Published September 2016
Welcome to our ranking of the five top master’s degrees in counseling in Michigan.
If you’re thinking about earning your master’s or Ph.D. in counseling in Michigan, take a look at these top-ranked schools. No matter where you are in Michigan, you can earn your degree and be well on your way to a career in mental health or school counseling – all you have to do is choose one of the options in the ranking below. Each one of these colleges has something unique to offer, whether it’s the spiritually-based education at Andrews University or the hands-on learning at the University of Detroit that will put you right in the middle of the action.
Click here to see the methodology we used for this best master’s in counseling degree ranking.
5. Andrews University
Berrien Springs, MI
Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.; School Counseling, M.A.
Website
For a small school experience with big resources, check out Andrews University in Southwest Michigan. This university leverages its Seventh-day Adventist roots and long-standing faith-based curriculum to provide master’s degrees in counseling that emphasize compassion, community, and ethical practice. Andrews’ two CACREP accredited programs consist of 60 credits each, tailored to the topics and training that will help you succeed in the workforce. You’ll take classes in Human Development, Theories and Techniques of Counseling, and Group Processes no matter what, but your specialty coursework – such as Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children and Psychopathology: Classification and Treatment – will depend on the particular counseling graduate degree you choose.
Tuition and Fees: $25,172/yr
Score: 60
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4. Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI
Student Affairs and College Counseling, M.A.; School Counseling, M.A.; Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.
Website
All the way on the other side of the state is Eastern Michigan University, located just outside of Ann Arbor in Ypsilanti. In EMU’s College of Education, students will find some of the state’s top master’s degrees in counseling, plus four advanced certificate options for those who already possess a graduate degree. Although most of the university’s classes are only available on campus, EMU has been making an effort to increase access to coursework. This is good news for working students and busy parents, who can search the university’s “Extended Programs” courses to find flexible options at regional sites and even online.
Tuition and Fees: $21,609/yr
Score: 65
3. Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
Community Counseling, M.A.; School Counseling, M.A.; College Counseling, M.A.; Counselor Education and Supervision, Ph.D.
Website
Back on the other side of the state, Western Michigan University stands as EMU’s geographical counterpart – although their accredited master’s in counseling degrees share plenty of similarities. But Western Michigan steps it up a notch, offering a school counseling program that comes with four different sub-tracks – Elementary School, Secondary School, K-12 Counseling, and Initial Licensure – as well as a degree Marriage and Family Counseling (not CACREP accredited). But the best news out of WMU’s Counselor Education program is reserved for residents of Northern Michigan. Thanks to satellite campuses in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Battle Creek, students from across the state can earn their degree with maximum convenience and minimal travelling.
Tuition and Fees: $20,766/yr
Score: 66
2. University of Detroit Mercy
Detroit, MI
School Counseling, M.A.; Community Counseling, M.A.
Despite all the struggles and economic woes that have plagued Detroit in recent years, these setbacks haven’t stopped the city’s main private university from cultivating one of Michigan’s best counseling master’s degree programs. For School Counselors, UDM offers two tracks: a 57-credit hour School Counselor Endorsement for non-teachers and a 48-credit hour School Counselor License for current educators. But the biggest course load is reserved for aspiring clinical mental health counselors (accredited as a community counseling degree), who must complete 60 credit hours, a semester-long practicum in the on-campus Counseling Clinic, and a 600-hour internship with a community organization in order to graduate.
Tuition and Fees: $26,802/yr
Score: 95
1. Wayne State University
Detroit, MI
Community Counseling, M.A.; School Counseling, M.Ed.; Counselor Education and Supervision, Ed.D./Ph.D.
Website
To find the best master’s degrees in counseling in Michigan, you won’t have to travel far from the #2 school on this counseling graduate degree ranking – in fact, you won’t have to leave Detroit! With nearly 30,000 students and a campus that sprawls across more than 200 acres of Midtown Detroit, Wayne State University is impossible to miss. And you certainly won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to apply to either one of WSU’s two CACREP accredited counseling degree programs, which feature convenient evening classes and clinical rotations through partnerships with local schools and community agencies.
Tuition and Fees: $24,112/yr
Score: 100
This concludes our ranking of the best graduate degrees in counseling in Michigan.
See also: The Top 10 Online Marriage and Family Counseling Degree Programs
Sources:
College Navigator
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators