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

Pay depends on the occupation and employer, not the degree title alone. The following national figures are useful for comparing career directions, but they are not Ohio starting salaries or forecasts of an individual graduate's earnings. Wages refer to May 2025; growth projections cover 2025-2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The differences make track selection financially relevant, but these occupational groups can include workers with different credentials and experience. For a realistic decision, compare local job postings for your intended credential with the program's full cost and the earnings you would give up while studying.

The named programs should be compared first by intended credential, then by curriculum, fieldwork, delivery, and cost. The distinctions below identify useful starting points from each school's program description; verify the current catalog and ask for program-specific outcomes before treating any feature as decisive (institutional program pages).

• Xavier University: Xavier identifies a dedicated clinical mental health counseling program. Compare its placement arrangements and total private-university cost with public options if clinical practice is your goal.
• Kent State University at Kent: Kent State presents clinical mental health counseling as an M. Ed. pathway. Its education-degree structure is worth examining if you want to compare course requirements and field placements with M.A. and M.S. clinical programs.
• University of Akron Main Campus: Akron identifies a master's pathway in clinical mental health counseling. Ask where recent students completed supervised training; placement geography may matter as much as classroom location for a commuter.
• Wright State University-Main Campus: Wright State describes clinical mental health as a concentration within its M.S. in Counseling. Check the concentration's requirements specifically rather than assuming every student in the broader degree follows the same credential pathway.
• Youngstown State University: Youngstown State lists counseling within a Master of Science in Education. Confirm which track matches your intended Ohio credential before comparing its cost or timeline with dedicated clinical mental health degrees.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville: Franciscan advertises a master's in clinical mental health counseling within a Catholic university. Students interested in its educational setting should also ask how the curriculum prepares them to counsel clients across beliefs and backgrounds.
• Capital University: Capital's graduate bulletin is the place to verify its current counseling program requirements. Identify the exact degree and track first; a similarly named program is not necessarily interchangeable with a clinical-licensure pathway.
• University of Dayton: Dayton identifies its clinical mental health counseling degree as an M.S. Ed. Compare its required sequence and placement schedule with other education-based degrees if you need to continue working during study.
• Heidelberg University: Heidelberg advertises a Master of Arts in Counseling. Because that title does not specify a credential track, ask which concentrations and current course sequence support your intended Ohio license.
• Ohio University-Main Campus: Ohio University identifies a clinical mental health counseling pathway in its education offerings. Ask how students arrange supervised placements, particularly if you intend to live outside the campus area.

These are program comparisons, not a claim that one school has better clinical outcomes than another. If completion, exam, employment, or placement figures are important to you, request the same measure and reporting period from every school. For a broader outcomes-oriented comparison, consult the best counseling programs ranking.

Many full-time, licensure-oriented counseling master's programs are designed for roughly two to three years; part-time study may take longer. The exact timeline depends on the school's course sequence, summer offerings, placement availability, and whether you can complete fieldwork alongside paid employment (institutional program catalogs).

Ask for a term-by-term plan that includes practicum and internship - not just classroom courses. An accelerated academic schedule is less valuable if you cannot secure a suitable placement when it is required. Also distinguish graduation time from the additional supervised experience and licensing steps that may follow it in Ohio (Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board).

Online delivery changes where you take classes; it does not eliminate supervised clinical training. Compare programs by how they arrange placements, schedule live sessions, assess counseling skills, and support students seeking an Ohio credential (institutional program pages; Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board).

For a working adult far from campus, online coursework may reduce travel. Campus study may be easier if you value in-person skills practice or proximity to local placement contacts. Neither format is inherently better for licensure: before enrolling, obtain written confirmation that the specific track meets the educational requirements for the credential and state where you intend to practice.

There is no single reliable price for an Ohio counseling master's: published graduate tuition may be charged per credit or term and may exclude fees, books, travel, and placement-related expenses. IPEDS institution-level graduate tuition figures are useful context, but they do not necessarily equal the price of a particular counseling program (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Request each school's current program-length estimate, including required credits, fees, and any resident versus nonresident rate. Then account for lost earnings if fieldwork reduces your paid hours. Comparing these totals with the most affordable counseling programs is more useful than comparing advertised tuition rates alone; the cheapest rate may not produce the lowest total cost if a program takes longer to finish.

Start with the FAFSA and each school's graduate aid office. Potential support includes institutional scholarships or assistantships, employer tuition assistance, and eligible federal graduate loans. Eligibility and award amounts vary; ask whether aid continues through internship terms, when your capacity for paid work may change (Federal Student Aid; institutional financial aid offices).

Under federal changes effective in 2026, Graduate PLUS is generally unavailable to new graduate borrowers, while some continuing borrowers may qualify under transition rules. Check your individual eligibility with Federal Student Aid and the school rather than building a budget around that loan. Compare the aid actually offered, borrowing required, and repayment burden - not the school's sticker price alone (Federal Student Aid).

Schools generally expect an accredited bachelor's degree and an application that may include transcripts, references, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Specific GPA, prerequisite-course, and test policies vary by program; a psychology major is not a universal requirement (institutional admissions pages).

Check two separate questions before applying: whether you qualify for admission and whether the track you would enter supports your intended credential. If you have prior graduate coursework, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation. Accepted credits may reduce tuition without replacing required supervised training or a program's prescribed course sequence (institutional program catalogs; Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board).

Clinical mental health curricula commonly cover counseling theories, helping skills, assessment, diagnosis, ethics, research, group counseling, and supervised practicum and internship. School-focused study adds coursework relevant to counseling students in educational settings. Course titles alone are not enough to establish Ohio credential eligibility; the board or education agency evaluates applicable requirements (institutional program catalogs; Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce).

When comparing catalogs, look at the order of courses as well as the topics. A course offered infrequently can delay entry to fieldwork, and an appealing elective may not be available within your planned completion window.

Common directions include clinical mental health, school, addiction, rehabilitation, and marriage and family counseling. Some schools offer a named concentration within a broader counseling degree; others offer a separately titled degree. Those labels are useful for narrowing options but do not replace a review of curriculum and credential requirements (institutional program catalogs; Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce).

Choose the population and setting before choosing the program name. If you want to counsel pupils in schools, investigate school-credential preparation. If you want a clinical counselor license, investigate that route's coursework and supervised-training requirements. Switching tracks late can mean extra courses or a different placement.

The right investment is the program that offers a credible route to your credential at a manageable total cost and schedule. Popularity can show where students enroll, but it cannot establish personal fit, completion likelihood, or return on investment. Use the most valuable counseling programs ranking as another comparison point, then test its conclusions against your circumstances.

Before paying an enrollment deposit, ask each finalist the same questions:

1. Which Ohio credential does this exact degree and concentration prepare students to pursue, and what requirements remain after graduation?
2. What is the current programmatic accreditation status, and how does it affect the credential I want?
3. What will the entire degree cost after confirmed aid, fees, travel, and any reduction in paid work?
4. Who arranges supervised placements, where have students completed them, and what happens if a placement falls through?
5. What are the program-specific completion and applicable licensure-exam results, and which cohort and year do they describe?

A common mistake is to treat an institutional accreditation claim, an online-format label, or a ranking position as proof of licensure eligibility. Verify accreditation through the relevant accreditor and credential requirements through the Ohio licensing authority. To judge return on investment, also consider your current earnings, expected post-degree role, borrowing, completion probability, time out of the workforce, and how long you expect to work in the field.

A clinical mental health track can lead toward agency counseling and, after meeting applicable licensing requirements, other clinical roles. School counseling, addiction services, rehabilitation counseling, and marriage and family work follow different preparation or credential paths. The degree opens a route to these careers; it does not itself grant a license or guarantee a job (Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce).

If you are changing careers, identify the job title you want first and read Ohio postings for its required credential. Then ask programs to show how their graduates move toward that requirement. If your goal does not involve providing counseling, a related nonclinical degree may offer a shorter or less costly route.

National demand is strongest in some counseling specialties, not uniformly across the profession. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors. These are national occupational projections, not forecasts of Ohio vacancies or a promise that new graduates will find work quickly.

For an Ohio job search, compare postings in the areas where you are willing to live, separating positions open to newly credentialed counselors from those requiring independent clinical licensure or experience. That distinction helps you choose placements and electives that support an attainable first job rather than planning solely around a later-career role.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com developed its counseling rankings to help readers compare programs using documented institutional and program information rather than reputation alone. Its review draws on multiple sources and considers graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam results, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost. A popularity ranking answers a different question from a best-value or outcomes-focused ranking; use it as a starting point, not proof that a program fits your goals.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

• IPEDS database, for institution-reported education data.
• Peterson's database, for program and institution information.
• College Scorecard database, for federal institution-level information.
• National Center for Education Statistics, for federal education data and definitions.

For context, Research.com's Best counseling ranking first combines program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, CACREP accreditation, and institutional Title IV eligibility; cost has a smaller role in its final score. Criteria that do not apply are reweighted, and the same approach applies to online and campus programs. Other rankings order programs by the dimension named in their title. Readers can review further details on Research.com's methodology. Because published data may describe different reporting periods, confirm current tuition, accreditation, and outcomes with each school before applying.

• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Indiana
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Pennsylvania
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Michigan
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Virginia
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Carolina
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri
• 2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Maryland

• 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/
• O*NET OnLine - Mental Health Counselors (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• Xavier University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.xavier.edu/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Kent State University at Kent - Clinical Mental Health Counseling - M. Ed.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.kent.edu/ehs/ldes/ces/clinical-mental-health-counseling-med
• University of Akron Main Campus - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, MA
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.uakron.edu/soc/masters/cmhc/
• Wright State University-Main Campus - Master of Science in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Concentration
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://health-education-human-services.wright.edu/human-services/master-of-science-in-counseling-clinical-mental-health-concentration
• Youngstown State University - M.S. Ed. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.ysu.edu/graduate/graduate-programs/master-science-education-counseling/