Published November 2016
Welcome to our ranking of the two top master’s degrees in counseling in South Dakota.
If you’re thinking about earning your master’s or Ph.D. in counseling and you live in South Dakota (or you would like to) take a look at these top-ranked schools. Internships, great job opportunities, affordable tuition – South Dakota has plenty to offer aspiring counselors, and all between two small towns that have fewer than 35,000 people — combined! As public universities, these colleges represent their state’s ability to do a lot with a little. And despite being one of the least populous – and least population dense – states in the union, South Dakota has no trouble attracting people from all over the country to its top master’s degrees in counseling.
Click here to see the methodology we used for this best master’s in counseling degree ranking.
Featured Programs
2. University of South Dakota
Vermillion, SD
Counselor Education and Supervision, Ph.D.; School Counseling, M.A.;
Website
Professional counselors are in high demand in today’s world, and the University of South Dakota is intent on making sure its counseling students can meet this need – both for their patients and the industry’s most selective employers. The department accomplishes this goal by cultivating a program that is “as comprehensive as it is balanced,” one that includes highly relevant coursework like Diagnosis and Intervention, Psychopharmacology, and Addiction and Co-Occuring Disorders. The accredited master’s degree in counseling also allows students to choose between a thesis, portfolio, or applied clinical project to cap their experience and prove their readiness for the job market.
Tuition & Fees: $11,496
1. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD
College Counseling, M.S.; School Counseling, M.S.; Community Counseling, M.S.; Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A.
Website
Even if South Dakota State were the only university in the region with an accredited master’s in counseling degree, it wouldn’t limit students in the slightest. That’s because SDSU is home to not one, not two, but four distinct programs with a nationally approved curriculum. In the Department of Counseling and Human Development, this variety extends beyond the classroom; students can also attend extracurricular lectures and workshops to pick up specialized skills on topics like “The Mask of Masculinity” and “Self-care for Counselors.” And while the university doesn’t have an accredited doctoral program, it nonetheless has one of the best counseling master’s degrees for research – the department even has a grant to study developmental disabilities.
Tuition & Fees: $11,268
This concludes our ranking of the best graduate degrees in counseling in South Dakota. We’ll be sure to update this list as more schools in South Dakota develop accredited counseling programs, so stay tuned!y
See also: What Are the Requirements to Become Licensed as a Family Counselor?
Sources:
College Navigator
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators