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

Pay depends on occupation, employer, experience, location, and licensure. The following national occupational medians provide comparable career context, not Kansas starting salaries or outcomes for graduates of any listed program (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook; May 2025 wages).

Use the occupation that matches your intended job when evaluating repayment. A national median includes established professionals, so it is a poor substitute for asking a program about recent graduates' roles or reviewing actual Kansas job postings. Private-practice revenue is especially unsuitable for direct comparison with salaried employment because it must cover business expenses.

The programs below differ most clearly in the professional direction their published tracks emphasize. These are comparison points, not claims that a track automatically qualifies graduates for a license; request a current course map and placement policy for the option that fits your goal.

• Wichita State University - clinical mental health counseling: Its M. Ed. clinical mental health track gives applicants a specifically identified clinical route within counselor education (Wichita State University, clinical mental health track page). Compare its Kansas licensure course mapping with a general counseling curriculum if independent clinical practice is your goal.
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - clinical mental health counseling: Its M.A. in Counseling identifies clinical mental health as a distinct program direction rather than leaving students to assemble that focus from electives (MidAmerica Nazarene University, clinical mental health program page). It merits comparison with Wichita State's M. Ed. route for applicants weighing the two degree structures.
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - marriage, couple, and family counseling: This named track centers relationship and family counseling rather than the broader clinical mental health focus of its other track (MidAmerica Nazarene University, marriage, couple, and family counseling program page). Ask how its coursework and placements map to the specific marriage and family therapy credential you want.
• Emporia State University - addictions counseling: Emporia identifies addictions counseling within its clinical counseling graduate offerings (Emporia State University, addictions counseling program page). That is the clearest subject-specific fit here for applicants planning substance use treatment work, provided the curriculum matches their intended credential.
• Emporia State University - clinical counseling concentrations: A dedicated concentrations pathway gives applicants a way to compare areas of clinical focus before selecting a course plan (Emporia State University, clinical counseling concentrations page). This matters if you know you want clinical counseling but have not settled on a practice population or specialty.
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - School Counseling Plus: The separately named School Counseling Plus route calls for closer review than a standard school counseling label alone (MidAmerica Nazarene University, School Counseling Plus program page). Ask the university exactly what "Plus" adds and which requirements lead toward Kansas school licensure before assigning value to the added coursework.
• Wichita State University - school counseling: Wichita State publishes a school counseling handbook, giving applicants a program-specific document to check for academic and fieldwork expectations (Wichita State University, school counseling handbook). It is especially useful for prospective school counselors comparing progression rules and placement planning with a separately named track such as School Counseling Plus.

Plan on roughly 2-3 years for a counseling master's, depending on enrollment pace, prerequisites, and when required practicum or internship placements are offered. Part-time study may better protect current income but extends the period before you can seek a graduate-level role. Full-time study may shorten the calendar timeline while making it harder to keep a full-time job.

Graduation is not necessarily the end of the credential timeline. Clinical practice can require post-degree supervised experience and other licensing steps, while school licensure follows its own rules (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education). Ask each program for separate estimates of time to degree and time to the credential you intend to use.

Online study can reduce commuting and make coursework workable for someone living far from a campus. It does not remove supervised fieldwork: confirm where placements can occur, who finds them, and whether any campus visits are mandatory. An on-campus option may simplify access to scheduled classes and local placement contacts but can impose substantial travel or relocation costs.

Delivery format alone does not establish licensure eligibility. Before choosing an online or hybrid track, obtain written confirmation that its curriculum and placement arrangements support your intended Kansas credential; out-of-state students should check their own state as well. Verify institutional accreditation separately from any programmatic CACREP status, since they answer different questions (U.S. Department of Education; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board).

There is no single reliable price for the Kansas programs discussed here: published tuition can differ by institution, residency, enrollment pace, and academic year. A per-credit quote also omits fees, books, placement travel, and income lost when clinical hours displace paid work. Compare each school's estimated total to completion, not its advertised rate alone; the most affordable counseling programs offer a useful starting shortlist.

For each offer, request the number of billable credits, tuition and fees for your residency status, likely annual increases, scholarship terms, and costs associated with placements. A faster program may reduce living costs but increase forgone earnings during intensive fieldwork. Conversely, spreading courses over more years may preserve income while increasing total fees or delaying a credential-dependent job change.

Graduate students should compare institutional scholarships and assistantships, employer tuition assistance, and eligibility for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans through the FAFSA. Ask whether an award renews during internship terms; support limited to classroom semesters may leave a significant funding gap. Kansas state aid programs vary in eligibility, and an award available to undergraduates should not be assumed to cover a counseling master's (Federal Student Aid; Kansas Board of Regents).

Graduate PLUS rules have changed for new graduate borrowers beginning July 1, 2026. Someone starting a master's in 2027 should not assume Graduate PLUS loans will be available; limited transition eligibility may apply to qualifying students who borrowed before the change for the same program. Check your individual status and current borrowing limits with Federal Student Aid and the school's aid office before relying on loans to fill a budget shortfall (Federal Student Aid).

If you expect to work for a qualifying public-service employer, investigate Public Service Loan Forgiveness, but do not treat it as an upfront tuition discount: eligibility depends on the loan, employer, repayment, and qualifying-payment rules (Federal Student Aid).

Programs commonly ask for an accredited bachelor's degree, transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview; individual schools decide their own GPA, prerequisite-course, and testing policies. An undergraduate counseling major is not necessarily required. Applicants changing fields should check whether missing psychology or statistics coursework must be completed before admission or alongside graduate classes (Wichita State University; Emporia State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University, program admissions information).

Before applying, request answers to two separate questions: "Am I admissible?" and "Will this exact track satisfy the education requirements for my intended Kansas credential?" Admission does not settle licensure eligibility. If you have prior graduate credits, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation that identifies which credits count toward required counseling courses, not merely toward electives.

Most counseling curricula cover helping relationships, human development, assessment, ethics, multicultural practice, research, and supervised practicum or internship. The differentiating courses should follow the job: school counseling emphasizes work with students and school systems; clinical counseling emphasizes mental health assessment and treatment; addiction-focused study addresses substance use and recovery; and couple-and-family study emphasizes relationship and family systems (Wichita State University; Emporia State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University, program descriptions).

Compare syllabi and course sequences, not just catalog titles. Ask which courses are required for your intended credential, whether they run every term, and whether a missed prerequisite would delay field placement. A broad elective menu is less valuable if the courses you need are rarely available.

The options represented here include clinical mental health, school, addictions, and marriage, couple, and family counseling, as well as clinical counseling concentrations (Wichita State University; Emporia State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University). These labels describe different training emphases; they are not interchangeable licenses.

Choose clinical mental health if your aim is broad mental health practice, school counseling if your goal is a school-based role, and addiction-focused study if you expect to work primarily in substance use services. A family-focused track is more relevant when relationship and family treatment is central to your goal. If you are undecided, favor a program that clearly explains both its common core and the credential consequences of changing tracks.

Start with the credential and workplace you want, then use the best counseling programs as a shortlist rather than a substitute for verification. The Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board and Kansas State Department of Education administer different pathways; check the authority relevant to your goal before comparing reputations or delivery formats.

Use the following checks to avoid the most costly mismatches:

1. Ask each school to map the exact track's required courses and supervised training to your intended Kansas credential, and verify the relevant rules with the state authority.
2. Confirm current institutional accreditation, any claimed programmatic accreditation, and whether accreditation applies to your particular track (U.S. Department of Education; CACREP).
3. Get a written total-cost estimate covering residency-based tuition, fees, aid renewal, and placement-related expenses.
4. Ask where recent students completed placements, who arranged supervision, and whether your work schedule or location would restrict your options.
5. Compare completion and employment information where the program reports it, including its reporting period and what population the measure covers.

The recurring mistake is choosing by rank or tuition alone. A lower-cost degree that does not support the credential you need - or a convenient online track without a feasible placement - is unlikely to be the better investment.

Possible paths include mental health counselor, school counselor, substance use counselor, marriage and family therapist, and rehabilitation counselor. The degree may be a necessary educational step, but job titles and permitted duties depend on the applicable Kansas license or school credential, supervision status, and employer requirements (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education).

To test whether the degree is worth it, compare each option's full cost and duration with your current earnings, likely time away from work, expected borrowing, probability of completion, and realistic post-degree jobs. Then consider how long you expect to work in the field and the timing of future earnings - not just a single salary figure. The most valuable counseling programs can help frame that comparison, but your own aid offer and intended occupation will determine its relevance.

National demand provides context, not a Kansas hiring forecast. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025-2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors and advisors over the same period. Those different outlooks make specialization consequential, but neither projection identifies how many openings will be accessible in a particular Kansas community (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

Test local demand before committing: review current postings in the Kansas communities where you would actually work, note their required credentials and supervision expectations, and ask placement offices which employers take interns. A rural-area placement opportunity or a strong connection to a particular district may matter more to your first job search than a broad national growth rate.

Investing in graduate education is consequential, so Research.com evaluates counseling programs using multiple sources and checks that measures are relevant to the credential being assessed. Its counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, licensure exam results where applicable, accreditation and federal aid eligibility, and program cost. The ranking named "Most Popular" should be read as a measure of popularity, not as proof of the best licensure fit or financial return.

For the Best ranking, Research.com combines program completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure exam pass rates (20%), CACREP programmatic accreditation (16%), and institutional Title IV eligibility (4%). Inapplicable criteria are renormalized; cost accounts for about 7% of the final score. On-campus and online programs use the same approach. Other rankings order programs by the dimension named in their titles.

The ranking draws on these data sources, which readers can also use to check institutional information:

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

This approach helps narrow a search, but no ranking can confirm that a particular track meets your intended license requirements or fits your budget. Research.com explains its broader approach on its methodology page; use the ranking alongside current program disclosures and written guidance from the relevant Kansas licensing authority.

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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/
• 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/
• 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/