2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Missouri

Pay depends more on occupation, setting, experience, and location than on a degree label. The table shows U.S. occupational medians for May 2025, not starting salaries or Missouri-specific graduate outcomes; the figures are useful for comparing possible career directions, not forecasting an individual offer (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook).

For an investment decision, ask programs for recent outcomes relevant to your track, then compare likely post-degree earnings with your current earnings, borrowing, time out of work, and the supervised experience still needed after graduation. A national occupational median does not show what a particular Missouri program's alumni earn.

The programs below differ most clearly in credential target, degree structure, institution, and location. Published credit totals, placement arrangements, accreditation status, and outcomes should be confirmed directly with each program for the year you plan to enter; a shared career label does not establish identical requirements.

• Missouri State University-Springfield, clinical mental health counseling: This is the clinical route within Missouri State's graduate counseling offerings, rather than its school-counseling route (Missouri State University). It is the option to investigate if professional clinical licensure - not educator certification - is your goal; ask how the current curriculum maps to Missouri's licensing rules.
• Missouri Baptist University, MA in clinical mental health counseling: Its named credential is a Master of Arts focused on clinical mental health counseling (Missouri Baptist University). Applicants comparing it with public-university options should request a complete program-cost estimate and details of approved clinical placements, not compare tuition alone.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in clinical mental health counseling: UMSL offers a clinical counseling route under a Master of Education degree title (University of Missouri-St. Louis). The title should not be mistaken for a school-counselor credential; its fit depends on the clinical curriculum and the licensure pathway it supports.
• Missouri State University-Springfield, school counseling: This route is explicitly school-focused rather than clinical (Missouri State University). Students aiming for school employment should verify its current Missouri certification alignment and school-site fieldwork before choosing it over a clinical track.
• Covenant Theological Seminary, MA in Counseling: The program is housed in a theological seminary, a meaningful setting difference from the university-based choices (Covenant Theological Seminary). Review its curriculum and training environment alongside Missouri licensure requirements to decide whether both fit your goals.
• University of Missouri-St. Louis, MEd in school counseling: UMSL identifies this MEd specifically as a school-counseling program, distinct from its clinical MEd (University of Missouri-St. Louis). It merits a closer look if you want a St. Louis-area route toward school counseling; confirm certification eligibility and where school placements occur.
• University of Central Missouri, MS in Counseling: UCM awards a Master of Science in Counseling rather than the MA or MEd titles offered by several alternatives here (University of Central Missouri). Ask which current emphasis and coursework apply to your intended Missouri credential; the MS title by itself does not answer that question.
• Evangel University, MS in clinical mental health counseling: Evangel identifies a clinical mental health route at the master's level (Evangel University). Compare its clinical-site arrangements and total cost with Springfield-area alternatives if remaining in that area matters to you.
• Evangel University, MS in school counseling: Evangel separately identifies a school-counseling MS, so applicants need not treat its clinical route as preparation for the same job (Evangel University). Ask how the school-specific curriculum and placements lead toward Missouri educator certification.
• University of Central Missouri, MS in Counseling: UCM's program is presented as a Counseling MS rather than as separate degrees titled clinical mental health counseling and school counseling (University of Central Missouri). Before applying, obtain the current plan of study for the particular career route you want and compare it course by course with that credential's requirements.

These are program distinctions, not a claim that any one option has a better completion rate, licensure outcome, or price. For a different comparison of the field, see Missouri's best counseling programs.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study can take longer. The actual timeline depends on the program's course sequence, available field sites, and whether an internship extends across academic terms. Ask for a sample plan for your intended enrollment pace rather than assuming an advertised minimum applies to working students.

Graduation is not necessarily the end of the timeline. Missouri professional counseling licensure involves requirements beyond the degree, including supervised experience and examination requirements administered through the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors. School-counselor applicants should instead confirm DESE's certification process. If speed matters, compare the time to the credential you need, not just the time to a diploma.

Online coursework may make study more feasible for someone who cannot regularly commute to St. Louis, Springfield, or another campus. It does not eliminate supervised fieldwork: the practical question is whether a program will approve an accessible placement and qualified supervisor where you live. On-campus study may simplify access to local faculty and placement networks, but commuting and scheduled attendance can add costs.

For either format, ask whether any courses require live attendance, whether placements can be completed near home, and who secures the site. An online program based outside Missouri deserves an additional check against Missouri's licensing or DESE certification requirements. Format alone does not establish eligibility, and a program's general accreditation should not be confused with programmatic counseling accreditation (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

There is no single dependable price for a Missouri counseling degree: bachelor's and master's programs, residency classifications, credit requirements, and institutional charges differ. IPEDS reports institutional tuition and fees, but an institutional figure is not automatically the total cost of a particular counseling master's (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS). Use each school's current graduate tuition schedule and program plan to calculate a comparable estimate instead of relying on an unverified statewide average.

Include required credits, mandatory fees, books, travel to field sites, and any lost work hours during placements. At public universities, check whether your residency changes the quoted rate; at private nonprofit institutions, compare the price after grants or institutional aid. The most affordable counseling programs are a useful shortlist, but a lower sticker price may not mean a lower total cost if completion takes longer.

Start with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and each school's graduate-aid office. Depending on eligibility and program rules, funding may include federal graduate loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition benefits, or aid tied to a qualifying service commitment. Confirm whether a Missouri state-aid program covers your degree level; many awards have eligibility restrictions (Federal Student Aid; Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development).

Federal borrowing rules matter especially for students planning to begin in 2027. Graduate PLUS is generally unavailable to new graduate borrowers for periods beginning July 1, 2026, or later; a limited transition may apply to students who were already enrolled in the same program and received a qualifying Direct Loan before that date, subject to time limits. Ask the aid office to confirm your eligibility and financing gap rather than assuming older Graduate PLUS guidance still applies (Federal Student Aid).

Compare aid offers using the amount you must repay, not the headline award. If projected borrowing is uncomfortable, ask about assistantships, part-time sequencing, and lower-cost options, then weigh those savings against a longer completion timeline. Missouri's most valuable counseling programs offer another perspective, but your own net price and career plan remain decisive.

A counseling master's typically requires a completed bachelor's degree. Schools may also review transcripts, prerequisite coursework, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview; exact requirements belong to the individual program, not to Missouri as a whole. Career changers should ask whether missing psychology or statistics courses can be completed before entry or alongside graduate study (Missouri State University; University of Missouri-St. Louis; University of Central Missouri).

Admissions eligibility and eventual professional eligibility are separate checks. Before accepting an offer, request written guidance on the program's intended credential, its current accreditation, and how its coursework meets the relevant Missouri authority's educational requirements. If you already hold graduate credits, ask for a course-by-course transfer review and confirm whether transferring affects residency requirements or access to field placements.

Graduate counseling curricula generally combine counseling theory, ethics, assessment, human development, research, and supervised practice. Clinical mental health tracks place more emphasis on clinical assessment and treatment; school tracks focus on counseling within an educational setting. Course names alone are insufficient: compare syllabi, credit requirements, and fieldwork against the credential you intend to seek (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

One useful question is whether the planned practicum and internship require daytime availability. For a working adult, that scheduling detail can matter more than a program's advertised course format. Ask when fieldwork starts, which sites are approved, and what happens if a placement is delayed.

The clearest choice among the Missouri programs discussed here is clinical mental health versus school counseling. The former is the more direct program category to investigate for professional clinical practice; the latter is designed around work in schools and Missouri educator certification. Other counseling careers include addiction and rehabilitation counseling, but do not assume that every program offers a separate track in those areas (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

If an elective or certificate sounds appealing, ask whether it changes credential eligibility or merely adds focused coursework. A short specialization cannot replace a qualifying graduate degree, required supervised experience, or an examination where those are required by the applicable authority (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors).

Choose backward from the job and credential you want. A popular program is a useful lead, but its ranking position cannot resolve a mismatch in certification, placement access, or price. Use this sequence to compare a short list before paying an application deposit:

1. Identify the intended role - such as clinical counselor or school counselor - and confirm its current Missouri credential requirements with the Committee for Professional Counselors or DESE.
2. Ask each program to identify the exact track, current accreditation status, educational requirements it is designed to meet, and any conditions that could affect eligibility.
3. Request a realistic full-time or part-time course plan and written details on placement approval, supervision, scheduling, and likely travel.
4. Compare total net cost, expected borrowing, work hours you may forgo, and the time until you can pursue the intended credential.
5. Ask for track-specific completion, examination, and employment information with its reporting period; treat missing or institution-wide-only figures as a reason for further questions, not proof of poor outcomes.

The common mistake is to choose by degree title, tuition, or ranking alone. A better investment analysis also considers your current earnings, likelihood of completion, possible post-degree earnings, debt repayment, and how long you expect to work in the new role.

A clinical mental health graduate may pursue the steps toward professional counseling licensure and roles with behavioral health agencies or other qualifying employers. A school-counseling graduate may pursue Missouri educator certification and school-based positions. Addiction and rehabilitation counseling are additional directions, but employers and regulators can set different requirements for particular jobs (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

For someone entering from another profession, the sensible first step is to compare actual Missouri job postings with the credential a program is designed to support. For someone already working in behavioral health or education, ask whether a graduate degree opens the specific role you want - and whether your employer will support the required fieldwork. A degree is most defensible as an investment when it closes an identifiable credential gap.

National demand differs substantially by specialty. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% growth for mental health and addiction counseling occupations during 2025-2035, compared with 3% for school counseling. These are U.S. projections, not Missouri vacancy forecasts; they suggest that students deciding between tracks should research the employers and openings relevant to each rather than applying one broad "counseling" outlook to every career.

Search the part of Missouri where you expect to work and note whether postings request a provisional credential, a full license, or educator certification. Also check placement availability there: a program can be academically attractive yet impractical if its supervised training cannot be completed within your commuting range. Neither projected growth nor a posted salary guarantees employment after graduation.

Investing in education is a consequential decision. Research.com draws on multiple education datasets and checks program information to make its rankings more credible and useful, while recognizing that a ranking cannot determine whether a degree meets an individual student's licensing needs or budget.

The following databases were used to create the ranking:

• IPEDS database - institutional reporting on enrollment, completions, and costs.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federal information on institutions and student outcomes.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

Research.com's counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and cost, then order programs by the dimension named in each ranking. For its Best ranking, an outcomes-and-accreditation score weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure-exam results at 20%, CACREP accreditation 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 order programs by their named dimension. A popularity ranking should therefore be a starting point for discovery, not a substitute for checking licensure fit, field placements, and net cost. Readers can find further details on Research.com's methodology.

• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Iowa
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Nebraska
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Arkansas
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Oklahoma
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Most Popular Marriage, Couple, And Family Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Illinois
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Most Popular Marriage, Couple, And Family Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee

• 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
• 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