2027 Most Valuable Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Kansas

Pay depends on occupation, credential, employer, experience, and location - not simply possession of a master's degree. The following national medians are for occupations associated with different counseling paths; they are not Kansas starting salaries or program-graduate outcomes (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 occupational wage data).

Use these figures to compare career directions, not to forecast a return on a particular program. Request school-specific completion and employment information, then compare likely post-degree earnings with your current earnings and expected borrowing.

The programs below differ most clearly in the counseling roles they emphasize. These are starting points for comparison, not claims that every track has identical online delivery or leads automatically to a Kansas credential; confirm current course format, placement arrangements, and eligibility with the program and relevant state authority.

• Fort Hays State University - School Counseling: Its dedicated school-counseling path is the relevant option to investigate if your goal is serving students in K-12 settings. Ask how its fieldwork and curriculum align with the Kansas school credential you intend to pursue (Fort Hays State University).
• Fort Hays State University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This separate clinical path is the more relevant Fort Hays option for someone seeking behavioral health practice rather than a school role. Verify its current supervised-training arrangements and fit with Kansas clinical licensure requirements (Fort Hays State University).
• Emporia State University - School Counseling: Emporia offers a school-focused graduate path distinct from its clinical counseling options. That distinction matters if you want preparation for a school setting and need to check educator credential requirements rather than assume a clinical pathway applies (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Addictions Counseling: Its clinical counseling offerings include an addictions focus. Students interested in substance use treatment should compare this focus with a broader clinical curriculum and verify the credential requirements for their intended job (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Clinical Counseling Concentrations: Emporia presents concentration choices within clinical counseling, making it worth examining if you want to tailor your coursework. Compare the current requirements for each concentration rather than assuming the concentration name changes licensure eligibility (Emporia State University).
• Emporia State University - Rehabilitation Counseling: This option provides a defined rehabilitation focus rather than a general clinical label. It is most relevant if your intended work involves disability, adjustment, or rehabilitation services; confirm its fit with specific employers and credentials (Emporia State University).
• Wichita State University - Clinical Mental Health Track: Wichita State identifies clinical mental health counseling as a track within its counseling MEd. That structure is worth comparing with standalone clinical degrees if you want to understand precisely which courses and field experiences constitute the clinical track (Wichita State University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Its clinical mental health option is the MidAmerica Nazarene path to examine for behavioral health practice. Compare its schedule and placement expectations with your ability to work while studying, then confirm Kansas license alignment (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling: This option identifies relationships and family systems as its professional focus, unlike a broadly labeled clinical mental health path. It merits closer review if that is your intended practice area, subject to verification of the applicable licensing route (MidAmerica Nazarene University).
• MidAmerica Nazarene University - School Counseling Plus: The School Counseling Plus option is aimed at applicants evaluating a school-focused route. Ask the university exactly what "Plus" adds to the current curriculum and which credentials, if any, its graduates can pursue; the name alone cannot answer either question (MidAmerica Nazarene University).

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years, with part-time study potentially taking longer. The actual timeline depends on course sequencing, fieldwork availability, and whether you can complete supervised hours while employed. An advertised accelerated schedule may be difficult to use if required classes meet live during work hours or a suitable placement is unavailable nearby.

Ask for a term-by-term plan showing coursework and fieldwork, including the earliest realistic graduation date for a working student. If speed is your main constraint, use the fastest counseling programs as a comparison point, but do not trade away the preparation required for your intended credential.

The main difference is how you attend classes, not whether you practice counseling skills or complete supervised experience. Online delivery can make coursework accessible from more parts of Kansas; campus attendance may be preferable if you want regular in-person interaction or easier access to a school's nearby placement network.

For either format, request the same answers: Which classes are live? Are there campus residencies? Who finds the site and supervisor? Can you complete fieldwork near home? These questions reveal more about day-to-day feasibility than an "online" label. Explore best counseling programs alongside those logistical details rather than using delivery mode as a proxy for fit.

There is no single reliable Kansas-wide average that describes every online counseling master's: program length, public-university residency rules, private-university pricing, and required fees differ. A quoted per-credit rate is not a total degree price. For a defensible comparison, obtain each school's current tuition schedule and required credit count, then add mandatory fees, books, any campus travel, and fieldwork-related expenses. Confirm whether an online student qualifies for resident tuition rather than assuming that living in Kansas settles the question.

Compare that total with aid and the income you may give up during fieldwork. The most affordable counseling programs can help narrow a cost-focused search, but the lowest sticker price may not be the lowest feasible cost if its schedule delays completion.

Eligible graduate students can submit the FAFSA to be considered for federal aid, including Direct Unsubsidized Loans; eligibility and loan limits depend on federal rules and individual circumstances (Federal Student Aid). Also ask each institution about graduate assistantships, employer tuition benefits, scholarships, and whether an online or part-time enrollment pattern affects eligibility. State aid programs should be checked individually because an award available to undergraduates should not be assumed available for a master's degree.

Compare aid offers by net cost and borrowing, not the size of the award letter: loans must be repaid. Ask the financial aid office whether funding continues during internship terms and what enrollment level is required (Federal Student Aid).

Expect to document a completed bachelor's degree and meet a program's application requirements, which may include transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, and an interview. Requirements vary; do not assume every program requires an undergraduate counseling major, a test score, or the same GPA. Check the current admissions page and ask whether any prerequisite courses must be finished before starting (institutional admissions offices).

Admission is separate from eligibility for a later credential. If you plan to work in Kansas, request written guidance on how the curriculum addresses the education requirements of the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board or, for school roles, the Kansas State Department of Education. If your main concern is admissions flexibility, compare easiest counseling programs without treating ease of entry as evidence of credential fit.

Expect work in counseling theories and skills, ethics, assessment, human development, research, and supervised practice. Clinical programs may place more emphasis on diagnosis and treatment; school programs on counseling within educational settings; and addiction or rehabilitation options on their respective client populations. Review the actual degree audit and course rotation, because a course appearing in a catalog may not be offered every term (institutional program catalogs).

Fieldwork is the curriculum item to inspect most closely. Ask which activities count, who approves supervisors, and whether the program helps resolve a placement that falls through. A suitable course list alone will not make an impractical internship workable.

Options represented among Kansas programs include clinical mental health, school, addictions, rehabilitation, and marriage, couple, and family counseling (Fort Hays State University; Emporia State University; Wichita State University; MidAmerica Nazarene University). A track or concentration can shape coursework, but its title is not a license. Select the role and client population first, then ask the school which professional credentials its specific curriculum is designed to support.

Someone committed to K-12 work should prioritize school-counseling credential fit; someone considering community mental health treatment should examine the clinical route. If you are undecided, compare required courses and field placements before choosing a narrower focus that may be difficult to change later.

Start with the job you want, then test each program against the requirements and costs of reaching it. A ranking can narrow the search, but these checks determine whether a highly placed program works for you:

1. Identify your intended setting and credential, and check the relevant Kansas authority's current education, examination, and supervised-experience rules (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education).
2. Verify institutional accreditation and any claimed programmatic accreditation directly with the institution and accreditor; ask how the specific track maps to your intended credential (U.S. Department of Education; CACREP).
3. Request a complete cost and term-by-term schedule, including campus visits, internship timing, placement responsibilities, and transfer-credit policies.
4. Ask for program-specific completion and licensure-exam results where available, including the reporting period and which students are counted.
5. Compare expected debt, aid, completion likelihood, lost earnings during study, current income, plausible post-degree income, and the time it may take to recover your investment.

The most consequential mistake is assuming that "online," "accredited," or "counseling" automatically means eligibility for the precise Kansas license or school credential you want. Confirm that point before paying a deposit. A lower-cost program with workable placement support may be a better investment than a faster one that disrupts your employment.

Clinical mental health and addiction paths can lead toward behavioral health roles; school counseling toward positions in education; rehabilitation counseling toward disability and rehabilitation services; and marriage and family training toward relationship-focused practice. Employers and regulators may require a particular credential, supervised experience, or examination in addition to the degree (Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board; Kansas State Department of Education).

A master's makes sense when it is necessary for your intended professional path and the time and debt are manageable. If you mainly want to explore the field or move into an adjacent support role, compare that goal with roles that do not require graduate clinical training before committing to a licensure-oriented degree.

National demand is strongest among the counseling paths represented here for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: U.S. employment in that occupation is projected to grow 18% from 2025 to 2035 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). That outlook supports investigating clinical and addiction paths, but it does not establish the number of openings near your Kansas home or guarantee a position after graduation.

Check postings in the part of Kansas where you intend to work. Compare required licenses, supervision arrangements, work schedules, and pay before choosing a specialization. Rural access to an online classroom may widen your study options, while the local availability of approved placements and eventual employers can still limit your choices.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision, especially when program cost and eligibility for a professional credential can affect its value. Research.com's team evaluated outcomes, accreditation, licensure-exam performance where applicable, and cost to make the ranking more useful than a comparison based on tuition or reputation alone. These sources informed the ranking:

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

Research.com's counseling rankings consider program completion, employment or doctoral admission, licensure-exam pass rates where applicable, CACREP programmatic accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and program cost. In the Best ranking, the outcomes-and-accreditation score weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable licensure-exam performance at 20%, applicable CACREP accreditation at 16%, and Title IV eligibility at 4%; weights are redistributed when a measure does not apply. Cost contributes about 7% of the final Best score. The method is the same for online and on-campus programs; other rankings emphasize the dimension in their names. See Research.com's methodology for more detail. Use the ranking to identify programs for closer review, then confirm current tuition, delivery requirements, and credential eligibility directly with each school.

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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/