someone seeking school employment should check Florida Department of Education requirements; someone aiming for independent therapy should check the appropriate Florida health-profession board. A specialization that interests you is a poor trade if it displaces coursework or placements needed for your actual goal.

Begin with the position you want, not the highest-ranked school. The best counseling programs can help build a shortlist, but use the following checks to test whether each program works for your credential and circumstances.

1. Identify the exact Florida license or school certification required by positions you would apply for.
2. Ask each program for its current accreditation status, curriculum, placement requirements, and written explanation of how graduates meet the relevant education rules; verify claims with the accreditor and Florida board.
3. Get a full program-cost estimate and confirm transfer credits, aid eligibility, course rotation, and likely time away from work.
4. Ask for program-specific completion, placement, and applicable exam outcomes, including their reporting periods; treat missing figures as an unanswered question, not proof of poor results.

Accreditation, state licensure, and employer preferences are different checks. Research.com's rankings are a comparison aid, not an eligibility determination. A faster or cheaper degree may be the wrong investment if it does not support your intended credential or if required placement hours are incompatible with your schedule.

A clinical path can lead toward supervised counseling roles and, after meeting Florida's separate requirements, licensed mental health counseling. A school path can lead toward school-counselor positions subject to Florida educator certification. Rehabilitation and addiction-related roles have different job duties and may carry employer-specific credential expectations (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling; Florida Department of Education).

The degree is most likely to be worth the investment if the roles you want require this level of training and you can finance both study and the transition into supervised work. If you mainly want to explore helping professions, compare relevant entry-level jobs first; a graduate certificate or a general psychology degree should not be assumed to substitute for a qualifying counseling master's.

National projections indicate stronger growth in some counseling occupations than others. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors. These are national occupational projections, not forecasts of vacancies in Broward County or of jobs available to new graduates.

For a local decision, review current Broward-area postings for the precise license, supervised status, or school credential they require, and ask programs where recent students completed placements. Demand for counseling services does not erase the time needed for supervision or certification. The strongest investment case pairs a qualifying degree with an affordable route to the credential employers actually request.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com evaluates counseling programs using evidence on graduate outcomes, accreditation, licensure exam performance where applicable, and cost. Its Best ranking weights completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure exam results, CACREP recognition, and Title IV eligibility in an outcomes-and-accreditation score; cost contributes a smaller share. Criteria that do not apply to a program are reweighted. Rankings focused on another dimension order programs by that dimension, so readers should not treat a popularity ranking as a measure of licensure readiness or return on investment.

To support the rankings, the Research.com team draws on these data sources and checks program information for credibility and accuracy:

• IPEDS database: institutional reporting on enrollment, completions, and costs.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used to compare offerings.
• College Scorecard database: federal information on institutions, costs, and student outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions that provide context for comparisons.

The ranking can help you identify programs to investigate, but it cannot establish whether a particular curriculum meets your intended licensing board's requirements. Read more about the approach on Research.com's methodology page, then confirm current program details directly with each school.

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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/
• NBCC - NCE / NCMHCE
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.nbcc.org/exams
• Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.keiseruniversity.edu/programs/psychology/masters-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Nova Southeastern University - M.S. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://psychology.nova.edu/degrees/masters/counseling/curriculum.html
• Nova Southeastern University - M.S. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://psychology.nova.edu/degrees/masters/counseling/curriculum.html