Last Updated: November 29, 2025

Study Master’s in Counseling in Missouri

To become a counselor in Missouri requires years of education and training. In the past, this meant attending classes at night and on the weekends to accommodate your work schedule. This is no longer the case, though—many Missouri colleges and universities offer online programs in this field.

In fact, you can take your pick of the type of counseling degree you get online in Missouri. While school counseling is the most popular option, you can also concentrate your studies in the mental health counseling field if you envision having a private practice or working in a mental health care facility. Either way, the programs discussed in detail below will prepare you for your chosen counseling career!

Best Accredited Online Master's in Counseling Programs in Missouri

Online Master’s in Counseling in Missouri

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online master’s in counseling in Missouri:

  • Truman State University
  • Missouri Baptist University
  • University of Missouri
  • Evangel University
  • Walden University
  • Northwestern University
  • National University
  • The Chicago School
  • Grand Canyon University

Truman State University

Online Master of Arts in Counseling

The Master of Arts in Counseling from Truman State University offers a specialization in mental health counseling that offers 100 percent online coursework and detailed field-based learning to prepare you for a career as a mental health counselor. The program is designed specifically for working professionals and includes a curriculum delivered by professors who are working professionals in this field.

This program follows a research-based cohort model, meaning you’ll progress through the curriculum with the same classmates from the first day in the program to graduation. There are many benefits of a cohort, not the least of which is that you build professional relationships with other prospective counselors who can assist and support you in your new career.

You must complete 60 credits to graduate. The bulk of those credits are core requirement courses that you’ll complete online. Some of these classes focus on specific counseling topics, such as the following:

  • Assessment and Appraisal
  • Professional Orientation and Ethics
  • Counseling Skills
  • Diagnosis in Counseling
  • Group Counseling

Other courses explore broader topics. For example, you’re required to take Research Methods in Counseling, which explores quantitative and qualitative methods of social research. Though this program is not heavily focused on research, it’s nonetheless important to understand how social scientists develop and carry out studies to learn more about the human condition.

Another interesting course you’re required to take is the Counselor as Consultant and Agent of Change. This class informs you of your role in the client-therapist relationship. Your expertise and care will be used to guide your clients through the process of making significant life changes. By supporting them with various counseling techniques (e.g., psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing), you can be an agent of change in their lives.

Other required courses include the following:

  • Career Development
  • Theories and Techniques of Counseling
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Child and Adolescent Counseling
  • Intervention, Prevention, and Crisis Response

You’ll take a concourse on Family and Couples Counseling, too. This class is meant only to be an introduction to marriage and family therapy; it does not qualify you to practice as a marriage and family therapist. Nevertheless, understanding the dynamics of working with couples and families is a crucial component of your preparation as a professional counselor.

The remaining credits needed for graduation come in the form of professional practice requirements, a practicum, and an internship. The professional practice component is a three-credit course on Professional Practice in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This class introduces you to the professional responsibilities you’ll have as a counselor and offers insights into what is expected of you as a professional in this field.

Meanwhile, the Practicum in Mental Health Counseling is your first taste of fieldwork. Truman State University will work closely with you to find a suitable practicum site near where you live to minimize the need to commute. The practicum is supervised; you’ll be guided by a licensed counselor who can provide insights about the profession and give you feedback on your progress as a pre-professional.

After that, you’ll participate in a six-credit Internship in Clinical Mental Health. The internship is a year-long experience that may or may not occur at the same site as the practicum. Unlike the practicum, the internship provides you with a greater depth of experience; you’ll be responsible for working as a full-time counselor with an appropriate caseload of clients. The internship is supervised, so you’ll have guidance along the way as you hone your counseling skills.

The following criteria must be met to be considered for admission:

  • Have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide three professional references.
  • Complete a criminal background check.
  • Submit a personal statement in which you explain why you want to become a counselor and why you think this program is a good fit.

Missouri Baptist University

Online Master of Arts in School Counseling

At Missouri Baptist University, you can complete a 45-credit Master of Arts in School Counseling program in just two years. The rapid pace of this program makes it attractive if you want to make a career change or start your counseling career sooner rather than later. Upon graduation, you’ll be eligible for a K-12 School Counseling Certification.

One of the benefits of this program is that it was designed with current educators in mind. You can continue working as a teacher full-time while working on the requirements for this degree. The 100 percent online classes give you the flexibility to do so. And the ability to complete your practicum and internship hours at your current place of employment furthers that flexibility.

The curriculum begins with core coursework that introduces you to the field of school counseling. These classes, like Foundations of School Counseling, offer insights into the development of this field and current issues facing school counselors. Other classes, like Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling, build on that theme and explore issues like confidentiality, duty to warn, and civil rights issues, among many others.

Another key core class is School Counseling Program Implementation and Leadership. As a school counselor, it will be incumbent upon you to develop and implement a school-wide counseling program that addresses all students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being. This class teaches you how to ensure program success by exploring program designs and development, implementation, and evaluation.

Other core coursework you’re required to complete includes the following:

  • Advanced Human Development
  • Counseling Theories
  • Counseling Skills and Techniques
  • Group Counseling
  • Assessment and Testing

Some of your coursework focuses on highly specific topics, too. For example, the Career Counseling class prepares you to provide guidance to high school-aged students about the next steps in their preparation for the world of work. You’ll cover topics like interest inventories, college and career readiness, and aptitude tests, among many others.

Likewise, the Child and Adolescent Counseling course explores specific topics related to counseling school-aged children. You’ll learn how to incorporate play into counseling, how to support their emotional and social growth, and how to develop interventions that address specific issues for children this age.

In addition to the coursework outlined above, you must also complete a Research and Program Evaluation in Counseling Settings class that you take alongside a Counseling Practicum. The Research and Program Evaluation course is critical because it gives you insights into the reflective practices necessary to gauge the success of the programs and interventions you implement. By consistently evaluating your work, collecting data, and analyzing it, you can improve the delivery of services to students and better address their specific needs.

The Counseling Practicum is a 100-hour experience in a school setting during which you’ll begin working as a school counselor. This is an introductory experience; at first, you may simply observe a practicing school counselor. However, over the course of the semester, you’ll gain more and more responsibilities that may include the following:

  • Assisting with counseling program design and implementation.
  • Assisting with program evaluation.
  • Providing individual counseling services to students.
  • Providing group counseling services to students.
  • Liaising with parents and other stakeholders.

The following semester, you’ll complete a 300-hour supervised School Counseling Internship that affords you the opportunity to work as a full-time pre-service school counselor. You’ll be responsible for handling the tasks listed above, but will do so in more of an independent capacity than you did during the practicum.

Furthermore, you’ll have additional responsibilities that prepare you for your career. For example, you might provide academic advisement and guidance counseling, assist with developing class schedules for the next academic year, and work with teachers to develop in-class activities that address important issues, such as drug use, multiculturalism, or positive behavior interventions.

To apply, simply fill out the online application, and an enrollment counselor will contact you to walk you through the specific requirements for applying to this program. Generally speaking, you must complete the following steps to get the process started:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide letters of recommendation from references who can speak to your abilities as a student and a professional.
  • Provide a personal statement in which you discuss why counseling is of interest to you and how this program can help you achieve your professional goals.

University of Missouri

Online Master of Education

Another school counseling option you might consider as a student in Missouri is the Elementary and Secondary School Counselor Certification from the University of Missouri. This program, which culminates in a Master of Education, includes online coursework in school counseling and two practicum assignments that give you real-world experience prior to graduation.

This 60-credit program usually takes three years to complete. Courses are eight weeks long and are taken one at a time. This format allows you to work through each class more quickly, but without needing to divide your attention between several classes at once.

After taking foundational courses like Introduction to School Counseling and Theories and Techniques of Counseling, you’ll move on to explore topics like the following:

  • Child and Adolescent Development in Schools
  • Foundations of Career Psychology
  • Foundations of Teacher Prep
  • Psychological Intervention With Children and Adolescents
  • Counseling Methods and Practices

Furthermore, you’ll be educated in legal and ethical issues in classes like School Mental Health: Policy, Law, and Ethics. This course explores topics like confidentiality, duty to report, and your role in advocating for the rights of all students. Additionally, you’ll discuss topics like parental involvement in counseling, mental health advocacy, and regulatory issues that govern your work within a public school system.

Another important required course is Methods in Group Counseling. Though you might spend more time working one-on-one with students, being able to facilitate group work is crucial for your ability to provide complete services to students in your school. Group counseling is an effective intervention for many school-aged issues, including academic interventions, home life issues, and social issues.

You’ll also learn how to conduct assessments. Foundations of Educational and Psychological Measurement introduces you to the concepts of intelligence testing, personality testing, and aptitude testing, among others. You might use your understanding of assessments in many different areas, from assisting with special education testing to providing feedback to students about their academic or career-related aptitudes.

Additional coursework must be completed in the following areas:

  • Classroom Management for School Counselors
  • Program Evaluation for School Counselors
  • Introduction to Special Education
  • Diversity Issues in School Mental Health

As mentioned earlier, you must also complete two practicum experiences. Each experience lasts one academic semester and allows you to get real-world experience working as a school counselor. Both practicums are supervised, which allows you to rely on the expertise of a certified school counselor while exploring your abilities to work independently, too.

Ensure you meet these requirements prior to applying:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Have a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher in the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit a 1,000-word personal statement in which you discuss your interest in counseling, your career objectives, and the skills or experiences that set you apart from other applicants.
  • Provide three letters of recommendation from references who are familiar with your academic preparation and professional competence.
  • Provide a current curriculum vitae or resume.
  • Submit proof of English proficiency if English is not your native language.

This program no longer requires you to include GRE scores as part of your application packet.

Evangel University

Online Master of Science in School Counseling

Evangel University’s Master of Science in School Counseling offers an integrated and faith-based approach to preparing you for a career working with K-12 students. The curriculum is designed to teach you how to develop and deliver comprehensive school counseling services that enhance the well-being of students and their families. You’ll gain these skills through a series of online classes and in-person practicum experiences.

One of the best benefits of this program is its small class sizes. You won’t have to fight for attention in your courses; instead, your professors will have ample opportunities to teach and guide you in a one-on-one format. With so much individual attention, you may be more likely to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a pre-professional counselor and have more opportunities to address weak areas before going into the field for training.

You’ll start the program by taking foundational courses such as:

  • Integration of Christianity and the Counseling Profession
  • School Counseling Foundations
  • Professional Orientation and Ethics
  • Counseling Skills
  • Counseling Theories

Also important is the course on Human Growth and Development. The students you work with are constantly changing and have varying academic, social, and emotional needs. Understanding how children grow and change throughout childhood and adolescence is crucial for you to provide them with the support they need for positive growth.

Another critical course you’re required to take is School Counseling Curriculum and Classroom Interventions. As a school counselor, you won’t spend all your time in your office. Instead, you’ll be an active participant in educational programs throughout the school. This class helps you develop the skills needed to devise school-wide and targeted counseling programs. Likewise, you’ll learn what it takes to implement interventions in classrooms with the help of classroom teachers.

Additional coursework is required in the following areas as well:

  • Assessment
  • Group Counseling
  • Research Methods
  • Career Counseling
  • Psychodiagnostics

Since you’ll work with children of all ability levels, the Psychology of Education and Exceptional Students class is especially important. This class explores special education programming, regulations, and laws, and helps you identify and understand common social, emotional, academic, and behavioral issues that might qualify a child as exceptional.

Another component of this curriculum is electives. The courses you take provide insights into highly specific areas of practice, ranging from Addiction Counseling to Human Sexuality to Intelligence Testing. Other options focus on areas like Psychopharmacology, Child and Elder Abuse, and Diagnostic Assessment, to name but three.

Of course, you must also complete fieldwork in the form of a three-credit practicum and a six-credit school counseling internship. As explained earlier, the practicum is more of an introductory experience that’s heavily supported and supervised by an experienced school counselor. While the internship is also supported and supervised, you’ll have far more responsibilities than during the practicum. For example, during the internship, you might participate in any of the following:

  • Developing and implementing classroom-based school counseling interventions.
  • Working with educators to develop a new school counseling program.
  • Providing training to classroom teachers on mental health-related issues.
  • Providing trauma or grief counseling to students and staff.
  • Assisting graduating seniors with college and career planning.

You must meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Have a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher with at least six credits of psychology or counseling courses OR a 290 GRE combined score or higher.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit contact information for three references.
  • Provide an APA writing sample.
  • Provide a response to a required essay prompt.
  • Submit a background check.

You’ll also be required to participate in a faculty committee interview.

How Much Do Licensed Mental Health Counselors Make in Missouri?

As of January 2025, the average annual salary for a licensed mental health counselor working in Missouri is $80,238. More experienced and top earning licensed mental health counselors working in Missouri make over $110,000 per year.

Related Reading