2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in North Dakota

Pay depends more on occupation, credential, employer, and experience than on the degree title alone. Nationally, school and career counselors and advisors had a May 2025 median annual wage of $64,330, while substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors had a median of $59,350 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook). These occupational medians are not North Dakota starting salaries or promises of post-degree earnings.

When judging whether a program is worth its price, compare the local jobs you could actually pursue before and after licensure. A higher national median does not justify extra debt if the program does not qualify you for the North Dakota credential or setting you want.

The programs below point toward different credentials and career stages. Their most useful distinction is whether their stated training focus matches your intended role; confirm current credits, delivery requirements, accreditation status, and placement arrangements directly with each program (University of Mary; NDSU).

• University of Mary - M.S. in Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This is the University of Mary option directed toward clinical mental health practice rather than school counseling. It warrants a closer look if you need a program compatible with work or distance study, but verify required in-person activities and whether its coursework meets the North Dakota license you intend to seek (University of Mary).
• University of Mary - M.S. in Counseling, School Counseling: Its school-focused route is the more relevant Mary option for applicants who want to work with pupils rather than pursue clinical private practice. Ask how school placements and state credential preparation are arranged in your district before choosing it for its delivery format (University of Mary).
• NDSU - Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's: This master's is the NDSU route to compare with Mary's clinical program if your goal is mental health counseling. Request each school's current clinical placement requirements and program-level outcomes; a shared specialty name does not establish identical licensure preparation or total cost (NDSU).
• NDSU - Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D.: Unlike the master's routes here, this doctoral program targets advanced counselor education and supervision. It is a better comparison for an experienced counselor considering teaching or research than for someone seeking a first clinical credential (NDSU).
• NDSU - School Counseling master's: This program provides a public-university school counseling option to compare with Mary's school track. For applicants intending to work in North Dakota schools, the deciding evidence is how each program supports the required school placement and credential application - not whether either also offers clinical counseling (NDSU).

Use these distinctions to build a shortlist, then compare the best counseling programs on the measures most relevant to your goal. Do not treat the highlights as a substitute for current program disclosures.

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about 2-3 years, while part-time study can take longer; a bachelor's typically takes about 4 years of full-time study. A counselor education doctorate generally takes several additional years after graduate preparation. Actual timelines depend on credit load, course scheduling, field placements, and any thesis or dissertation (University of Mary; NDSU).

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing when you can begin practicum and internship. A nominally faster academic schedule may not shorten graduation if an approved placement is unavailable near home. Time needed for post-degree supervised experience is separate from time to earn the degree (North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners).

Online study can reduce commuting and make scheduled coursework easier to fit around employment. It does not make counseling training entirely virtual: clinical and school tracks still involve supervised work with clients or students, and programs may require live sessions or campus visits. Campus study may make regular faculty contact and local placement coordination easier, especially for a student who can relocate near the university (University of Mary; NDSU).

Before enrolling online from a rural North Dakota community, get written answers about approved placements, who secures them, supervision qualifications, travel, and authorization to enroll from your location. Format alone does not establish that a degree satisfies North Dakota licensure or school credential rules (North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners; North Dakota Department of Public Instruction).

There is no single state average that reliably describes the cost of these different counseling degrees. Compare each school's current total program estimate: graduate tuition by credit, required fees, books, travel or lodging for campus visits, and placement-related costs. Public-university resident and nonresident rates may differ, while aid can change what an individual pays; verify the rate that applies to you (NCES IPEDS; University of Mary; NDSU).

The lowest sticker price is not automatically the lowest-cost path. Extra terms, reduced work hours during internship, and borrowing costs can outweigh a tuition difference. Use the most affordable counseling programs as a shortlist, then request comparable written cost estimates from the schools.

Start with the FAFSA and each program's graduate funding office. Depending on eligibility and availability, options may include federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, employer tuition assistance, and aid tied to particular service commitments. Ask whether an assistantship includes tuition support and whether its duties conflict with internship hours (Federal Student Aid; University of Mary; NDSU).

Do not build a new graduate budget around Graduate PLUS without checking eligibility. Under the federal rule taking effect July 1, 2026, new graduate borrowers generally cannot receive Graduate PLUS loans. A limited transition applies to qualifying students who were enrolled in the program and had received a Direct Loan for it before that date; their continued eligibility is time-limited. Confirm your individual status and current borrowing options with the school's aid office and Federal Student Aid. Borrow only after comparing the full program budget with likely earnings and your existing debt.

For a counseling master's, expect a completed bachelor's degree and a program-specific application that may request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. A related undergraduate major can help, but applicants should check each school's required preparatory courses rather than assume psychology is mandatory. Doctoral applicants should confirm prior graduate-degree, professional-experience, and research expectations with NDSU (University of Mary; NDSU).

Admissions eligibility is only the first check. Ask the program to identify the degree and coursework it recommends for your intended North Dakota credential, then verify that advice against the responsible state authority. Transfer credits may reduce coursework, but a school must approve them, and substituted courses still need to satisfy program and credential requirements (North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners; North Dakota Department of Public Instruction).

Graduate counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theories, helping skills, ethics, assessment, human development, group work, multicultural counseling, and research, alongside supervised practicum and internship. Clinical mental health students should look closely at diagnosis and treatment-related coursework; school counseling students should examine work with pupils, families, and school systems (University of Mary; NDSU).

Read the actual course sequence, not just a list of topics. A course that sounds relevant may not fulfill a specific licensing or credential requirement, and a required field course can determine when a working student must reduce paid hours.

The clearest choices among the programs discussed here are clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and doctoral counselor education and supervision (University of Mary; NDSU). The first focuses on behavioral health practice; the second on work in educational settings; the doctorate addresses advanced academic and supervisory roles.

Interests such as addiction, couples and family work, or rehabilitation may be covered through electives or practice experiences, but an interest area is not necessarily a named degree track or a separate state credential. Ask what appears on the transcript, what supervised placements are available, and which credential - if any - the curriculum is designed to support.

Begin with the job you want, then work backward through its credential, required education, and feasible placement location. Popularity can reveal options worth investigating; it cannot resolve whether a school is affordable or appropriate for your license. Use the following checks when speaking with admissions and program staff:

1. Name your intended setting - clinical practice, a school, or counselor education - and ask which state credential graduates typically pursue.
2. Check institutional accreditation and, where relevant to your goal, current programmatic CACREP status directly with the accreditor; confirm state requirements separately.
3. Request the current degree plan, field-hour requirements, placement responsibilities, and available program-level completion and exam outcomes.
4. Compare written total-cost estimates, aid, time away from work, likely debt, and the earnings change you reasonably expect over your planned career horizon.

A common mistake is choosing the shortest or cheapest option before checking credential fit. Another is treating a salary median as a personal return-on-investment forecast. Compare most valuable counseling programs alongside your own completion prospects, baseline earnings, borrowing costs, and intended years in the profession.

A clinical mental health master's can support a path toward counselor licensure and roles in behavioral health settings, subject to North Dakota's education, examination, and supervised-experience rules. A school counseling master's can support work in schools under the applicable educator and school credential rules. An experienced counselor may pursue doctoral study to seek teaching, research, or supervisory positions (North Dakota Board of Counselor Examiners; North Dakota Department of Public Instruction; NDSU).

If you want a support role rather than independent counseling practice, compare its actual job requirements before committing to a graduate degree. Conversely, if independent practice is the goal, a short certificate or a general psychology bachelor's should not be mistaken for the full licensing pathway.

The national outlook is stronger for some counseling occupations than others: U.S. employment of 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 and advisors (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). These projections describe different occupations across the United States, not guaranteed openings in North Dakota.

For a local decision, review current vacancies in the communities where you could work and note each posting's credential and supervision requirements. A program with a practical placement route in your preferred area may be more useful than one whose national occupational outlook looks attractive but whose training cannot connect you to local experience.

An education investment deserves more scrutiny than a list of familiar school names. Research.com evaluates counseling programs using graduate outcomes, licensure-exam results where applicable, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost. For its Best ranking, the graduate-outcomes-and-accreditation score weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure-exam pass rates 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. Online and campus programs use the same method; other rankings order programs by the dimension named in their titles.

The Research.com team uses the following sources to check program and institutional information. Readers can use them, too, when comparing a school's claims with reported data:

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

This approach helps readers compare programs on more than reputation. Popularity should still be treated as a starting point, not evidence that a degree meets a particular licensing requirement or offers the best personal return. Research.com explains its broader approach on its methodology page; confirm current program details with each school before applying.

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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/
• O*NET OnLine - Mental Health Counselors (21-1014)
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1014.00
• 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 - Counselor Education and Supervision (Ph.D.)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.ndsu.edu/ceduc/degree_programs/counselor_education_and_supervision_phd
• 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