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3 Top Value Counseling Master’s Degrees in South Carolina

Top Counseling Schools - Best Value - 2016
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Welcome to our ranking of the three top value master’s degrees in counseling in South Carolina.

If you’re thinking about earning your master’s or Ph.D. in counseling and you live in South Carolina (or you would like to) take a look at these top-ranked schools. Earning a counseling degree in South Carolina is as easy as choosing a school to attend — if you call that an easy decision, that is! Each of these top value universities offers a single accredited counseling program, meaning that you won’t have to fight for attention in an overly crowded department or navigate a complicated web of options. Pick your discipline, pick your school, and you’ll be on your way to professional licensure in no time.

Click here to see the methodology we used for this best master’s in counseling degree ranking.


3. South University, Columbia

Columbia, SC

Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.

Website
Although South University has campuses in multiple states, it does this state a great service by offering a master’s degree in counseling in South Carolina. South’s accredited CMHC program is exactly what aspiring mental health counselors need, as the curriculum is specifically designed to help students become National Certified Counselors and pursue licensure in their state. And although this program only earned accreditation in 2015, it’s already off to a great start; the first round of graduates enjoyed an 86% job placement rate, proving that South University is committed to providing one of the best counseling master’s degrees in South Carolina.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program at South University, Atlanta Off-Campus Instructional site is accredited as an instructional site aligned to the South University, Columbia campus by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, 1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 535-5990.

Featured Programs

Tuition and Fees: $16,320/yr (Source: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/)
Score: 56

2. The Citadel

Charleston, SC

School Counseling, M.Ed.

Website
If you have a knack for guidance and a way with children, consider earning a master’s degree in counseling from The Citadel, South Carolina’s military college. While other programs offer a broad curriculum that covers pre-K through 12th grade, The Citadel organizes its degree into separate elementary and secondary school tracks. This allows students to gain a more in-depth understanding of their specialty area and obtain internships at local schools within their desired age group. And if the military lifestyle isn’t up your alley, fear not: only undergraduate students join the “Corps of Cadets,” leaving you to focus exclusively on your studies.
Tuition and Fees: $20,334/yr
Score: 81

1. South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC

School Counseling, M.Ed.

Website
South Carolina State University isn’t just the top-scoring school on this master’s in counseling degree ranking — it’s also the most affordable! Gain admission to this institution and you’ll be the benefactor of a program that has been accredited for more than a decade and regularly produces successful graduates, all for the lowest tuition rate of any counseling graduate degree in South Carolina. In fact, the most recent data reveals that SCSU counseling students achieved a 100% pass rate on the national certification exam. And much like its coastal neighbor to the South, SCSU’s master’s degree in school counseling provides separate academic tracks for elementary and secondary school.
Tuition and Fees: $10,020/yr
Score: 100

This concludes our ranking of the best graduate degrees in counseling in South Carolina.

Sources:
College Navigator
Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Academic Programs
Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators

Published May 2016