2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Scranton

Salary depends more on occupation, setting, experience, and credential than on the degree title alone. The table uses national occupational medians for May 2025 and national employment projections for 2025-2035; it is not a forecast of earnings for a new graduate in Scranton (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The school counseling median is higher than the mental health counseling median, but the roles have different hiring conditions and credential pathways. For a Scranton-specific decision, compare current local job postings by required license or certification and salary range; do not use national medians as expected starting pay.

The most useful difference among these Scranton-area options is the professional role each program is built around. These program-level distinctions can help you shortlist schools, but confirm current coursework, fieldwork arrangements, accreditation status, and credential eligibility directly with each department (Marywood University; University of Scranton).

• Marywood University, Counselor Education PK-12: Its explicitly PK-12 focus makes it the Marywood option to examine if you want to work with school-age students rather than provide clinical treatment in a healthcare setting. Ask how its school placements and curriculum align with Pennsylvania certification requirements (Marywood University).
• Marywood University, Mental Health Counseling: This is Marywood's clinically oriented alternative to its PK-12 pathway. It is the more relevant comparison for applicants aiming at mental health practice, who should verify how its current degree plan addresses Pennsylvania professional counselor licensure requirements (Marywood University).
• University of Scranton, School Counseling: This program offers another school-focused route, making the practical comparison with Marywood the curriculum, placement process, schedule, and net cost - not school counseling versus clinical practice. Request both programs' current fieldwork and certification documentation before choosing (University of Scranton).
• University of Scranton, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling: Its rehabilitation focus distinguishes it from the school counseling options and from a general mental health route. It warrants a close look if disability-related counseling is your goal; confirm the settings in which students train and the credentials for which its curriculum prepares them (University of Scranton).

Program popularity does not resolve these differences. Readers who want to weigh broader measures alongside fit can also compare the best counseling programs.

For a student who already has a bachelor's degree, a full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time study generally takes longer. The actual timeline depends on required credits, course sequencing, fieldwork availability, and whether a program admits students into a fixed cohort. Ask for a term-by-term plan rather than relying on an advertised minimum completion time.

Fieldwork can be the constraint for working adults: even when classes fit an evening schedule, a school or clinical site may require daytime attendance. Before enrolling, ask when practicum and internship begin, how many terms they occupy, and whether your work schedule can accommodate them. Completing the degree is also distinct from completing any post-degree supervised experience required for licensure (Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors).

Online study can reduce commuting and make coursework easier to combine with employment; on-campus study can make scheduled contact with classmates and faculty simpler. Neither format eliminates supervised fieldwork. A student living near Scranton should compare where placements can be completed, how supervision is provided, and whether any campus visits are required - not just whether lectures are online.

For an online program based outside Pennsylvania, obtain written confirmation of how its curriculum addresses the Pennsylvania credential you intend to pursue. Institutional authorization to enroll a student and eligibility for a professional license are separate questions (Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors; Pennsylvania Department of Education). Choose the format that lets you complete both the coursework and required in-person training reliably.

There is no single reliable price for a Scranton counseling degree: total cost changes with program length, per-credit charges, fees, aid, and the time a student must set aside for fieldwork. A published institution-wide tuition figure may not describe a particular graduate counseling program. Compare each school's current program-specific cost of attendance and aid offer rather than treating its advertised tuition as the final bill (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS; institutional tuition schedules).

The price comparison that matters is estimated net cost to completion, including fees, books, commuting or placement travel, and any reduction in work hours. Ask whether tuition is charged during internship terms and whether scholarships renew. The most affordable counseling programs can help start a price comparison, but a lower sticker price may not be the lower total cost for your schedule.

Graduate students should check institutional scholarships or assistantships first, then complete the FAFSA to establish eligibility for applicable federal aid. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are a common graduate borrowing option; eligibility and annual limits are determined under federal rules, not by the counseling department (Federal Student Aid). Ask each school whether assistantships cover tuition, provide pay, or require hours that could conflict with fieldwork.

Graduate PLUS eligibility is affected by federal rule changes, so do not build a financing plan around that loan without checking your individual eligibility and enrollment dates with the school's financial aid office and Federal Student Aid (Federal Student Aid). Borrow only after comparing the full borrowing need with the likely pay range for your intended occupation.

A bachelor's degree is the usual starting point for a counseling master's, but required undergraduate coursework and application materials vary by program. Admissions offices may ask for transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview; only the school's current admissions requirements establish what is mandatory (Marywood University; University of Scranton).

If your bachelor's degree is outside psychology or education, ask whether prerequisite courses are required and whether they add a term or extra cost. If you have prior graduate credits, request a written transfer-credit evaluation before paying a deposit. Transfer acceptance may shorten coursework without removing program-specific fieldwork or credential requirements.

Expect foundations in counseling relationships, ethics, assessment, human development, research, and supervised practice. The courses that should drive your comparison are the specialized ones: school counseling examines services within schools; mental health training emphasizes clinical assessment and treatment; rehabilitation counseling addresses disability and related supports (Marywood University; University of Scranton).

Read degree plans for course sequence as well as titles. A course offered infrequently can delay graduation, while a required placement in a setting unlike your intended workplace may be a poor fit. Ask for the current catalog and a typical schedule for a student studying at your planned pace.

The clearest local choices represented here are PK-12 or school counseling, mental health counseling, and clinical rehabilitation counseling (Marywood University; University of Scranton). They are not interchangeable labels for the same job. School-focused applicants should examine Pennsylvania educator certification; applicants seeking independent clinical practice should examine the professional counselor licensure pathway; rehabilitation-focused applicants should check which credential and employment settings the particular program supports (Pennsylvania Department of Education; Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors).

If you are undecided, do not choose a narrow pathway solely because it is nearby. Identify the clients and work setting you want, then ask programs how easily students can change direction without restarting substantial coursework.

First decide whether your goal is school employment, clinical mental health practice, or rehabilitation work. Then compare programs against the requirements for that goal. A ranking can narrow a search, but it cannot tell you whether your schedule, placement needs, and intended credential fit a particular degree.

Use these questions when speaking with admissions staff and program directors; ask for current documents or written answers where the response affects eligibility or cost:

1. Which Pennsylvania license or certification does this specific curriculum prepare students to seek, and what requirements remain after graduation?
2. What is the current programmatic accreditation status, and how can I verify it with the accreditor?
3. Where have recent students completed relevant placements, who secures them, and when must students be available?
4. What is my estimated total net cost through graduation, including fieldwork terms and accepted transfer credits?
5. What program-level completion and credential-exam results are available, and what reporting period do they cover?

A common mistake is treating institutional accreditation, programmatic accreditation, and state credential eligibility as the same thing. They answer different questions; check each with the accreditor or Pennsylvania authority as applicable (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Pennsylvania Department of Education; Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors). To assess value, compare debt and lost work time with your current earnings, plausible post-degree earnings, completion prospects, and the years over which you expect the career change to pay off. The most valuable counseling programs offer another comparison point, not a personal return-on-investment guarantee.

Graduates may pursue school counseling, mental health counseling, addiction counseling, or rehabilitation counseling, depending on their curriculum and subsequent qualifications. Some enter supervised positions before becoming eligible for independent practice. A degree can also support further study or related agency work, but employers may require a specific certification, license, or experience level (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Pennsylvania Department of Education; Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors).

This degree is most compelling if you want sustained, supervised work with people and are prepared for the credentialing process. If your goal is a quick move into an adjacent support role rather than licensed counseling, compare shorter education routes against the actual requirements in job postings before committing to a master's program.

The strongest broad growth signal is in substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counseling: U.S. employment is projected to increase 18% from 2025 to 2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). That is a national projection, not a count of openings in Scranton. School counseling and rehabilitation counseling have different national outlooks, so the specialization you choose changes the labor-market picture.

For a local check, collect recent openings within a commute you would accept and note each employer's credential, supervision, schedule, and pay requirements. Compare those findings with the placements a program can realistically support. This is especially important if you intend to stay in the Scranton area: national growth cannot tell you whether the right entry-level position will be available locally when you finish.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, so Research.com evaluates programs using multiple sources rather than relying on reputation alone. Its counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, licensure exam pass rates where applicable, accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost. The Most Popular ranking orders programs by the dimension named in the ranking; popularity should be read alongside fit, cost, and outcomes, not as a substitute for them.

The Research.com team used the following data sources to check program and institutional information:

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

Research.com's separate Best ranking first weights program completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure exam pass rates at 20%, CACREP programmatic accreditation at 16%, and Title IV institutional eligibility at 4%. Inapplicable criteria are reweighted; cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The approach is the same for online and campus programs. These checks help readers compare options more confidently, while Research.com's methodology explains the ranking process in greater detail.

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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/
• NBCC - NCE / NCMHCE
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://www.nbcc.org/exams
• Marywood University - Master of Science in School Counseling (MS)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.marywood.edu/academics/psychology-counseling/programs/counselor-education-pk12
• Marywood University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.marywood.edu/academics/psychology-counseling/programs/mental-health-counseling
• University of Scranton - M.S. in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://gradadmissions.scranton.edu/programs/masters-school-counseling/index.shtml
• University of Scranton - Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://gradadmissions.scranton.edu/programs/masters-clinical-rehabilitation-counseling/index.shtml