2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in New Orleans

National occupation medians provide context, not a local starting-salary offer. The following May 2025 U.S. medians and 2025-2035 projections describe jobs rather than the earnings of graduates from particular programs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections).

For a New Orleans decision, compare offers by employer and credential level rather than applying a national median to your first job. Supervised postdegree roles and independently licensed roles may differ substantially in responsibilities and pay.

The programs below point toward different professional goals. These are program distinctions, not claims that any degree automatically qualifies a graduate for a Louisiana credential; confirm current curriculum, accreditation, and placement arrangements with each institution.

• Loyola University New Orleans - clinical mental health counseling: Its explicitly clinical mental health focus makes it a more direct option to investigate for prospective therapists than a school-oriented degree. Ask how its supervised training and current curriculum map to Louisiana's LPC requirements (Loyola University New Orleans).
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - mental health counseling: This is the seminary's mental health degree path, distinct from its marriage and family path. Students should examine how its counseling training and institutional setting fit both their clinical goals and preferred learning environment (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary).
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - marriage and family counseling: The program's stated marriage and family focus gives applicants a specific route to compare with general mental health counseling. Check its approach to couples and family work against the credential and setting you ultimately want (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary).
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - non-residential Ph.D. in counseling: Its non-residential doctoral format is the clearest delivery distinction among these options. It is worth examining for working professionals pursuing doctoral study, but applicants should establish the required campus visits and whether the degree supports their intended academic or supervisory role (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary).
• Loyola University New Orleans - marriage, couple, and family counseling: The named focus on couples and families offers a more targeted comparison with Loyola's clinical mental health path. It may suit applicants whose intended client population is already clear; ask how placements support that interest (Loyola University New Orleans).
• Louisiana State University-New Orleans - counseling graduate programs: The institution presents counseling as a set of graduate-program options rather than a single career endpoint. Compare its current degree pathways before applying, particularly if you are still deciding between school-based and clinical work (Louisiana State University-New Orleans).
• Xavier University of Louisiana - catalog-listed counseling program: Its catalog entry provides a program-specific place to verify the credential and requirements, rather than relying on a broad graduate-school description. Use the current catalog to check required coursework and whether the degree fits your intended credential (Xavier University of Louisiana).
• Xavier University of Louisiana - master's education and counseling information: Xavier's graduate-school presentation connects prospective applicants with its education and counseling offerings. It is particularly useful for comparing education-related goals with counseling goals; confirm the exact degree and certification pathway before treating them as equivalent (Xavier University of Louisiana).

A full-time counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years; part-time enrollment or placement scheduling can extend that timeline. Doctoral study generally takes longer and depends on research and dissertation requirements. These are planning ranges, not published completion times for the New Orleans programs listed above.

Request a term-by-term plan that shows when practicum and internship occur. For a working adult, an apparently faster classroom schedule may not shorten the degree if fieldwork requires daytime availability or a limited sequence of prerequisite courses.

Online coursework can reduce commuting, but it does not remove supervised clinical training or state credential rules. Campus study may make in-person faculty contact and nearby placements easier to arrange, while a non-residential program may better accommodate a working professional. The decisive question is where required fieldwork happens and who arranges it - not simply where lectures are delivered.

Before enrolling in an online program, obtain written confirmation that its curriculum meets the educational requirements for your intended Louisiana credential and that it can support an approved placement near you. This matters especially if the institution is based outside Louisiana (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).

There is no single dependable New Orleans counseling-program average that captures the listed degrees' different lengths, fees, and delivery formats. Published graduate tuition figures may be institutional averages rather than the price of a specific counseling degree; obtain a current program-level estimate instead (National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS).

Compare the full cost of required credits, mandatory fees, books, travel to placements, and any income forgone during supervised training. Where residency-based rates apply, verify your classification rather than assuming that living in New Orleans establishes it. The most affordable counseling programs comparison is useful for a shortlist, but an offer of aid can change your actual cost.

Eligible students can investigate federal graduate loans, institutional scholarships, assistantships, and employer tuition support. Federal loan eligibility depends on the student and school, so complete the FAFSA and review each award notice rather than assuming that admission brings funding (Federal Student Aid).

Ask each program whether assistantships include tuition assistance, whether aid continues during internship terms, and how borrowing changes if you study part time. Compare net cost and expected debt, not scholarship amounts alone; aid that requires a workload you cannot sustain may not be the best financial choice.

Counseling master's applicants generally need a completed bachelor's degree; programs may also request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, an interview, or prerequisite coursework. Doctoral applicants should expect additional degree and research-fit requirements. Exact criteria and deadlines belong to each institution's current admissions materials (Loyola University New Orleans; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; Xavier University of Louisiana).

If you already hold graduate credits, ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before paying an enrollment deposit. Acceptance of credits by a university does not necessarily mean they satisfy a particular counseling requirement or a licensing board's educational standards.

Graduate counseling curricula commonly cover counseling theories, assessment, ethics, human development, group work, and supervised practice. Specialized study may add family systems, addiction, school counseling, or research and supervision, depending on the degree (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; institution program catalogs).

Read the required-course sequence rather than choosing by an attractive elective. If you plan to practice clinically in Louisiana, ask the program to identify where its curriculum addresses the board's educational requirements and how it documents supervised training (Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners).

The local options identified here include clinical mental health, marriage and family, and doctoral counseling study; prospective school counselors should investigate education-focused pathways and certification requirements separately. A specialization describes curricular emphasis, while a professional credential is awarded through a distinct state process (Loyola University New Orleans; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; Louisiana Department of Education).

Choose by intended work, not by the broadest-sounding title. Someone committed to couples work should compare family-focused coursework and placements; someone seeking a school role should verify the applicable Louisiana educator requirements before assuming a clinical track will suffice.

Begin with the credential and clients you want to serve, then compare programs on requirements that could change your outcome. Popularity can reveal options to investigate, but it cannot replace a program-level fit check. The most valuable counseling programs comparison offers another perspective when weighing educational investment.

Use these questions with every school on your shortlist:

1. Which Louisiana credential is this degree designed to support, and how can the program document that alignment?
2. What is the program's current accreditation status, and is any claimed CACREP recognition specific to this degree?
3. How are local practicum and internship sites secured, scheduled, and supervised?
4. What will the complete degree cost after aid, and how long do students typically take to finish?
5. Which transfer credits will count toward this specific degree, not merely toward general graduate credit?

Verify programmatic accreditation through CACREP and licensing requirements through the Louisiana board rather than treating institutional accreditation, a ranking position, or an admissions statement as a substitute (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs; Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners). To judge return on investment, consider aid, likely debt, time away from work, completion prospects, your current earnings, plausible postdegree earnings, and how long you expect to work in the field.

A clinical master's may be part of a route toward mental health or addiction counseling; a family-focused degree may support work with couples and families; a school-oriented pathway targets education settings. Doctoral study is more relevant when the goal is teaching, supervision, or research. Actual eligibility depends on the degree, supervised experience, examinations, and the relevant credentialing authority - not the specialization name alone (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners; Louisiana Department of Education).

If you want to help clients but do not want graduate study and a supervised credentialing process, examine support roles before committing to a clinical master's. Conversely, if independent clinical practice is the goal, ask whether a shorter certificate would leave the required degree unfinished.

The national projection of 18% growth for the BLS occupation encompassing mental health and substance use counselors in 2025-2035 signals a stronger growth outlook than many occupations, but it is not a New Orleans hiring forecast (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections). Local opportunities will depend on employer demand, funding, specialization, and whether an applicant can meet the credential required for a particular vacancy.

Use placements to test the local market: ask supervisors which roles hire graduates, what credentials job postings require, and whether supervision is available after graduation. That evidence is more useful for a New Orleans job search than assuming national growth translates into an immediate local offer.

Investing in education is a consequential decision, so Research.com evaluates counseling programs using multiple measures rather than treating a school's reputation as a substitute for evidence. The team draws on the following sources to check program information and support the quality, credibility, and accuracy of its rankings:

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

Research.com considers program completion, employment or doctoral admission, applicable licensure-exam pass rates, CACREP programmatic accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and cost. Its Best ranking first combines completion (40%), employment or doctoral admission (20%), applicable exam results (20%), CACREP recognition (16%), and Title IV eligibility (4%); weights are adjusted when a criterion does not apply. Cost then contributes about 7% of the final score. The method applies to online and on-campus programs, while other rankings order programs by the dimension named in each ranking. Popularity should therefore be read as a distinct comparison, not as proof of licensure fit, affordability, or employment outcomes. See Research.com's methodology for more 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/
• Counseling Compact - Participating States
  Verified professional/licensure/career reference.
  https://counselingcompact.org/
• Loyola University New Orleans - M.S. in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  http://cnh.loyno.edu/counseling/clinical-mental-health-counseling
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Counseling (Specialization in Clinical Mental Health)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.nobts.edu/graduate/masters/degrees/arts/mentalhealthcounseling
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - MA in Counseling (Specialization in Marriage and Family)
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://catalog.nobts.edu/graduate/masters/degrees/arts/marriagefamilycounseling
• New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary - Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.nobts.edu/counseling/non-residential-ph.d..html
• Loyola University New Orleans - M.S. in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  http://cnh.loyno.edu/counseling/marriage-couple-and-family-counseling