2027 Most Valuable Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Mississippi

Pay depends on the occupation, employer, location, experience, and license - not the degree title by itself. The following national occupational medians use May 2025 wages; the growth figures are national projections for 2025-2035. They are useful for comparing career directions, but they are not Mississippi starting salaries or predictions for a particular graduate (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

The difference between school and clinical counseling medians should not decide your specialization: they represent different occupations and work settings. For an investment estimate, compare current Mississippi job postings for the credential you want, then account for the time and supervised experience needed after graduation.

The most useful differences among these options concern which professional route the degree serves and where its training takes place. Use the distinctions below to narrow your list, then request the current catalog, fieldwork handbook, accreditation status, and credential-disclosure information before applying. Program titles and descriptions alone do not establish licensure eligibility.

• Mississippi Christian University, M. Ed. in school counseling: This education-degree route is more directly aligned with work in schools than the university's clinical mental health and marriage and family counseling degrees. Ask how its field placement and coursework map to the Mississippi educator credential you intend to seek (Mississippi Christian University; Mississippi Department of Education).
• University of Mississippi, M. Ed. in counselor education: Its counselor-education degree gives applicants a reason to examine the available emphasis or track before judging fit. Confirm the exact curriculum and credential pathway for your intended occupation rather than treating the general degree title as evidence of clinical or school eligibility (University of Mississippi).
• Mississippi State University-Meridian, clinical mental health counseling: The Meridian location distinguishes this option for students arranging clinical training in that part of the state. Its clinical focus makes it more relevant to an LPC goal than a school-counseling track, but applicants should verify approved placement sites and current board alignment (Mississippi State University; Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).
• Mississippi State University, school counseling: This track directs preparation toward educational settings rather than the university's Meridian clinical mental health route. Compare its required school-based fieldwork and delivery arrangements with where you live and hope to work (Mississippi State University; Mississippi Department of Education).
• Mississippi Christian University, M.S. in mental health counseling: Among the university's listed counseling degrees, this is the track to examine first for a clinical mental health goal. Request a written explanation of how its present coursework and supervised training satisfy Mississippi LPC education requirements (Mississippi Christian University; Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).
• Mississippi Christian University, M.S. in marriage and family counseling: Its explicit family-counseling focus sets it apart from the school and mental health options for applicants interested in work with couples and families. Check the separate marriage and family therapist licensing rules rather than assuming the LPC pathway applies unchanged (Mississippi Christian University; Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists).

Plan on roughly two to three years for a counseling master's when studying full time; part-time study can take longer. This is a planning range, not a published completion time for every Mississippi program. The sequence of prerequisite courses, limited course offerings, and supervised placements can extend the calendar even when classroom coursework is complete.

Ask each school for a term-by-term plan showing when practicum and internship occur. If you will keep a full-time job, ask whether placements require weekday hours and whether the school permits part-time progression. Also distinguish time to degree from time to independent practice, which can include additional supervised experience and examinations under Mississippi rules (Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors).

Online coursework can reduce commuting, but it does not eliminate in-person clinical or school-based training. A campus program may make regular contact with faculty and nearby placement partners simpler; an online or hybrid program may better fit a working adult if approved supervisors and sites are available close to home.

For a Mississippi applicant, the decisive comparison is practical: where will you complete fieldwork, who finds the site, what travel is required, and will the curriculum satisfy the credential rules for the state where you intend to practice? Do not assume that "online" means self-paced or that a school's authorization to enroll students establishes professional licensure eligibility. Get program-specific answers in writing before paying a deposit (Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors; Mississippi Department of Education).

There is no single responsible price for a Mississippi counseling master's: public-university residency rates, private-university charges, program length, and fees vary. Published institutional tuition averages can also be poor substitutes for the price of a specific graduate counseling track. Compare current school estimates for your residency and enrollment status, using NCES IPEDS institutional figures as context rather than as a program-specific quote (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Build a total-cost estimate that includes tuition, mandatory fees, books, travel to placements, any reduced paid-work hours, and borrowing costs. Then subtract confirmed aid - not aid you merely hope to receive. A lower sticker price is not necessarily the lower-cost choice if it requires substantially more commuting or time away from work. Mississippi's most affordable counseling programs offer a useful shortlist, but request each program's current full cost before deciding.

Start with the FAFSA to establish eligibility for available federal graduate aid, then ask each university about assistantships, employer tuition benefits, and scholarships specifically open to counseling graduate students. Confirm that any award applies to the term and enrollment load you expect; an assistantship can reduce cost but may compete with fieldwork hours (Federal Student Aid; individual universities' financial aid offices).

Do not assume an undergraduate Mississippi grant extends to a master's program. Likewise, check current federal loan rules before relying on a borrowing plan: Graduate PLUS availability changed for new graduate borrowers beginning July 2026, while limited continuing-student provisions may apply to eligible existing borrowers. Ask the financial aid office to confirm your own status and available loan limits rather than budgeting around a loan you may not qualify for (Federal Student Aid).

Expect to document a bachelor's degree and submit the materials required by the individual program, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework. A psychology major is not necessarily required; the school's published admission rules, not a general description of the profession, control eligibility (individual universities' graduate admissions pages).

Admissions eligibility is only the first check. Before applying, ask the program to identify its intended credential, required background checks for placements, whether it accepts transfer graduate credits, and whether transferred courses can replace required licensure-related coursework. A program that admits you is not thereby promising that you will qualify for a Mississippi license.

Common subjects include counseling skills, human development, assessment, group counseling, ethics, research, and supervised practicum and internship. The emphasis changes by goal: a school track addresses counseling in educational settings, while a clinical track more directly addresses mental health assessment and treatment; family-focused training centers relationship systems and related practice (individual university program catalogs).

Read the course sequence alongside the relevant Mississippi credential rules. A tempting elective cannot compensate for a missing required subject, and an internship that cannot be completed at an approved site may delay graduation. Request both the catalog and fieldwork handbook before comparing curricula.

Among the Mississippi options examined here are school counseling, clinical or mental health counseling, and marriage and family counseling (University of Mississippi; Mississippi State University; Mississippi Christian University). They should be treated as different preparation paths, not cosmetic concentrations: the population served, fieldwork setting, and credentialing authority may differ.

Choose school counseling if your target role is in a school and the program meets the educator-credential route. Choose clinical mental health if you intend to pursue LPC-eligible work in mental health settings. Choose a family-focused route if relationship and family practice is your goal, after checking the applicable marriage and family therapist requirements. A general counselor-education title requires a closer look at its actual track before you can make that choice (Mississippi Department of Education; Mississippi professional licensing boards).

Start with the job and credential, then compare programs on evidence you can verify. A useful shortlist can include public and private nonprofit institutions; neither ownership category alone determines value. Mississippi's most popular counseling programs can show which options attract attention, but popularity cannot establish affordability or licensure fit.

Work through these checks before accepting an offer:

1. Identify the Mississippi credential for your target job and ask the relevant board or education agency which degree, coursework, supervised experience, and examination rules apply.
2. Verify institutional accreditation and the specific program's current programmatic accreditation, if relevant; do not treat institutional and CACREP accreditation as the same designation (U.S. Department of Education; CACREP).
3. Request the current curriculum, placement handbook, completion information, and written professional-licensure disclosure for Mississippi.
4. Compare full cost after confirmed aid, including travel, forgone earnings, borrowing, and the time required to finish.
5. Ask how many graduates complete the intended credential pathway and what the school can document; distinguish reported outcomes from guarantees.

For a return-on-investment estimate, compare plausible earnings before and after the career move over a realistic time horizon, allowing for completion risk and the value of money over time. The most expensive mistake is enrolling because a program sounds relevant without verifying that its exact track supports your intended credential.

A relevant master's can support a path toward mental health or addiction counseling, school counseling, marriage and family therapy, or related supervised roles, subject to each employer's and credentialing authority's requirements. It can also serve professionals changing fields, but prior work experience does not automatically replace graduate coursework or supervised practice (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Mississippi professional licensing boards; Mississippi Department of Education).

If you are unsure which path fits, compare actual job descriptions before choosing a degree. Look for the required license or educator credential, typical work hours, client population, and supervision expectations. Someone who wants classroom-based student support may find a school route a better investment than clinical training; someone aiming for independent mental health practice should examine the LPC pathway first.

National demand differs substantially by occupation. For substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth from 2025 to 2035; for school counselors, its projection is 3%. These figures indicate broader occupational direction, not the number of Mississippi openings available when you graduate.

For a local decision, search Mississippi postings by the credential and setting you want, not "counselor" alone. Check whether employers seek a fully licensed practitioner, an associate or supervised clinician, or a school credential. Also ask prospective programs where recent students secured approved placements: access to appropriate supervision can affect how quickly you enter the local market, especially if you cannot relocate.

Investing in graduate education is a consequential decision. Research.com developed this ranking to help readers compare program value using outcomes, credential-related measures, and cost rather than reputation alone. The team checks the quality, credibility, and accuracy of the information used; readers should still confirm current program details directly with each school.

Research.com's counseling rankings consider program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam results, programmatic CACREP accreditation, institutional federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost. In the Best ranking, the initial outcomes-and-accreditation score weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, an applicable licensure exam at 20%, applicable CACREP accreditation at 16%, and Title IV eligibility at 4%. Inapplicable criteria are excluded and the remaining weights are adjusted; 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 the ranking.

The ranking draws on these data sources, which readers can also use to investigate individual schools:

• IPEDS database - institutional enrollment, completions, and published cost information.
• Peterson's database - program and institutional information.
• College Scorecard database - federal institutional information, including aid and outcomes where available.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

This approach gives readers a starting point for comparing value, not a substitute for checking whether a particular degree meets their career goal. Further details appear on the Research.com methodology page.

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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
• Mississippi Christian University - School Counseling, M. Ed.
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/counseling/graduate-programs/school-counseling-med
• University of Mississippi - M. Ed. in Counselor Education - School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://olemiss.edu/programs/educ/master-education-counselor-education/
• University of Mississippi - M. Ed. in Counselor Education - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://olemiss.edu/programs/educ/master-education-counselor-education/
• Mississippi State University - Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.meridian.msstate.edu/counselor-education-clinical-mental-health-counseling
• Mississippi State University - M.S. Degree in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.chef.msstate.edu/programs/grad/counseling/school/masters