2027 Most Valuable Online Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas

National occupational medians provide a benchmark, not a starting salary or a Kansas-specific forecast. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the following May 2025 median annual pay for occupations relevant to common counseling tracks; its employment projections cover 2025-2035.

The categories describe occupations, not guaranteed outcomes for graduates of similarly named concentrations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections). For a Kansas budget, compare actual local job postings by setting, required license, and experience level. A higher national median in one occupation is not a sound reason to choose a track that does not fit the work you want to do.

The clearest differences among the program options below are their intended professional settings and specialization choices. These highlights identify what to investigate further; confirm current credits, delivery format, placement rules, cost, and credential alignment directly with each institution before applying.

• Fort Hays State University - School Counseling: This is the school-focused option among Fort Hays State's counseling offerings. It is the more relevant starting point for applicants aiming to support students in K-12 settings rather than seeking a clinical practice route (Fort Hays State University).
• Fort Hays State University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Its named focus is clinical mental health rather than school counseling. Applicants interested in client-facing behavioral health work should compare its clinical coursework and placement support with Kansas licensure requirements (Fort Hays State University).
• Emporia State University - School Counseling: Emporia State places this program within counselor education while offering separate clinical counseling options. That distinction matters to applicants who want a school credential and need to avoid selecting a similarly titled degree intended for another setting (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Clinical Counseling, Addictions Counseling: The addictions emphasis gives applicants an identifiable route for studying substance use concerns within clinical counseling. It is worth closer comparison for students who want relevant treatment placements rather than a general clinical curriculum alone (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Clinical Counseling Concentrations: The concentrations option lets applicants compare clinical areas before committing to one. It suits students whose intended client population or work setting is clear enough to guide a specialization choice (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Clinical Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling: Rehabilitation is a distinct focus within Emporia State's clinical counseling options. Applicants drawn to disability-related counseling should verify that its placements and curriculum fit the particular roles or credentials they intend to pursue (Emporia State University).
• Wichita State University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling Track: Wichita State presents clinical mental health counseling as a track within its counseling degree. Students comparing degree structures should inspect the track-specific requirements, rather than assuming every counseling track prepares them for the same work (Wichita State University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This option sits alongside the university's marriage, couple, and family and school counseling offerings. It is the pertinent comparison for applicants prioritizing clinical mental health training over those other practice settings (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling: Its explicit relationship and family focus separates it from a general clinical mental health choice. Students considering family-oriented practice should check how the curriculum maps to the exact credential they seek in Kansas (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - School Counseling Plus: The School Counseling Plus designation calls for a close look at whom the pathway admits and which school credential it supports. Applicants should confirm those details with the university and Kansas education authorities rather than inferring them from "Plus" (MidAmerica Nazarene University; Kansas State Department of Education).

A program's presence here does not establish that every course is online or that it meets every licensing requirement. The best counseling programs comparison can help narrow the field, but the final test is whether a program supports your intended credential and a feasible local placement.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years of full-time or structured cohort study; part-time attendance can take longer. Treat that as a planning range, not a promise from any Kansas program. Required course sequencing, placement availability, and whether internships can be completed while employed are often more important than the number of online classes.

An accelerated calendar may reduce time away from your current career, but it can also compress demanding fieldwork into fewer terms. Compare published plans of study and ask what happens if a required course or approved placement is unavailable on schedule. The fastest counseling programs are most useful to applicants who can realistically meet the pace of both coursework and supervised practice.

The main difference is where scheduled instruction occurs, not whether students must practice counseling skills with others. An online program may use live classes, recorded coursework, campus visits, or a combination; an on-campus program places more scheduled instruction at the university. Both formats can require in-person supervised work at an approved site.

Online study can make a Kansas program accessible without relocating, especially for working adults or students far from campus. Campus study may make regular face-to-face contact and nearby placement networking easier. Before choosing either, request the exact attendance schedule, residency requirements, placement policy, and process for supervisor approval. "Online" is not a substitute for those details.

There is no single defensible average price for the Kansas programs discussed here: tuition may be quoted per credit, per term, or by cohort, while required credits and fees differ. An institutional tuition figure may also describe all graduate study rather than the counseling program specifically. Compare each school's current total estimated program cost instead of treating an advertised rate as the final bill.

Request a written estimate covering required credits, university and online fees, books, any travel or campus visits, and expenses associated with placements. Ask public universities whether residency changes the graduate rate, and ask every school whether aid or employer support changes your net cost. The most affordable counseling programs comparison is a useful filter, but the cheapest tuition may not be the lowest-cost route if scheduling delays completion or adds travel.

Eligible students can complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal graduate aid; schools can also explain institutional scholarships, assistantships, and payment plans. Eligibility depends on the student, program, enrollment, and institution rather than whether classes are online (Federal Student Aid). Kansas students should also check employer tuition benefits and ask financial aid offices about any currently available state or profession-specific support.

Graduate PLUS availability has changed for new graduate borrowing under federal rules. Do not build a 2027 funding plan around that loan without confirming your individual eligibility and any transitional provisions with Federal Student Aid and the school's aid office (Federal Student Aid). Compare aid offers by net price and expected borrowing, not the headline award amount; a loan reduces what you pay now but not what the degree costs.

Graduate counseling applicants generally need a bachelor's degree and must meet the school's academic and application requirements. Programs may also request recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework; requirements differ by track and institution. School counseling applicants should ask separately whether prior teaching preparation or experience affects admission or the later credential route (institutional admissions offices; Kansas State Department of Education).

Before paying an application fee, send an admissions adviser your transcript and intended career goal. Ask which credits, if any, can transfer; whether prior graduate work satisfies specific requirements; and whether a transfer would affect the program's required training sequence. Admission, transfer-credit approval, graduation, and professional credential eligibility are separate decisions.

Expect foundations in counseling theory, helping skills, ethics, assessment, research, and human development, followed by practice-oriented coursework and supervised field experiences. The specialization should change what students study in depth: a school route needs education-setting preparation, while a clinical route places greater emphasis on mental health assessment and treatment. Addiction and rehabilitation options should have coursework and placements relevant to those areas (institutional program curricula).

Read the catalog rather than relying on the degree title. Check when required courses are offered, which classes must be taken together, and whether the fieldwork sequence fits your employment schedule. A short course list can conceal a long wait for a required placement or a course offered only once in a cycle.

The program options considered here include school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, addictions counseling, rehabilitation counseling, and marriage, couple, and family counseling (Fort Hays State University; Emporia State University; Wichita State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University). These labels describe academic direction; they are not interchangeable state credentials.

Choose a specialization by working backward from a target role. If you want a school position, verify the school credential route first. If you want clinical work, identify the Kansas license relevant to that work and have the program explain how its courses and supervised experience support eligibility. A concentration may deepen expertise without changing the license for which the degree qualifies you.

Begin with the job you want, then test each program against the requirements and practical constraints that could keep you from reaching it. These checks are more useful than choosing solely by a ranking position or an advertised completion date:

1. Identify the credential. Check the current Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board or Kansas State Department of Education requirements for your intended role, and ask the program to explain its alignment in writing.
2. Verify recognition and eligibility. Check institutional accreditation, any relevant programmatic CACREP status, and whether the specific degree and track meet applicable education requirements; do not assume accreditation alone confers a license.
3. Test placement feasibility. Ask who finds and approves sites and supervisors, whether you can use a local employer, and what happens if a placement falls through.
4. Compare the full investment. Put net cost, borrowing, completion time, lost earnings, and the likelihood of finishing beside realistic job requirements and pay. A useful return-on-investment comparison also considers current earnings, potential post-degree earnings, the time horizon, and the value of future earnings relative to money spent now.

Ask for a current plan of study and talk with an adviser for your exact track. The easiest counseling programs comparison may help you explore admissions or study demands, but "easier" is not a benefit if the program cannot support your intended credential.

A typical clinical path runs from graduate study and supervised training toward the applicable Kansas counseling license, with scope of practice dependent on the credential earned. A school path runs through the education credential required for the position. Other graduates may pursue addiction treatment, rehabilitation services, or family-focused practice, depending on the degree, additional requirements, and employer (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education).

Do not confuse an entry-level job in a helping organization with authorization to provide independent counseling. If you are changing careers, review several real job descriptions and note their required credential, supervision status, and setting before enrolling. That exercise can reveal whether a counseling master's is essential for your target role - or whether a different qualification would be a better investment.

The national outlook differs substantially by occupation: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 18% employment growth for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3% for school and career counselors and advisors. These are U.S. projections, not Kansas vacancy counts, and growth alone does not show how many suitable jobs will be near a graduate's home.

For a Kansas decision, search current openings in the counties where you could work and separate licensed roles from positions available before full licensure. Compare employers' requirements for school credentials, clinical supervision, specialty experience, and in-person availability. A strong national outlook supports investigating the field; local placement access and credential fit determine whether a particular program is a practical route into it.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, particularly when a program must also support a specific career or licensing goal. Research.com developed its rankings to help readers compare programs using documented measures rather than relying on tuition or promotional claims alone. Its team checks program data and applies a consistent scoring approach to improve the quality, credibility, and accuracy of the comparisons.

Research.com's counseling rankings consider graduate outcomes, licensure exam pass rates where applicable, accreditation, federal aid eligibility, and cost. For the Best ranking, an initial outcomes-and-accreditation score weights program completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, licensure exam pass rates at 20% where applicable, CACREP programmatic accreditation at 16%, and Title IV institutional eligibility at 4%. Inapplicable criteria are renormalized; cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The same approach applies to online and on-campus programs. Other named rankings order programs by the dimension in their name, so readers should not assume every list measures "value" in the same way.

The ranking draws on these data sources, which help readers assess programs from more than one angle:

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

The resulting ranking is a starting point, not a substitute for checking a program's current curriculum, field-placement arrangements, price, and fit with Kansas credential requirements. Readers can learn more about the approach 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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Fort Hays State University - Master of Science in Counseling (School Counseling)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.fhsu.edu/programs/school-counseling/
• Fort Hays State University - Master of Science in Counseling (Clinical Mental Health Counseling)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.fhsu.edu/programs/clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• Emporia State University - Master of Science in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/school-counseling/
• Emporia State University - M.S. in Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/clinical-counseling-addictions-counseling/
• Emporia State University - MS, Clinical Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.emporia.edu/applied-health-sciences/counselor-education-home/graduate-programs/clinical-counseling-home/concentrations/