2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Dakota

Use occupational wages as a benchmark, not a graduate salary forecast. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a May 2025 U.S. median annual wage of $59,350 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors. Its median for school and career counselors was $64,330. These national occupation-wide figures include workers at different experience levels and do not isolate North Dakota master's graduates.

Your offer can depend on setting, location, experience, licensure status, and whether a role follows a school salary schedule. Before borrowing against an expected income, compare actual openings in the community where you intend to work and ask employers which credential they require at hiring versus after supervised experience.

The most useful comparison is by career pathway and training arrangement, not school name alone. These program-specific distinctions show which questions to take to admissions staff; verify current credit requirements, placement arrangements, and accreditation directly before applying.

• University of Mary, M.S. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling: The program pairs a clinical mental health curriculum with an online program option, according to the University of Mary. It merits a close look from working adults who need remote coursework, provided they can meet any in-person training and supervised-placement requirements where they live.
• University of Mary, M.S. in Counseling - School Counseling: This is the school-focused option within Mary's counseling offerings, according to the University of Mary. It better fits applicants aiming to work with K-12 students than those seeking a clinical therapy license; confirm how its field experience fits your school district and intended state credential.
• North Dakota State University, clinical mental health counseling master's: NDSU identifies this as a dedicated clinical mental health counseling pathway rather than a school-counseling track, according to its counselor education program. Fargo-area applicants should compare its supervised clinical-placement arrangements with the travel and scheduling demands of remote options.
• North Dakota State University, school counseling master's: NDSU's separate school counseling pathway aligns training with school-based work, according to its counselor education program. For applicants who want to build connections with schools near Fargo, the decisive question is how its field placements and credential preparation compare with an online school-counseling option.

These distinctions do not establish that one program has better outcomes. Request each program's current handbook, total credit requirement, placement policies, and applicable accreditation status before making a final comparison.

Plan on about two to three years of full-time study for a counseling master's; part-time enrollment generally takes longer. The schedule depends on course sequencing and when you can complete supervised fieldwork. A shorter advertised coursework timeline is not necessarily the date you can finish an internship - or begin independent practice.

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing required courses, practicum and internship terms, and any campus visits. If you are employed, check whether placement hours conflict with your workday. After graduation, a clinical licensure pathway can involve additional supervised experience and examinations under North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners rules; build that period into your career timeline rather than treating graduation as the endpoint.

Online typically describes course delivery, not a fully remote path to becoming a counselor. Students in either format must develop practical skills and complete supervised training. A campus-based program can simplify access to faculty and nearby placement networks; online coursework can reduce commuting for a student outside Fargo or Bismarck, but it may shift more responsibility to arranging local field experience.

Choose by the parts of the program you cannot easily change: scheduled live classes, required visits, placement support, and credential eligibility. An online program based in North Dakota is not automatically suitable for licensure in another state. Ask the program for written guidance on the state where you intend to practice before paying a deposit.

There is no single reliable statewide price for a counseling master's: total cost changes with credits, residency classification, institution, fees, and time to completion. Compare each school's current total program estimate, not just its advertised per-credit tuition. At a public university, confirm whether you qualify for resident or another applicable tuition rate; do not assume the rate shown for undergraduates applies to graduate counseling students.

Budget for books, travel to placements, potential reduced work hours, and later credential-related expenses. The most affordable counseling programs can help you identify options to price out, but the lowest tuition is not necessarily the lowest total cost if completion takes longer or requires more travel. Request an itemized estimate based on your actual enrollment plan.

Start with the FAFSA and each university's graduate funding office. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans may be available to eligible graduate students; teaching or research assistantships, employer tuition assistance, institutional awards, and eligible state or professional scholarships may reduce borrowing. Availability varies by program, and a school's participation in federal aid does not mean every student or expense qualifies, according to Federal Student Aid.

Federal graduate borrowing rules are changing for students entering in 2027. Do not build a financing plan around receiving a Graduate PLUS Loan without checking current Federal Student Aid eligibility and any transition provisions that apply to your enrollment and borrowing history. Ask the aid office for a written, term-by-term funding estimate, then compare the projected debt with the jobs you would realistically pursue.

Applicants generally need a completed bachelor's degree and must meet the chosen university's graduate admissions standards. Programs may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or preparation in areas such as psychology. Requirements can differ between clinical and school counseling, so use the current program application checklist rather than a university-wide admissions summary.

If your undergraduate degree is outside behavioral science or education, ask whether prerequisite courses are required and whether they add a term of study. Also ask whether previously completed graduate courses can transfer into the specific counseling program; acceptance by the university does not necessarily mean a course satisfies a supervised-training or credential requirement.

Common subjects include counseling theories, interviewing and helping skills, ethics, human development, assessment, research, and multicultural counseling. Clinical mental health students should expect preparation related to diagnosis and treatment; school counseling students should expect coursework connecting counseling to school systems and student development. Both paths include supervised practice, but their approved sites and learning goals differ.

Read the actual course sequence for gaps relevant to your goal. For example, someone pursuing clinical licensure should not assume that a school-focused course with a similar title fulfills the North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners' education requirements. Ask the program to map its curriculum to the intended credential.

The clearest choice among the highlighted programs is clinical mental health versus school counseling. Choose clinical mental health if your intended work is therapy or behavioral health treatment, while recognizing that graduation is only one step toward professional licensure. Choose school counseling if your goal is supporting students in K-12 settings and you are prepared to meet the applicable school-credential rules.

Interests such as addiction counseling or working with particular age groups may be developed through electives and placements, but do not assume every program offers a named concentration in them. If you want marriage and family therapy or another separately regulated profession, confirm that a general counseling degree is an appropriate education route before enrolling.

Start with the job and credential, then work backward to the program. The best counseling programs are useful comparison candidates, but a ranking cannot tell you whether a school's schedule, placements, and curriculum fit your circumstances.

Use these checks to avoid the most expensive mismatches:

1. Name the North Dakota credential - or another state's credential - you intend to pursue, and ask the relevant board or state agency what education it requires.
2. Ask the program for its current accreditation status, curriculum-to-credential guidance, required fieldwork, and policy for finding and approving placements.
3. Compare written total-cost and completion plans, including aid, travel, lost work time, and any courses you would need before admission.
4. Request program-level completion and applicable exam-outcome information, including its reporting period, rather than treating institution-wide figures as counseling outcomes.

A major red flag is an assurance that "online" or "accredited" automatically means you can practice anywhere. Verify the particular program and credential pathway. A degree is most likely to be a worthwhile investment when it is necessary for your target work, you can complete its fieldwork, and its likely costs fit your financial plan.

A clinical mental health track can lead toward supervised clinical counseling roles and, after meeting applicable requirements, professional counselor licensure. A school track points toward school counselor positions and their separate credential requirements. Some graduates may instead seek roles in behavioral health coordination or student support, where employers set different qualification standards. The North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners and the relevant state education authority should be the final references for credential requirements.

Compare the most valuable counseling programs alongside your likely employment path, not just a national wage figure. A realistic return-on-investment comparison considers aid and debt, time away from earnings, the probability of finishing, your current income, possible post-degree income, and how long you expect to work in the field. A certificate or shorter training route may make more sense if your target role does not require a counseling master's.

National demand differs by specialty. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% U.S. employment growth from 2025 to 2035 for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, compared with 3% for school and career counselors. These are national occupational projections, not forecasts of North Dakota openings or promises of a job for a graduate.

For a local decision, search current openings in the communities where you could live, and separate positions open to graduates under supervision from those requiring an established license. School hiring may be tied to district budgets and vacancies; clinical opportunities may be spread across agencies and health systems. If you cannot relocate, the availability of both an approved internship and suitable post-graduation jobs near home should carry substantial weight in your program choice.

Investing in a master's degree is a consequential decision. Research.com developed its counseling rankings to make program comparisons more transparent, using multiple education datasets and checking indicators related to outcomes, accreditation, eligibility for federal aid, and cost. Popularity can help identify programs attracting student interest, but it should not be mistaken for a measure of licensure fit or personal value.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

• IPEDS database: institutional enrollment, completions, and other reported education data.
• Peterson's database: program and institutional information used in comparisons.
• College Scorecard database: federal institutional and student-outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics: federal education data and definitions.

Research.com's broader counseling framework considers program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam results, CACREP recognition, federal Title IV eligibility, and cost; individual rankings are ordered by the dimension named in their title. The benefit for readers is a structured starting point, not a substitute for checking a program's current curriculum, price, and eligibility for their intended credential. See Research.com's methodology for more on how the rankings are created.

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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
• University of Mary - Master of Science in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://online.umary.edu/academics/masters-doctoral-programs/master-science-counseling-clinical-mental-health-counseling
• University of Mary - Master of Science in Counseling, School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://online.umary.edu/academics/masters-doctoral-programs/master-science-counseling-school-counseling
• North Dakota State University-Main Campus - Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Master's)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.ndsu.edu/ceduc/degree_programs/clinical_mental_health_counseling_masters
• North Dakota State University-Main Campus - School Counseling (Master's)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.ndsu.edu/ceduc/degree_programs/school_counseling_masters