2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Carolina

The latest national BLS figures specified for these counseling paths use May 2025 wages. They compare occupations, not starting salaries for North Carolina graduates, and individual pay depends on role, employer, location, and experience (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

A larger national median does not mean a given degree will pay for itself faster. Compare the role you could realistically enter, local job postings, the time until you qualify for the credential, and the earnings you would give up while studying. Do not treat these national occupational figures as program-level graduate outcomes.

The programs below differ most meaningfully by professional focus, degree structure, or delivery - not by a claim that every counseling master's leads to the same credential. These highlights identify what to investigate in each program's published materials; request current credit, fieldwork, outcome, and cost information before making a final comparison.

• East Carolina University, M.S. in Counselor Education: The named counselor education degree gives applicants a starting point for checking which concentration matches their intended role. Compare its current degree plan and placement expectations with programs explicitly centered on school or clinical mental health counseling (East Carolina University).
• East Carolina University, Counselor Education: The department's counselor education information is useful for examining preparation beyond a degree title, including the route and supervised training relevant to a student's goal. Ask the department to identify the exact current curriculum and credential pathway for the concentration you would enter (East Carolina University).
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke, graduate catalog program: The catalog is the formal source for checking required courses and graduation rules rather than relying on a short recruitment description. This is especially useful when comparing how much choice a student has within a defined degree plan (University of North Carolina at Pembroke).
• North Carolina A&T State University, Mental Health Counseling: Its expressly identified mental health focus makes it a closer comparison for prospective clinical counselors than a school-focused degree. Verify the current supervised-training and North Carolina licensure alignment before treating that focus as proof of eligibility (North Carolina A&T State University).
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School Counseling: The program's school setting is its defining distinction from the university's health-sciences counseling options. It deserves attention from applicants aiming to serve students in schools rather than pursue a clinical practice route (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte, M.A. School Counseling Concentration: School counseling is identified as a concentration within a master's degree. Applicants comparing school-focused programs should examine the concentration's required courses and field placements, not assume all courses in a general counseling degree serve the same licensing goal (University of North Carolina at Charlotte).
• Montreat College, Online Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Online delivery is the clearest practical distinction for students who cannot regularly commute to campus. Confirm live-session requirements, local placement support, and total cost before assuming online study will fit a work schedule (Montreat College).
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Its location within health sciences distinguishes the program's academic context from school-counseling options. Students interested in healthcare-related practice should compare its actual curriculum and placements with other clinical programs rather than infer outcomes from departmental affiliation alone (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Professional School Counseling: The explicitly professional school-counseling route gives aspiring school counselors a more targeted option than a broadly labeled counseling degree. Check its current school-placement arrangements and state licensing guidance alongside the formal catalog requirements (University of North Carolina at Pembroke).
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling: Rehabilitation is a distinct focus for students interested in disability-related counseling and services. Review the graduate catalog to see how its required preparation differs from the university's clinical mental health route before selecting between them (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).

None of these distinctions substitutes for comparable program-level evidence. Ask each school for current completion results, fieldwork requirements, applicable exam outcomes, and the full cost of attendance; compare only figures defined over similar periods and student groups.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years full time; part-time study can extend that timeline. The school's course sequence, placement availability, and whether required classes are offered every term matter as much as the advertised credit total. A faster schedule may reduce time away from full-time work, but it can also make a supervised placement harder to manage.

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when practicum and internship occur. Working adults should check whether those placements require daytime availability before choosing an accelerated or online format. Students entering with prior graduate credit should obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation: accepted credits do not necessarily replace program-specific clinical requirements.

Online study changes where much of the coursework happens; it does not turn counseling preparation into a classroom-only degree. Students still need appropriate supervised practice, and a North Carolina applicant should establish whether the school can support placements in the area where they live. On-campus study may make scheduled in-person activities easier to access, but commuting and course times can create their own costs.

Choose primarily on the basis of placement feasibility and credential fit, then compare convenience. For an online option, ask who secures or approves sites, whether any campus visits are required, and whether the program's education meets the rules for the state where you intend to practice. Do not assume that online delivery itself establishes - or prevents - licensure eligibility (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors).

There is no single reliable price for a North Carolina counseling degree: the relevant bill depends on residency, institution, program charges, enrollment pace, and required fieldwork. Published tuition also excludes expenses such as fees, books, travel to placements, and income forgone during training. Compare each school's current graduate cost-of-attendance estimate and program-specific charges; IPEDS reports institutional prices, which may not equal the cost of a particular counseling program (National Center for Education Statistics).

Public-university applicants should check whether they qualify for resident tuition rather than assuming a North Carolina address is sufficient under the applicable residency process. Compare the most affordable counseling programs using estimated total cost through completion, not the lowest advertised rate per credit. A shorter program is not automatically cheaper if its schedule requires reduced work hours.

Graduate students can begin with the FAFSA to establish eligibility for available federal aid, then check institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition benefits, and any aid whose rules cover their program and residency. Federal loan eligibility and limits depend on the student and current federal rules; confirm terms directly with Federal Student Aid and the school's aid office before building a financing plan (Federal Student Aid).

Compare offers by the amount that need not be repaid, the debt needed each term, and whether funding continues during field placements. Ask whether an assistantship requires work hours that conflict with practicum. North Carolina residents should also check state-administered opportunities individually rather than assuming every state award funds graduate counseling study.

Master's applicants generally need a completed bachelor's degree; programs set their own rules for prerequisites, academic records, references, statements, interviews, and any required background review. A psychology bachelor's degree may be useful preparation, but applicants should not assume it is universally required - or that any bachelor's degree automatically satisfies every prerequisite. Check each institution's current admissions page for its actual requirements (individual university admissions offices).

Admission and eventual professional eligibility are separate questions. Before applying, send the program your intended North Carolina credential and ask for its current degree-plan and fieldwork guidance. If you already hold graduate coursework, ask both whether credits transfer and whether the licensing authority will accept the resulting educational record.

Expect study in counseling theories and techniques, ethics, human development, assessment, research, and work with diverse clients or students, followed by supervised practical training. Clinical mental health students should look closely at diagnosis and treatment-related preparation; school counseling students should examine school systems and student-support coursework. The exact curriculum depends on the degree and its applicable standards (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; individual university catalogs).

Read the required course list, not just the elective menu. A common mistake is choosing a program because it offers an appealing specialty course while overlooking whether its core curriculum and placements support the intended credential.

The most consequential distinction is between clinical mental health, school, and rehabilitation counseling. Addiction counseling and marriage, couple, and family counseling may be offered as focused coursework or distinct preparation routes, but their names alone do not establish the license for which a graduate qualifies. Confirm the degree's official concentration, fieldwork, and credential alignment with the program and relevant authority (North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction).

Choose a specialization by the clients and setting you want to serve. Someone committed to school employment should prioritize a school-counseling route; someone seeking clinical mental health practice should not choose a school-focused program solely because it is nearby or less expensive. Rehabilitation-focused study deserves closer examination if disability-related services are the intended career.

Start with the job and credential, then work backward to the education, fieldwork, and financing needed. Accreditation is an important check, but distinguish institutional accreditation from CACREP programmatic recognition and verify the status of the specific program. North Carolina's clinical mental health counseling board and the Department of Public Instruction govern different professional routes; neither admission nor graduation alone is a promise of licensure (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors; North Carolina Department of Public Instruction).

Use this short sequence to turn a ranking into a decision:

1. Name the intended role and obtain its current North Carolina education and credential requirements from the relevant authority.
2. Ask each program to document its degree requirements, accreditation status, placement process, completion outcomes, and applicable exam results.
3. Compare full cost through completion, aid, likely borrowing, time away from work, and the probability that you can finish the required placements.
4. Check whether the program's schedule and training sites work where you live; seek a written transfer-credit evaluation if relevant.

For return on investment, compare the most valuable counseling programs against your own baseline earnings and likely career route. Include aid, debt, completion probability, post-degree earnings, opportunity cost, and the period over which you expect benefits - not simply a salary divided by tuition. A degree is a weaker investment if its placements are impractical or it does not match the credential you need.

Possible paths include school counselor, clinical mental health counselor, addiction counselor, rehabilitation counselor, and related human-services roles. These are not interchangeable job titles: the degree, supervised experience, and applicable licensing or employer requirements determine which positions are realistically open to an individual (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; relevant North Carolina licensing authorities).

A bachelor's graduate who wants to test the field might seek a nonlicensed support role before committing to a master's. A working professional aiming for a regulated counseling role should instead compare qualifying graduate programs and plan for the period between graduation and full credentialing. Anyone seeking only a narrow skill update should consider whether continuing education or a certificate meets that goal without the time and expense of another degree.

National demand differs substantially by specialty: BLS projects 18% employment growth for clinical mental health and addiction counseling from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school counseling. These are U.S. occupational projections, not forecasts of North Carolina openings or a guarantee of employment for a particular graduate (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

For a local decision, examine current postings in the North Carolina areas where you would actually work. Record the credential employers request, the work setting, and whether positions require post-degree experience. That check is especially important if you must remain in one community: a favorable national outlook may not translate into an accessible first job nearby.

Investing in a counseling education is a consequential decision, especially when a program's price or popularity does not establish that it fits a particular license. Research.com developed its rankings to make program comparisons more credible and useful. Its team checks graduate outcomes, applicable licensure exam results, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost using multiple data sources. The counseling rankings then order programs by the dimension named in each ranking; a popularity ranking should not be read as a ranking of licensure readiness or return on investment.

The ranking draws on these sources, which readers can also use to check school-reported information:

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

For context, Research.com's separate Best ranking first combines program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure exam pass rates, CACREP recognition, and Title IV eligibility; cost contributes a smaller part of its final score. Criteria that do not apply are reweighted, and the same approach covers online and campus programs. Readers can find further detail on Research.com's methodology. Rankings narrow a search, but applicants should still confirm current program requirements, aid, and licensing alignment directly with the school and relevant North Carolina authority.

• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in South Carolina
• 2027 Most Popular Marriage, Couple, And Family Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Virginia
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Virginia
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Georgia
• 2027 Most Popular Marriage, Couple, And Family Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Tennessee
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kentucky
• 2027 Most Popular Marriage, Couple, And Family Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Florida
• 2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Florida
• 2027 Most Popular 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
• East Carolina University - Master of Science in Counselor Education
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://degrees.ecu.edu/degree/counselor-education-ms/
• East Carolina University - Master of Science in Counselor Education - School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://education.ecu.edu/counselor-education/
• University of North Carolina at Pembroke - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A. Ed.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.uncp.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=24&poid=10534
• North Carolina A & T State University - M.S. in Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.ncat.edu/academics/graduate-programs/ced/mental-health-counseling.php
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - M. Ed. in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://ed.unc.edu/academics/programs/school-counseling