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

Pay depends on occupation, setting, experience, and credential - not simply on holding the master's degree. The table uses the latest national BLS figures specified for these occupations: May 2025 median annual wages and 2025-2035 employment projections. It is useful for comparing career directions, but it does not represent Missouri starting pay or earnings for graduates of any school (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

For an investment decision, compare likely pay in the specific jobs and locations you would pursue with your current earnings. Also account for the time between graduation and any independently licensed role. A national occupational median should not be used as an expected first salary.

These program options are most useful when compared by intended credential, degree structure, location, and learning environment. The distinctions below come from the schools' published program descriptions; confirm current credits, fieldwork, accreditation status, and outcomes directly before applying (institutional program pages).

• Missouri State University-Springfield, clinical mental health counseling: Its dedicated clinical track gives applicants a way to focus their comparison on preparation for counseling clients rather than school certification. It is a logical option to investigate if you want clinical training in Springfield; ask how its current coursework maps to Missouri's professional counselor requirements.
• Missouri Baptist University, MA in clinical mental health counseling: This is a clinical-focused MA at a private university in the St. Louis area. For applicants comparing local clinical programs, its published curriculum and complete tuition-and-fee estimate are more useful decision points than the MA designation alone.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in clinical mental health counseling: UMSL offers the clinical path as an MEd, a different degree designation from several MA and MS options here. Students interested in the St. Louis clinical job market should verify its placement arrangements and licensure-aligned coursework rather than assume the MEd title indicates school counseling.
• Missouri State University-Springfield, school counseling: This separate school counseling track provides a clearer starting point for applicants targeting school-based work than the university's clinical track. Check its current relationship to Missouri school counselor certification and the availability of school field placements.
• Covenant Theological Seminary, Master of Arts in Counseling: A seminary setting is a meaningful distinction for students who want to examine how counseling education and faith-based study fit together. If your goal is a state-regulated clinical role, compare its current curriculum and accreditation against Missouri's licensing requirements independently of that institutional fit.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in school counseling: This named school track lets applicants distinguish educator-facing preparation from UMSL's clinical MEd. It may suit prospective school counselors seeking a St. Louis-area option, provided its current fieldwork and coursework match the certification route they need.
• University of Central Missouri, MS in Counseling: The MS title calls for a closer look at the program's available paths rather than an assumption that every student follows the same credential route. Ask which published plan applies to your goal and where required supervised experiences can be completed.
• Evangel University, MS in clinical mental health counseling: Evangel's clinical MS gives Springfield-area applicants another degree structure to compare with Missouri State's clinical option. Examine the two programs' current fieldwork schedules, costs, and stated licensure preparation before choosing on institutional setting alone.
• Evangel University, MS in school counseling: This explicitly school-focused MS is the relevant Evangel option for applicants considering school counselor roles. Compare its certification guidance and school placement process with other school tracks, rather than using clinical-program information to judge it.
• University of Central Missouri, MS in Counseling: For students considering UCM alongside programs with separately titled clinical and school degrees, the key comparison is the specific UCM study plan they would enter. Request written confirmation of the courses, fieldwork, and intended credential for that plan before comparing total costs.

Popularity and program fit answer different questions. Readers who want a broader quality comparison can also consult the best counseling programs, then verify the current details that matter to their own career path.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about 2-3 years; part-time enrollment can take longer. The binding constraint is often the sequence of prerequisites, practicum, and internship rather than classroom credits alone. Programs may offer evening or online classes while still requiring supervised work at approved sites during hours set by those sites (institutional program curricula).

Ask for a term-by-term plan that shows when fieldwork begins and whether required courses are offered every term. An accelerated schedule makes sense if you can reliably meet placement hours; a slower schedule may be safer if you work full time. Compare lost earnings or reduced work hours along with tuition when judging which timeline is affordable.

Online delivery can reduce commuting and widen access for students far from a campus, but it does not eliminate in-person supervised training. Campus delivery may make scheduled skills practice and local placement coordination easier, though it can add travel or relocation costs. Neither format automatically qualifies a graduate for Missouri licensure or certification; curriculum and credential requirements still govern (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

Before enrolling online, get answers in writing about residency or campus visits, who secures field placements, whether a placement near your home is permitted, and which state's requirements the program is designed to address. That check is especially important if you live in Missouri but attend a school based elsewhere.

There is no single defensible Missouri-wide average price for a counseling master's: schools set different per-credit rates and fees, programs vary in length, and residency or delivery rules may change the bill. NCES/IPEDS publishes graduate tuition and fee data at the institution level, which should not be mistaken for the total cost of a particular counseling program (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Request each school's current total-program estimate, including required credits, university and course fees, books, travel to placements, and any costs tied to reduced work hours. Check public-university residency rules rather than assuming that a Missouri address automatically secures a particular rate. Use the most affordable counseling programs as a shortlist, then compare what you would actually pay through completion.

Eligible graduate students may use federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, subject to federal limits, and may be considered for institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition assistance, or qualifying outside awards. Federal loan eligibility and terms should be checked for the year you enroll; a school's participation in federal aid does not mean every student or expense is covered (Federal Student Aid).

Submit the FAFSA, then request a written aid estimate from each program. Compare grants and assistantships separately from loans, and ask whether an assistantship is compatible with internship scheduling. Do not budget for a Missouri grant designed for undergraduates without confirming graduate eligibility with its administrator (Federal Student Aid; Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development).

Programs generally require a completed bachelor's degree and an application with academic records; individual schools may also request references, a statement of purpose, an interview, or particular prior coursework. A bachelor's in psychology is not universally required. Check the current admissions page for each program, especially if you are changing fields or need to establish graduate-transfer-credit eligibility (institutional admissions pages).

Admission is not the same as eligibility for a later credential. For clinical counseling, check Missouri's educational rules with the Committee for Professional Counselors; for school counseling, check the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's certification rules. If you already hold a graduate credential, ask both the school and the relevant authority which previous courses, if any, can count. Transfer acceptance can shorten study, but it should never be presumed (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

Common subjects include counseling theories, ethics, assessment, human development, multicultural counseling, research, and supervised skills practice. Clinical tracks generally add diagnosis and treatment-related study; school tracks emphasize counseling within educational systems. Practicum and internship connect classroom work to supervised service, but their timing and approved settings differ by program (institutional program curricula).

When comparing course catalogs, check substance as well as titles. A course named "assessment" may not establish that a program meets every educational requirement for your intended Missouri credential. Request a program-to-requirement mapping from an advisor and confirm any uncertainty with the relevant state authority before committing.

Clinical mental health and school counseling are the clearest program distinctions in this comparison. Some students also seek focused preparation for addiction, couples and families, or rehabilitation work, but an elective or emphasis is not necessarily a separate license or certification. Verify the actual track name, required courses, and placement settings at each school (institutional program pages; Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors).

Choose by the people and setting you want to serve. If you want to counsel K-12 students within schools, start with school counselor certification requirements. If you want to provide clinical counseling, start with the professional counselor pathway. If your target is a different regulated profession, compare that profession's qualifying degrees before paying for a counseling specialization.

The strongest choice is the program that supports your intended credential at a cost and pace you can sustain - not necessarily the most popular or lowest-priced option. Use this sequence to turn a shortlist into a decision:

1. Name the exact job and state where you intend to work, then check its official license or certification rules.
2. Ask each school for written confirmation of the relevant track's curriculum, current accreditation status, fieldwork requirements, and placement responsibilities.
3. Compare total costs after aid, including fees, travel, required time away from work, and any extra term needed to finish.
4. Request recent, clearly defined program-level completion, exam, and employment outcomes where available; ask what period and student group each figure covers.
5. Check how the schedule, transfer-credit policy, and likely time to completion fit your circumstances before paying a deposit.

A common mistake is treating institutional accreditation, programmatic CACREP accreditation, and Missouri credential approval as the same thing. They answer different questions; confirm each one that matters for your goal with the accreditor, school, or state authority. To weigh cost against outcomes, consult the most valuable counseling programs while remembering that personal return also depends on debt, completion probability, current earnings, post-degree earnings, and time spent out of the workforce.

A master's may support a supervised clinical counseling role, a later independently licensed clinical role, or a school counseling role, depending on the program and subsequent credential requirements. Addiction treatment and rehabilitation settings may offer additional directions, but employers can require specialized experience or credentials. Completing a degree does not itself grant a Missouri license or school certification (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

Plan backward from your preferred job posting. Note its required credential, supervision status, and setting, then ask whether a program's graduates have pursued that route. This is more reliable than choosing a broad counseling degree first and hoping to resolve a credential mismatch after graduation.

National demand is strongest among the counseling occupations listed here for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: BLS projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035. That projection describes the United States, not the number of openings available to a new graduate in a particular Missouri community (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

For a local reality check, review current postings in the area where you expect to live and separate jobs open to provisionally credentialed applicants from those requiring independent licensure. Compare the settings available near a program's field sites with where you ultimately want to work. Demand can make the degree attractive, but it does not remove the need to complete supervised training or meet an employer's specific requirements.

Graduate education is a substantial investment, so Research.com evaluates counseling programs using multiple sources rather than relying on a school's description alone. The team checks program outcomes, licensure exam pass rates where applicable, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost. The Most Popular ranking orders programs by its named dimension; popularity should be a starting point for comparison, not a substitute for checking whether a program fits your intended credential.

The ranking draws on the following databases, which help the team check the quality, credibility, and accuracy of its comparisons:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completions, and cost information.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional data, including aid and outcomes information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - education statistics and definitions used to interpret institutional data.

For context, Research.com's Best counseling ranking first combines completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable licensure exam pass rates (20%), CACREP accreditation (16%), and Title IV eligibility (4%). Shares are adjusted when a criterion does not apply; cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. Other rankings order programs by their named dimension. Readers can find more detail on Research.com's methodology. Use the rankings to build a shortlist, then confirm current program-level facts 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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Missouri State University-Springfield - Master of Science in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.missouristate.edu/SMHBS/Counseling/GradCounseling/clinical.htm
• Missouri Baptist University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mobap.edu/majors-programs/master-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• University of Missouri-St Louis - Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.umsl.edu/degrees/masters/med-clinical-mental-health-counseling.html
• Missouri State University-Springfield - M.S. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.missouristate.edu/SMHBS/Counseling/GradCounseling/school-counseling.htm
• Covenant Theological Seminary - Master of Arts in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.covenantseminary.edu/mac