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2025 Best Student Counseling Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

26 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,465 Master's Degrees
$49,215 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #20 in popularity, student counseling is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 26 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for student counseling students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,465 master's degrees in student counseling to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Student Counseling School for Your Master's Degree

Best Student Counseling Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of student counseling for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for student counseling students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Student Counseling Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Student Counseling Master's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Student Counseling in the Plains States Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for student counseling students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Master's in Student Counseling

1

University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in student counseling. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

Those student counseling students who get their master's degree from University of Missouri - Columbia make $2,809 more than the standard student counseling student.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from University of Missouri - Columbia

2

Kansas State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in student counseling. K -State is a large public university located in the city of Manhattan.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the student counseling program make about $47,436 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from Kansas State University

3

It is hard to beat University of Missouri - St Louis if you wish to pursue a master's degree in student counseling. UMSL is a large public university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

After graduation, student counseling master's recipients generally earn around $44,437 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from University of Missouri - St Louis

4

It's difficult to beat North Dakota State University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a master's degree in student counseling. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Fargo.

Those student counseling students who get their master's degree from North Dakota State University - Main Campus make $2,939 more than the average student counseling graduate.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

5

Located in the distant town of Wayne, WSC is a public college with a small student population.

Those student counseling students who get their master's degree from Wayne State College make $2,563 more than the average student counseling grad.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from Wayne State College

6

St. Cloud State University is a large public university located in the small city of Saint Cloud.

Soon after graduating, student counseling master's recipients usually make around $48,473 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from Saint Cloud State University

7
13 Annual Graduates

South Dakota State is a large public university located in the remote town of Brookings.More information about a master’s in student counseling from South Dakota State University

8

UMKC is a large public university located in the large city of Kansas City.

Students who graduate with their master's from the student counseling program report average early career income of $46,957.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from University of Missouri - Kansas City

9

MSU Moorhead is a small public university located in the suburb of Moorhead.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the student counseling program make around $48,510 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from Minnesota State University - Moorhead

10
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Master's recipients from the student counseling program at Drake University make $5,585 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in student counseling from Drake University

Best Student Counseling Colleges by State

Explore the best student counseling colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 193 431
Minnesota 174 372
Iowa 154 181
Kansas 149 218
Nebraska 123 226
North Dakota 115 49
South Dakota 89 25

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Student Counseling is one of 14 different types of Education programs to choose from.

Student Counseling Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Counselor Education/School Counseling & Guidance Services 1,380
Other Student Counseling & Personnel Services 48
College Student Counseling & Personnel Services 37

Related Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 2,286
Teacher Education Grade Specific 2,120
General Education 1,912
Curriculum & Instruction 1,827
Special Education 1,417
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,145
Instructional Media Design 414
Teaching English or French 182
Other Education 153
Educational Assessment 55

Notes and References

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