2027 Most Popular Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in the South

There is no single "counseling master's salary." The table compares national occupational medians from May 2025 and national employment projections for 2025-2035; neither is a Southern starting salary or a forecast for an individual graduate (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

These differences make career target more useful than a school-wide earnings claim. Compare local job postings for the credential and experience level you would have after graduation; private-practice income, school salary schedules, and entry-level agency pay need not resemble a national occupational median.

These programs illustrate different choices within the regional field. Their program pages establish the degree direction or delivery described below, but do not provide a common, comparable set of completion, placement, and cost figures; request those figures directly before treating any feature as an outcome advantage (respective university program and catalog pages).

• Liberty University: Its online school counseling master's is directed toward a school-based role rather than clinical mental health practice. It merits consideration if remote coursework is essential, provided Liberty confirms that its fieldwork arrangements and curriculum fit the state where you intend to seek a school credential.
• Troy University: Troy's catalog presents a defined counseling program rather than a general university-wide graduate offering. Use its catalog requirements to check the exact degree and track before comparing it with clinical or school counseling options; that distinction determines which licensing questions to ask.
• The University of Texas at San Antonio: UTSA explicitly offers a clinical mental health counseling master's. It is a more direct option for someone targeting the Texas professional counselor pathway than a school counseling degree, subject to confirmation against current Texas board requirements.
• Johns Hopkins University: Its MS in Counseling is housed in the School of Education. Applicants should confirm the specific counseling pathway and its placement expectations rather than assuming that the school's name indicates a K-12-only qualification.
• University of North Texas: UNT places clinical mental health counseling within its College of Education. That named clinical pathway helps applicants distinguish it from school-focused education degrees when comparing Texas programs.
• Mercer University: Mercer identifies clinical mental health counseling within its graduate and professional counseling offerings. This is worth examining for applicants seeking a clinical route in Georgia, with particular attention to how the program coordinates supervised placements.
• Divine Mercy University: Divine Mercy offers an MS in Counseling. Applicants interested in its stated educational approach should compare the actual curriculum, supervised training, and intended licensing states against secular or differently structured options.
• Sam Houston State University: Its MA in Counseling appears in the graduate catalog under counselor education. The catalog is the useful starting point for checking the degree's current course and fieldwork requirements against a specific Texas credential.
• University of West Alabama: UWA advertises an online MEd in School Counseling. Its school-specific degree and remote coursework may suit working educators, but prospective students still need to verify placement arrangements and certification eligibility in their state.
• University of Central Florida: UCF identifies clinical mental health counseling as a track within its Counselor Education MA. Applicants seeking clinical practice should compare that track's requirements - not the requirements of the MA in general - with Florida's current licensing rules.

For another view of program quality, compare Research.com's best counseling programs with each school's current disclosures. Ask for program-level completion, licensure-exam, and placement information with the reporting year attached.

Plan on roughly two to three years of full-time study for a counseling master's; part-time study generally takes longer. The precise timeline depends on the required courses, when they are offered, and whether a practicum or internship must follow earlier coursework (university program catalogs).

An accelerated schedule is useful only if it leaves room to complete required supervised hours. Before choosing one, ask whether placements can be completed near home, during evenings, or alongside paid work. Also ask whether previously earned graduate credits are accepted: a transfer-credit allowance does not necessarily waive program-specific clinical training or shorten the placement calendar.

Online usually describes course delivery, not an entirely remote route to practice. Both formats can require in-person client contact, supervised placements, and occasional scheduled meetings. A campus program may make local placement coordination easier; an online program may let a student keep a job or remain in an underserved area while studying (university program descriptions).

Choose by asking where you will practice. If you live outside the university's state, get written confirmation that the school admits students in your location, can support a qualifying placement there, and has assessed its curriculum against your intended state's educational requirements. Do not mistake a program's institutional accreditation, online availability, or CACREP status for an automatic license (state licensing boards; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

There is no defensible single price for a Southern counseling master's: published tuition differs by institution, credit load, residency status, and delivery format. IPEDS reports institutional tuition and fees, but an institution-wide graduate figure is not necessarily the price of its counseling program (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS). Request a program-specific estimate before using any average to set a borrowing target.

Compare total expected cost: required credits multiplied by applicable tuition, mandatory fees, placement travel, books, and any income lost while completing fieldwork. Public in-state tuition may help a resident, but a lower per-credit price can lose its advantage if a program requires more credits or limits work during placements. Research.com's most affordable counseling programs can start a price comparison; obtain each school's current written estimate to finish it.

Check graduate assistantships, institutional scholarships, employer tuition benefits, and any state or local support tied to school or behavioral health workforce needs. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans may be available to eligible graduate students who submit the FAFSA; scholarships and assistantships can reduce borrowing without creating repayment obligations (Federal Student Aid; individual institutions).

Do not build a financing plan around presumed Graduate PLUS access. Under federal rules effective in 2026, new graduate borrowers generally cannot take out Graduate PLUS loans; limited transitional eligibility may apply to qualifying continuing students. Ask the financial aid office to confirm your eligibility under current Federal Student Aid rules before paying an enrollment deposit (Federal Student Aid; U.S. Department of Education).

For return on investment, compare aid-adjusted debt, time out of work, likelihood of completion, your current earnings, plausible earnings in the intended role, and the time over which you expect to work. Research.com's most valuable counseling programs offers another comparison, but no ranking can determine your personal payoff.

Programs commonly require a bachelor's degree, transcripts, recommendations, and a statement explaining the applicant's counseling goals; interviews or prerequisite coursework vary by school (university admissions pages). A prior counseling degree is not necessarily required, making the master's a possible career-change route.

Check admissions requirements separately from eventual credential requirements. For example, a school counseling applicant should ask both whether prior teaching experience is needed for admission and whether the intended state requires it for the school credential; these are different questions. Clinical applicants should confirm the state board's degree, accreditation, supervised-experience, and examination requirements before assuming admission puts them on a viable licensing path (state education agencies and licensing boards).

Common subjects include counseling theories, helping relationships, assessment, ethics, research, group counseling, and multicultural counseling, followed by supervised practicum and internship experiences. Clinical tracks may emphasize diagnosis and treatment planning; school tracks may emphasize student development and counseling in educational settings (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; university curricula).

When comparing course lists, look beyond similar titles. Ask whether the required courses cover the educational content specified by your intended state board and whether any missing content would require extra study after graduation.

The most consequential choice is often between clinical mental health and school counseling: they point toward different workplaces and state credentials. Other programs may focus on addiction, rehabilitation, or marriage, couple, and family work. A concentration's name alone does not establish eligibility for a particular license (state licensing boards; university catalogs).

Choose the specialization backward from the job you want. Someone seeking K-12 school employment should investigate school counselor credentials; someone seeking independent clinical practice should investigate the state's professional counselor or other relevant clinical license. If you are undecided, ask whether switching tracks would extend graduation or require different field placements.

Start with the state and role in which you intend to work, then compare programs that can credibly support that path. This sequence prevents a popular or inexpensive degree from becoming an expensive mismatch.

1. Verify the credential: Read the intended state board's current education rules and ask the program for a written explanation of how its degree meets them.
2. Check accreditation precisely: Confirm institutional accreditation and, where relevant to your goal or state, the status of the specific program with CACREP; do not assume one substitutes for the other.
3. Test placement feasibility: Ask who finds supervisors, where students may complete hours, and whether the schedule works with your employment.
4. Compare full costs and results: Request current tuition and fee estimates plus dated program-level completion and licensure-exam information where available.
5. Confirm transfer and state authorization rules: Get written answers about accepted credits and, for online study, eligibility to enroll and complete placements where you live.

A red flag is a promise that a degree "leads to licensure" without naming the state, license, and remaining supervised-experience or examination steps. Treat rankings as a shortlist, then resolve those specifics before committing.

A graduate may pursue an entry-level supervised clinical role, a school counseling position if appropriately credentialed, or work in a specialty such as rehabilitation or addiction counseling. Independent clinical practice generally comes later, after state-required postgraduate supervision and examinations; a master's diploma by itself does not confer that status (state licensing boards; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The degree is a stronger investment for someone committed to a role that requires this training and willing to complete the credentialing sequence. If your goal is broadly to work in human services rather than to counsel clients or students, compare jobs you can enter with your existing degree before paying for a licensure-oriented master's.

National projections point to substantially different demand by specialty: employment for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). These are U.S. occupation projections, not guaranteed openings in a particular Southern city.

Search the market where you expect to live. Compare postings by license, employer, pay range, and supervision offered; a clinical role requiring an independent license is not an immediate option for a new graduate who still needs supervised experience. Students considering relocation across Southern states should check both job availability and whether their intended license can be obtained there.

Education is a substantial investment, so Research.com evaluates counseling programs using multiple sources rather than relying on institutional descriptions alone. The team checks graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam results, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost; readers can use the ranking to identify programs for closer investigation, not as a substitute for checking state licensure fit.

For the Best ranking, completion accounts for 40% of the initial graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score; employment or doctoral admission and applicable licensure-exam results account for 20% each, CACREP recognition for 16%, and institutional Title IV eligibility for 4%. Inapplicable criteria are renormalized. Cost contributes about 7% of the final Best score. Online and campus programs use the same method; other rankings order programs by their named dimension. A "Most Popular" designation should not be read as a claim that a program has the strongest outcomes. Research.com provides further details in its ranking methodology.

Research.com uses the following data sources to check program and institutional information:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completions, and cost information.
• Peterson's database - program and institution information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional and student-outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education statistics and definitions.

• 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
• Liberty University - M. Ed. in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.liberty.edu/online/behavioral-sciences/masters/school-counseling/
• Troy University - Master of Science in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.troy.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=6&poid=1154&returnto=232
• The University of Texas at San Antonio - Master of Science (MS) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://future.utsa.edu/programs/master/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Johns Hopkins University - Master of Science in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://education.jhu.edu/masters-programs/ms-in-counseling/
• University of North Texas - M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://coe.unt.edu/academics/clinical-mental-health-counseling/index.html