Best Master’s in Counseling Degree Programs of 2023

The University of Southern California is a private institution based in Los Angeles, California. The university's Rossier School of Education offers the best master's in Counseling degree program. The program is designed for aspiring academic advisors or counselors who want to work in community colleges and four-year universities. The Master of Education in Education Counseling program curriculum consists of counseling courses, student development courses, research and analysis courses, and fieldwork experience. To complete the program, students can choose to enroll in a series of seminar courses or complete a thesis. By the end of the program, students will have 210 hours of real-world experience. All applicants are automatically considered for several USC Rossier scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, helping offset the costs of the master's program.

As one of U.S. News & World Report's top 10 national universities, Northwestern University offers an exceptional Master of Arts in Counseling degree program. The school's innovative curriculum emphasizes reflective practice. The program implements three practices built around reflective-practice training - Reflective Practitioner Supervision, Group Dynamics Immersion, and Case Conference Supervision - all of which help students identify and remove their personal biases, gain a deeper understanding of personal, cultural, and social identities, and focus on therapeutic objectivity. Students will also have the opportunity to gain practical experience with real clients in The Family Institute at Northwestern University, which provides counseling services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. During their internship years, students will complete a 600-hour internship experience with a minimum of 240 hours of face-to-face counseling.

New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development offers one of the nation's best master's in counseling degree programs. The Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness degree is a full-time, 60-credit program that prepares students for careers in various settings, including community agencies, mental health centers, hospitals, integrated behavioral health centers, and substance use disorder treatment centers. The program is available online or on campus, making it suitable for working professionals who need a flexible learning schedule as well as those who wish to focus on their studies full time. The program combines core courses and content electives with counseling labs and internships to give students a well-rounded experience. Students will study important subjects like counseling foundations, theory and process, ethical issues, group dynamics, cross-cultural counseling, abnormal psychology, and human growth and development.

Based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Boston College is a private institution that offers a 48-credit master's and 60-credit master's in mental health counseling, the latter of which prepares students for licensure as a Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts. The program stands out as the best option for students who want to work as mental health counselors in integrated medical settings. Students in either the 48- or 60-hour track can choose the Integrated Behavioral Health concentration. During their second year, students will participate in internships to develop and hone their skills. The program's director of practicum experience works to pair students with prepracticum and practicum placements that fit their career goals.

At $545 per credit, Liberty University's Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is an affordable option for students seeking a high-quality education. This 60-hour graduate-level residential program ensures students are prepared for licensure as a Professional Counselor in Virginia. The curriculum focuses on professional training of clinical mental health counselors from a faith-based perspective, making it a suitable choice for students who want to attend a Christian institution. Students are required to gain practical experience through internships, and graduate assistantships are available to students who want to hone their professional skills. Students can choose from a variety of courses, including Theories of Counseling, Career Development and Counseling, and Psychopathology.

Students who want to learn from a biblical perspective should have Clarks Summit University at the top of their lists. The Master of Science in Counseling program emphasizes a biblical counseling model and aims to help students deal with secular theories without comprising biblical truth. The curriculum includes courses focused on biblical counseling, including Theological Foundations of Change and Biblical Philosophy of Counseling. Students can gain hands-on experience by attending real counseling sessions in the on-campus counseling center and by working with real clients under the guidance and supervision of a credentialed co-counselor. The degree can be completed on campus or online, and students can transfer up to 20 credits into the program.

Adler University offers a highly ranked Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program as well as a master of counseling psychology program, the latter of which is a nonthesis option for students interested in a practitioner-based master's degree credential. This is a mission-driven program designed to prepare students to work with individuals, families, and groups to address specific mental and emotional health issues. The Adler program stands out because it includes a social justice-based practicum that aims to give students real-world experience. This practicum consists of a 200-hour internship. Each student is given a number of civic-minded categories to choose from, and after submitting their areas of interest, students are assigned a specific and aligned community outreach site where they will work 8 to 10 hours per week.

The University of Denver's Morgridge College of Education offers a well-rounded Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. The program offers two concentrations, a research concentration and a clinical mental health counseling concentration, and both concentrations include basic counseling courses that help students develop their individual, group, and career counseling skills. The research concentration prepares students for future doctoral work and research-based counseling careers. This concentration requires 72 quarter-credit hours, and students will complete a supervised practicum and a thesis. The clinical mental health counseling concentration prepares students for licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado after completing the program and two years of post-master's work in the field.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology combines theory with hands-on experience to provide students with the foundational skills they need to become practicing counselors. The school's master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is a 60-credit, on-ground counselor education training program that helps students develop key competencies, including ethics, research, evaluation, diagnosis, and theories. The university stands out due to its multiple locations throughout the United States, making it more accessible than other options. The master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program is available at campuses in cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. During the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 700 hours of hands-on experience during one year of on-site supervised training, including at least one hour of individual supervision by a licensed clinician every week.

The mental health counseling program offered by the University of Florida's College of Education is a dual master's and educational specialist program that includes coursework on all common core areas of counseling. This dual-degree program prepares students for licensure in the state of Florida as mental health counselors and clinical membership in the National Board For Certified Counselors Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors. Students will also be eligible to become members of the American Counseling Association and the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Upon graduation, students will be prepared to provide competent professional service and leadership within the mental health field.