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

Pay depends on occupation, employer, location, experience, and licensure. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 national median annual wage of $59,350 for the occupation covering substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. For school and career counselors and advisors, the corresponding national median is $64,330. These are occupational medians for workers at different career stages, not starting salaries or Louisiana-specific graduate outcomes.

For a financial comparison, request each program's recent graduate outcomes and investigate job postings in the Louisiana parish or metro area where you intend to work. Compare the likely role - not simply the highest counseling wage - with your current earnings, expected borrowing, and any period of lower-paid supervised work. BLS occupational wage data provide context, but they cannot establish a particular program's return on investment.

The programs below serve different professional goals. Their distinctions are most useful as questions to investigate further: confirm current credits, placement arrangements, accreditation status, and credential alignment directly with each school before treating a feature as decisive.

• Southeastern Louisiana University - MS, clinical mental health counseling concentration: A named clinical concentration within a counseling master's gives applicants a clear route to investigate for LPC preparation. Compare its course sequence and approved placement sites with those of programs that award a stand-alone clinical mental health degree. (Source: Southeastern Louisiana University.)
• Loyola University New Orleans - clinical mental health counseling: Loyola offers this path within its New Orleans counseling program, making it relevant to applicants who want to study and seek clinical training in that metropolitan area. Ask how placement support works for students whose schedules or preferred sites fall outside the city. (Source: Loyola University New Orleans.)
• Nicholls State University - Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling: The degree is explicitly organized around clinical mental health counseling rather than presented as a concentration in a broader degree. That distinction can help applicants compare the required curriculum directly against Louisiana's LPC education checklist. (Source: Nicholls State University.)
• Louisiana State University Shreveport - MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: LSUS provides a clinical mental health option based in northwestern Louisiana. It is worth examining if proximity to Shreveport-area clinical sites would reduce placement travel; confirm where the school permits students to complete supervised training. (Source: Louisiana State University Shreveport.)
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette - mental health counseling: This program gives Acadiana-area applicants a mental health counseling option to compare with programs farther east or north. Its practical advantage depends on the approved internship sites and supervision available near where a student lives. (Source: University of Louisiana at Lafayette.)
• Southeastern Louisiana University - MS, school counseling concentration: Unlike its clinical mental health concentration, this track is directed toward school counseling. It is the more relevant Southeastern option for applicants planning a school-based role, subject to current Louisiana educator credential requirements. (Source: Southeastern Louisiana University.)
• Nicholls State University - MEd in School Counseling: The education-degree format makes the intended school setting explicit. Applicants should compare its field placement expectations and state credential alignment with clinical programs rather than assuming the tracks are interchangeable. (Source: Nicholls State University.)
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Mental Health Counseling: The seminary setting offers a distinct educational environment for students who want to examine how mental health counselor training fits with faith-informed study. Verify the current clinical curriculum and Louisiana LPC eligibility separately from that institutional fit. (Source: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary catalog.)
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Marriage and Family Counseling: Its stated marriage-and-family focus differs from a general clinical mental health track and may suit applicants chiefly interested in relationship and family work. Check the exact license you intend to pursue before assuming that one counseling track satisfies another profession's rules. (Source: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary catalog.)
• Louisiana State University - counselor education graduate programs: LSU's counselor education offerings warrant attention from applicants comparing counseling specializations within a larger education program. Determine which specific degree and track matches your goal; the umbrella program name is not itself a licensure determination. (Source: Louisiana State University School of Education.)

For another lens on outcomes and accreditation, compare the best counseling programs. Use program disclosures and a conversation with the licensing or credentialing authority to resolve any remaining eligibility questions.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer. The decisive scheduling issue is often not coursework but completing practicum and internship hours at times an approved site can supervise them. Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when fieldwork starts and whether required courses are offered often enough to stay on schedule.

Accelerating study can reduce time away from full-time earnings, but it may be impractical if you cannot accommodate daytime placement hours. If you work full time, compare the program's actual part-time sequence and maximum time to completion instead of relying on its advertised shortest timeline.

Online delivery changes where you take academic classes; it does not eliminate supervised fieldwork. Campus study may make faculty contact and nearby placement coordination easier, while online classes can reduce commuting for students living far from a university. Neither format, by itself, establishes quality or Louisiana licensure eligibility.

For an online program - especially one based outside Louisiana - obtain written answers about whether it meets the state's education requirements, whether it accepts placements near your home, and who is responsible for finding an approved supervisor. For an on-campus program, ask the same placement questions if you plan to live or work away from campus. The best format is the one you can complete without compromising required training or taking on unnecessary travel costs.

There is no single tuition figure that accurately represents every Louisiana counseling master's program. The price depends on the school's current graduate rate, residency classification at public universities, required credits, fees, and how many terms you need. Institution-level tuition figures in NCES IPEDS are useful for an initial screen, but they may not equal the price of a particular counseling program.

Build a total-cost estimate from the program's required-credit plan and current published charges. Include books, background checks or other placement requirements, travel to supervision sites, and earnings you may forgo during fieldwork. Then subtract confirmed grants or assistantships. Compare the resulting estimate with the most affordable counseling programs, rather than assuming the lowest per-credit price produces the lowest total bill.

Graduate students can submit the FAFSA to determine eligibility for federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and any aid for which a school uses FAFSA information. Counseling departments may also offer assistantships or scholarships; availability and work obligations vary. Check the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance and the school's graduate aid office for any state or institutional programs that apply to your degree. Federal Pell Grants generally are not available for a standard graduate master's program. (Sources: Federal Student Aid; Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance.)

Do not build a new enrollment plan around Graduate PLUS borrowing without checking eligibility. Under the federal rules taking effect July 1, 2026, new graduate students generally cannot take out Graduate PLUS loans. Limited continuing-borrower provisions may apply to students who had a Direct Loan for their program before that date; confirm your circumstances with Federal Student Aid and your financial aid office. This makes the gap between a program's full cost and other available funding especially important. (Source: Federal Student Aid.)

Applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and the materials specified by the program, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, and prerequisite coursework. Requirements differ by institution; a psychology major is not automatically required, and admission does not establish later licensure eligibility. Check the current admissions page for each program rather than assuming a shared statewide standard.

If your goal is LPC practice, compare the proposed curriculum with the Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners' current education rules before paying an enrollment deposit. Ask the program to explain any missing coursework and whether transfer credits will count toward both its degree and the board's requirements. Transfer acceptance by a university and acceptance of coursework for licensure are separate decisions.

Clinical counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theories, helping skills, diagnosis and assessment, ethics, multicultural counseling, research, and supervised practicum and internship. School counseling adds work tied to student development and the school setting; marriage-and-family coursework places more emphasis on relationships and family systems. Actual course titles and requirements vary by program. (Sources: Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; individual university catalogs.)

Read beyond course names. A curriculum can sound clinically relevant yet leave an applicant needing additional study for a particular credential. Request a current degree plan, identify required versus elective clinical courses, and ask which placements are approved for your intended career path.

The most consequential choice is often clinical mental health versus school counseling: these prepare students for different workplaces and credentialing systems. Louisiana options in the program set also include marriage and family counseling. Addiction counseling may appear as a focus within broader clinical training rather than as a separately titled degree, so verify what a school actually offers.

Choose a specialization by working backward from the job and credential you want. Someone seeking to counsel students in a public school should check Louisiana education credential requirements; someone planning independent clinical practice should check the LPC board. Do not choose a track solely because its courses sound interesting if it does not support the role you intend to pursue.

Start with career eligibility, then compare affordability and the probability that you can finish the program on your schedule. A ranking can narrow the field, but it cannot account for your placement location, existing earnings, or the credential you need. Use this sequence when contacting schools:

1. Name the target job and confirm its Louisiana licensing or school credential rules with the appropriate state authority.
2. Ask each program for its current degree plan, accreditation status, credential-alignment information, and policies on transfer credit.
3. Request the full expected cost and a realistic full-time or part-time completion plan, including fieldwork scheduling.
4. Ask where students secure placements, who arranges supervision, and what program-level completion and exam outcomes are available.
5. Compare expected debt, aid, time away from work, and plausible post-degree roles against your current career path.

For a broader return-on-investment screen, review the most valuable counseling programs. Value is personal: it depends on completion probability, aid, borrowing, foregone income, baseline and post-degree earnings, and how long you expect to work in the field. A common mistake is to treat a low tuition quote - or a high occupational median wage - as proof that a degree will pay off.

Graduates may pursue supervised clinical counseling roles, school counseling positions, addiction treatment work, or further training, depending on their degree and credentials. The first job after graduation may be part of a supervised path rather than independent practice. The Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners distinguishes educational preparation from the additional supervised experience and examination requirements for LPC licensure; school credentials are governed separately through Louisiana's education system. (Sources: Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners; Louisiana Department of Education.)

A master's is most compelling if it is required for the specific counseling role you want and you are willing to complete its post-degree requirements. If you mainly want a general people-focused job without clinical or school counseling responsibilities, compare roles that do not require this lengthy credential before borrowing for it.

National projections point to different levels of demand across counseling occupations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, compared with 3% for school and career counselors and advisors. That difference makes specialization an important career decision, but neither projection measures openings in a particular Louisiana parish or guarantees a job.

Local opportunity also depends on where you can complete supervision and which employers are hiring for your credential. Search current postings from health systems, community agencies, treatment providers, and school districts in the places you could realistically work. Note whether positions accept graduates working toward licensure or require an established license; confusing those two categories can produce an overly optimistic job search.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com designed its counseling rankings to give readers a more credible starting point than a list of school names alone, drawing on education databases and checking program outcomes, accreditation, eligibility for federal aid, and cost. A popularity ranking can help identify programs attracting attention, but popularity should not be mistaken for licensure fit, affordability, or a guaranteed career outcome.

Research.com's broader counseling ranking method scores program completion, employment or doctoral admission, licensure exam pass rates where applicable, CACREP programmatic accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost. In its Best ranking, the initial outcomes-and-accreditation score weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure exam results at 20%, CACREP recognition at 16%, and Title IV eligibility at 4%; inapplicable criteria are reweighted. Cost contributes about 7% of the final Best score. The same approach applies to online and campus programs, while other rankings emphasize the dimension named in their titles. Learn more about Research.com's methodology.

The following sources were used to create the ranking. Together, they support comparisons that readers can follow up with schools when a program-level detail is especially important:

• IPEDS database: institutional reporting on enrollment, completions, and prices.
• Peterson's database: information on graduate programs and institutions.
• College Scorecard database: federal information on institutions, costs, aid, and outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions.

• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Mississippi
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Arkansas
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Texas
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Alabama
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Oklahoma
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Florida
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Georgia

• 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
• Southeastern Louisiana University - Counseling, MS - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentration
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.southeastern.edu/majors-and-minors/counseling-ms-clinical-mental-health-counseling-concentration/
• Loyola University New Orleans - M.S. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  http://cnh.loyno.edu/counseling/clinical-mental-health-counseling
• Nicholls State University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.nicholls.edu/education/graduate-programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling-mcmh/
• Louisiana State University-Shreveport - M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.lsus.edu/academics/graduate-studies/master-of-science-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette - M.S. in Counselor Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://counselor.louisiana.edu/programs/mental-health-counseling