Master's in Counseling Degree Programs Online
Completing a master’s degree program in counseling is the first step needed to become a professional counselor. Although there are some bachelor’s level degrees with a focus in counseling, in order to become a licensed professional counselor, you should complete a graduate level education then pursue your state's counseling licensure process.
Master's in counseling programs offer a specialized curriculum, with a primary focus on one centralized topic. A master of arts, sciences, or education in counseling focuses on creating a professional identity as a counselor, developing your helping skills, and expanding your understanding of human development and psychology.
Whenever you make a decision about your education, there are specific factors you should consider. When researching online counseling programs, these factors include accreditation, online student support services, clinical placement assistance close to home, small class sizes, and live online classroom discussions.
Featured Online Counseling Programs

- CACREP-Accredited online MA in Counseling for aspiring mental health counselors
- Bridge to Counseling program for career changers
Sponsored Online Counseling Program

- Accredited online school and mental health counseling degree programs from NYU Steinhardt
- Full and part-time options available for all programs
Sponsored Online Counseling Program

- Master's in School Counseling online from top-ranked USC Rossier
- Prepares students to pursue their credential as a school counselor
Sponsored Online Counseling Program

- Help P-12 students in your community succeed. Earn your Master’s in School Counseling online from the University of Denver.
- Use data to build comprehensive school counseling plans
Sponsored Online Counseling Program
Sponsored Online Counseling Programs
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Factors to Consider in Choosing Your Online Counseling Program
If you're ready for an online counseling program, check out our list of All Online Master's in Counseling Programs
Accreditation of Counseling Degree Programs
Master's in counseling programs that are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Programs (CACREP) typically meet state licensing requirements.CACREP accreditation implies that university counselor training and educational programs have met the minimal professional standards to practice as an independent counselor.
There are over 40 CACREP accredited online counseling programs with specializations in clinical mental health, school, marriage, couple and family, career, student affairs and college, community and rehabilitation counseling. The Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) accredits four online counseling programs from New York University and University of Massachusetts - Boston.
CACREP Accredited Programs
The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Programs (CACREP) recognizes the quality and standards of counselor education programs that are set by the profession. Through a self-assessment, counselor education programs submit information pertaining to learning environment, the professional counseling, professional practice, evaluation of the program, coursework offerings, counseling career-specific content, and doctoral standards for counselor education and supervision programs. CACREP accreditation rests with the counseling degree program and not the university. This is an important distinction to make for universities that offer several counseling degree programs.
MPCAC Accredited Programs
The Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) accredits programs in the psychology and counseling field that are science-based in education and training. MPCAC also promotes the integration of science and clinical practice while preparing counselors in scientifically-based, cultural responsive counseling services.
For online counseling programs that are career specific, such as online master's in school counseling or an online master's in mental health counseling, CACREP has "entry-level specialty area" content standards for accreditation. These standards include curriculum that supports the specific profession, i.e. models of school counseling programs or addiction and mental health co-occurring disorders.
Substance abuse and addiction counseling online programs are accredited by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC). One addictions counseling program from the University of the Cumberlands is accredited only by CACREP. Generally, accreditation by some governing body is important for online counseling programs in order to ensure quality, credibility, and value.
Student Support Services for Online Students
For on-campus students, support services are often within a walk to another building. For online students, finding faculty and staff support may be through the phone or other virtual communication. When researching online counseling degree programs, you want to make sure that the university offers services that meet their online students’ needs, such as flexible hours, online resources, and/or virtual meeting times.
Counseling Internship Support for Distance Learners
What can be considered a top concern for online counseling program students is the support for finding clinical placements. These experiences are required for counseling licensure in all states. All accredited and valuable online counseling programs require an internship where you will use your learned skills and theories with clients. Because you may be learning online from across the country for a university whose campus is over 1,000 miles away, having clinical placement support that is relevant for your home of address is integral. Some universities have online-specific placement support services, helping you to find clinical sites for practice within driving distance from your home.
Online Small Class Sizes
For some, when they think about college, an immediate thought is large lecture halls where students get little one-on-one attention. For online counseling programs, a small class size increases intimacy and learning opportunities. When doing your research, ask counseling programs what their instructor-to-student ratio is. Classes with 15 or less students may increase your one-on-one learning while also developing professional and academic hearty relationships with your online counseling peers.
Live Discussions - Synchronous Learning
Some online counseling programs offer both synchronous and asynchronous learning where you can work as a part of a team during live discussions and offline at your own pace, respectively. Live discussions for online programs provide you the opportunity to “meet” face-to-face with your peers and instructor, bringing the on-campus experience to you through your computer. In synchronous learning formats, you are able to practice your counseling skills and ask real time discussion questions, sparking further learning and understanding.
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Types of Counseling
Deciding on your counseling career can occur before or after completion of your degree program. If you already know which field you would like to pursue, search for online counseling programs that offer the specialty, such as online school counseling programs. If you are unsure about which career you would like to pursue, review our guides on 10 different counseling careers! Most online counseling programs, when accredited, will offer some of the same basic counseling coursework. Keep in mind, however, that career specific online counseling programs may better prepare you for post-graduate counseling licensure.
Mental Health Counselor
Role: Providing psychoeducational and therapeutic support, through engaging in assessments, treatment planning, crisis management, while taking a client-centered approach.
School Counselor
Role: Supporting child and adolescent development in individual and group meetings with a focus on the academic, personal, social, and career growth.
Career Counselor
Role: Focus on helping individuals make decisions about career pathways through exploring their interests, strengths, and skills to develop a personalized plan incorporating personal and professional goals.
Child and Adolescent Counselor
Role: Professional counselors address challenges that children and adolescents experience such as learning disabilities, behavioral concerns, social issues or other concerns through skill-based learning individual and group counseling.
College Counselor
Role: Guiding college students through their academic, social, and personal goals while addressing mental health, substance abuse, suicide prevention, or relationship challenges.
Grief Counselor
Role: Assisting individuals dealing with loss, illness, or experiencing significant change through individual and group sessions.
Military Counselor
Role: Working with military personnel and their families by providing psychoeducational services to promote mental health and addressing challenges of the military lifestyle.
Pastoral Counselor
Role: Evolving from religious counseling to pastoral psychotherapy, biblical or pastoral counseling provides support and guidance for individuals with spiritual influences.
Rehabilitation Counselor
Role: Addresses conditions of clients with physical, emotional, developmental, or mental disabilities to develop treatment plans for adjustment or healthy development.
Substance Abuse Counselor
Role: Help clients achieve and maintain abstinence, reestablish their lives and use healthy coping skills through commonly used aversion therapy, solution-focused brief therapy and social skills training.
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All Accredited Online Master's in Counseling Degree Programs
University Name | Counseling Program Type | Type of Online Class | Program Length | Total Credits |
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Adams State University Alamosa, Colorado |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2.5 Years | 60 Credits |
Antioch University Keene, New Hampshire |
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Assumption College Worcester, Massachusetts |
Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Bellevue University Bellevue, Nebraska |
Master of Science in Clinical Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Bradley University Peoria, Illinois |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Live | 2 - 3 Years | 51 Credits |
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Chicago, Illinois |
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, Michigan |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 3 - 4 Years | 69 Credits |
Edinboro University Edinboro, Pennsylvania |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60-63 Credits |
Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, Georgia |
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management | Live | 2 - 3 Years | 52 Credits |
George Washington University Washington, D.C |
Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 2.5 Years | 48-60 Credits |
Governors State University University Park, Illinois |
Master of Health Science in Addiction Studies | N/A | N/A | 32 Credits |
Grace College Winona Lake, Indiana |
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School Center City, Minnesota |
Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling | N/A | 2 Years | 60 Credits |
Hodges University Naples, Florida |
Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Live | 2.5 -3 Years | 60 Credits |
Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2.5 - 5 Years | 36-60 Credits |
Lamar University Beaumont, Texas |
Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | N/A | 60 Credits |
Lindsey Wilson College Columbia, Kentucky |
Master of Education in Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | N/A | 60 Credits |
Lock Haven University Lock Haven, Pennsylvania |
Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Live | 3 - 4 Years | 60 Credits |
Malone University Canton, Ohio |
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Messiah College Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 4 Years | 60 Credits |
Montana State University-Billings Billings, Montana |
Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 3 Years | 60-66 Credits |
New York University New York, New York |
- Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance - Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness |
Live | 1.5 - 2 Years | 48-60 Credits |
North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina |
Master of Arts Counseling | N/A | N/A | 60 Credits |
North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina |
Master of Education in Counseling | Live | 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Live | 1.5 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Ottawa University Ottawa, Ontario |
Master of Arts in Addiction Counseling | N/A | N/A | 39 Credits |
Palo Alto University Palo Alto, California |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Live | 3 Years | 93 Credits |
Regent University Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2 Years | 60 Credits |
St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, Minnesota |
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 2 Years | 48 - 52 Credits |
State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, New York |
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling | Live | 3 Years | 48 Credits |
Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas |
Master of Rehabilitation Counseling | N/A | 3 Years | 51 Credits |
Thomas University Thomasville, Georgia |
Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 4 Years | 60 Credits |
Union Institute and University Cincinnati, Ohio |
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Live | 2 Years | 60 Credits |
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling | Live | 2 Years | 48 - 60 Credits |
University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 4 Years | 60 Credits |
University of Denver Denver, Colorado |
Master of Arts in School Counseling | Live | 2+ Years | 72 Quarter Credits |
University of Hawaii - Manoa Honolulu, Hawaii |
Master of Science in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science | Not Live | 3 Years | 48 Credits |
University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky |
Master of Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 1.5 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
University of Louisiana - Monroe Monroe, Louisiana |
Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health or School Counseling | N/A | 2 Years | 60 Credits |
University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, Massachusetts |
- Master of Education in School Counseling - Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling - Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling |
Live | 2 - 3.5 Years | 60 Credits |
University of North Texas Denton, Texas |
Master of Science Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | N/A | 60 Credits |
University of South Dakota Vermillion, South Dakota |
Master of Arts in Addiction Studies | N/A | N/A | 45 Credits |
University of Southern California Los Angeles, California |
Master of Education in School Counseling | Live | 2 - 3 Years | 49 Credit Units |
University of the Cumberlands Williamsburg, Kentucky |
Master of Arts in Professional Counseling | N/A | 2 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, Wisconsin |
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Utah State University Logan, Utah |
Master of Rehabilitation Counseling | Live | 2 - 3 Years | 52 Credits |
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee |
Master of Education in Human Development Counseling | Live | 2 - 3 Years | 48 Credits |
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Master of Arts in Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60 Credits |
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky |
Certificate in Career Service | N/A | N/A | 15 Credits |
Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling | N/A | 2 Years | 60 Credits |
Wright State University Dayton, Ohio |
Master of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling | Not Live | 2 - 3 Years | 60 - 69 Credits |