2027 Most Popular Counseling Degree Programs Ranking in Saint Louis

Pay depends on occupation, experience, employer, credentials, and location - not simply the degree title. The following U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational medians refer to May 2025; the projections cover 2025-2035. They are national benchmarks, not Saint Louis starting salaries.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections. The faster national growth projected for mental health and addiction counseling can help explain interest in that path, but the school counseling median is higher in this comparison. Use the occupation that matches your intended job when estimating a degree's return, then seek current local employer pay ranges before borrowing.

These Saint Louis-area options differ most clearly in the professional setting and educational approach they emphasize. Program descriptions are a starting point; request the current catalog, fieldwork handbook, and credential-disclosure information before treating any pathway as a licensing commitment.

• Missouri Baptist University - M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: This is a clinical mental health degree at a private university, making it a more direct option than a school counseling track for applicants targeting behavioral health settings. Ask how the program arranges supervised placements around a working student's schedule and how its curriculum maps to Missouri's current requirements (Missouri Baptist University).
• University of Missouri-St. Louis - M. Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: UMSL offers a clinical route within a public university's education-degree structure. For applicants comparing it with UMSL's school track, the decisive distinction is the intended clinical credential and placement setting - not the shared M. Ed. designation (University of Missouri-St. Louis).
• Covenant Theological Seminary - Master of Arts in Counseling: Covenant's seminary setting makes theological integration a substantive point of difference from the university-based options. That may suit applicants who want this perspective in their training, but anyone seeking professional licensure should verify how the current curriculum and supervised experience satisfy the rules of the state where they intend to practice (Covenant Theological Seminary).
• University of Missouri-St. Louis - M. Ed. in School Counseling: This is the explicitly school-focused option among the UMSL degrees listed here. Applicants aiming for K-12 counseling should compare its school placement and Missouri certification preparation with clinical programs rather than assuming that either track leads to both credentials (University of Missouri-St. Louis; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

Popularity and professional fit are separate questions. Readers prioritizing outcomes and credential alignment can also consult the best counseling programs comparison, then verify the details directly with each school.

A counseling master's commonly takes about two to three years of full-time study; part-time enrollment can take longer. The actual schedule depends on required credits, course sequencing, and when supervised practica and internships are offered. Those placements may require daytime availability even when classroom courses meet in the evening or online.

For working adults, the better comparison is a realistic graduation date, not the shortest advertised timeline. Ask for a term-by-term plan at your intended enrollment pace, including the earliest available field placement. A shorter program is not necessarily cheaper if its schedule forces you to reduce paid work.

Online coursework can reduce trips across the metro area, but it does not remove in-person supervised training. Campus study may make it easier to meet faculty and peers regularly; either format can work if it offers appropriate instruction, supervision, and placement support. Delivery format alone does not establish licensure eligibility (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors).

The critical question is where you will complete fieldwork. If you live in Missouri but hope to practice in Illinois - or the reverse - ask the program which state's educational rules it has evaluated and who approves placements there. Also check whether "online" includes scheduled live classes or campus visits; those details determine whether the format truly fits your work hours.

There is no reliable single average that describes every Saint Louis counseling master's: schools differ in required credits, per-credit charges, fees, and the time students spend in fieldwork. A public university may have different resident and nonresident rates, while private nonprofit institutions set their own tuition and aid policies. Institution type alone does not determine the lowest net cost.

Request each school's current tuition and mandatory fees for your full degree plan. Add books, travel to placements, background checks where required, and income you may forgo during supervised training; then subtract confirmed grants or assistantships. Compare that total with the most affordable counseling programs, but do not mistake a low sticker price for a low cost of completion.

Eligible graduate students can submit the FAFSA to be considered for federal student aid. Schools may also offer institutional scholarships, assistantships, or payment plans; availability and conditions vary by program. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans can cover eligible graduate study subject to federal limits, but borrowing increases the cost of a degree through interest (Federal Student Aid).

Ask financial aid offices for an award estimate covering every planned term, including internship terms. Confirm whether changing to part-time study affects aid and whether an assistantship's work obligations conflict with placement hours. If comparing offers, separate grants you need not repay from loans and identify any funding that is not renewable.

Applicants to a counseling master's generally need a completed bachelor's degree. Programs may additionally request transcripts, recommendations, a statement of purpose, interviews, or prerequisite coursework; specific requirements and application deadlines belong to each school's current admissions materials. A psychology major may be useful preparation, but applicants from other majors should check eligibility rather than assuming they are excluded.

Before applying, distinguish admission requirements from credential requirements. Missouri's professional counseling pathway includes educational and post-degree requirements overseen by the Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors, while school counselor certification is administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Admission - or graduation - alone is not a license or certificate. Transfer-credit limits are also school-specific, so obtain a written evaluation before relying on previously earned graduate courses.

Clinical counseling students can expect study in assessment, ethics, counseling methods, group work, human development, research, and supervised practice. School counseling students also need preparation for work with children and adolescents, school systems, and student development. Exact course titles and required experiences vary by curriculum and intended credential (Missouri Baptist University; University of Missouri-St. Louis; Covenant Theological Seminary).

Read the sequence rather than just the course list. If a required assessment or practicum course is offered infrequently, missing it can delay completion. Ask whether placements serve your intended population and whether the school helps secure them; a curriculum can look well matched on paper but be difficult to finish on your timetable.

The clearest choice in the programs discussed here is between clinical mental health and school counseling. Clinical preparation fits applicants who want to counsel clients in behavioral health settings; school preparation fits those who intend to work with K-12 students. Addiction and rehabilitation counseling are additional career directions, but do not assume a program offers a named concentration - or that a concentration changes licensure eligibility - without checking its current catalog.

If your interests span settings, ask a faculty adviser which electives, placements, and subsequent credentials would support each goal. Choosing a broad-sounding degree name instead of checking its required coursework is a common and potentially expensive mistake.

Start with the job and state where you want to practice, then work backward to the necessary education. A useful shortlist should survive these checks:

1. Confirm the intended credential with the Missouri licensing board or school certification authority; check Illinois separately if you may work there.
2. Verify the institution's accreditation and the program's current programmatic accreditation status where relevant; ask the school how either affects your credential plan.
3. Request a complete cost and term-by-term schedule, including placement travel and any reduced work hours.
4. Ask who finds field sites, how supervisors are approved, and what happens if a placement is delayed.
5. Compare published completion and graduate-outcome information using the same reporting period and definition, and ask about missing data.

To judge whether the investment is worthwhile, consider aid, likely debt, completion probability, income you give up while studying, your earnings without the degree, plausible earnings afterward, and how long you expect to work in the field. The most valuable counseling programs can help frame that comparison, but no ranking can calculate your personal return. Someone seeking a quicker entry into human services without a licensed counselor role may be better served by a different credential.

A clinical counseling graduate may pursue supervised post-degree practice and, after meeting applicable Missouri requirements, professional counselor licensure. A school counseling graduate may pursue Missouri school counselor certification. Other possibilities include substance-use services or roles in community agencies, subject to employer and credential rules (Missouri Committee for Professional Counselors; Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education).

There is also a longer academic path into counselor education and supervision, generally requiring further graduate preparation. If that is your goal, ask whether a master's program provides research mentorship and preparation for doctoral admission. If your goal is direct client care, prioritize supervised clinical preparation instead of selecting a program mainly for an academic pathway you do not intend to use.

The national outlook is strongest among the occupations shown here for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: BLS projects 18% employment growth over 2025-2035. That projection signals demand across the United States, not a count of openings available to new graduates in Saint Louis (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections).

For a local decision, examine current postings by setting and credential. Hospital, community-agency, school-district, and private-practice opportunities can have different supervision, scheduling, and experience requirements. Pay attention to whether an opening is in Missouri or Illinois: crossing the metro-area border does not make professional licensing rules interchangeable. A program's ability to connect you with appropriate local placements may be more useful than a broad national growth figure.

Investing in a counseling degree is a consequential decision. Research.com developed its rankings to help readers compare programs using documented educational and career-related measures rather than promotional claims. Its team examines data quality and program comparability, while recognizing that a ranking cannot establish whether a particular degree meets an individual student's licensing or financial needs.

Research.com evaluates counseling programs using graduate outcomes, applicable licensure exam pass rates, accreditation, federal Title IV eligibility, and cost. Its Best ranking first weights completion at 40%, employment or doctoral admission at 20%, applicable exam pass rates at 20%, CACREP accreditation at 16%, and Title IV eligibility at 4%; inapplicable criteria are reweighted. Cost contributes about 7% of the final Best score. Online and on-campus programs use the same approach; other rankings order programs by the dimension named in the ranking. A popularity ranking should therefore be read alongside, not as a substitute for, evidence about fit and outcomes.

The ranking draws on these data sources:

• IPEDS database - institution-reported enrollment, completions, and other education data.
• Peterson's database - program and institution information used in comparisons.
• College Scorecard database - federal institution and student-outcome information.
• National Center for Education Statistics - federal education data and definitions.

These sources give readers a starting point for a shortlist, not a guarantee of admission, affordability, or licensure. See Research.com's methodology for more on how its rankings are created.

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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/
• Missouri Baptist University - Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.mobap.edu/majors-programs/master-of-arts-in-clinical-mental-health-counseling/
• University of Missouri-St Louis - Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.umsl.edu/degrees/masters/med-clinical-mental-health-counseling.html
• Covenant Theological Seminary - Master of Arts in Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.covenantseminary.edu/mac
• University of Missouri-St Louis - Master of Education in School Counseling
  Official program page (curriculum, tuition, admissions).
  https://www.umsl.edu/degrees/masters/med-school-counseling.html