Best Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Derby, KS (2026)

Derby, Kansas has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $7,106 to $34,192 per year for indexed programs. Derby has a population of about 25,801. Median household income is $82,089 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wichita, KS metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Marriage and Family Therapist at a median $83,730 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Derby

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Derby, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Derby city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Derby. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Emporia State University

Emporia, KS 83.3 miles from Derby
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
49.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,601
Avg net price $16,261/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kansas schools on the Kansas mental health counseling page.


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Derby

Derby is part of the Wichita, KS metro area (BLS area code 48620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$59,280Wichita, KS$66,682
Marriage and Family Therapist$83,730Wichita, KS$94,184
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$65,330Wichita, KS$73,487
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$65,300Wichita, KS$73,453

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Derby at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population25,801Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$82,089Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+36.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)88.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Derby-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Derby, KS?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Derby. The closest is Friends University in Wichita, KS (10.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Emporia State University (83.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Derby?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Derby are: Marriage and Family Therapist ($83,730), Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($65,330), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($65,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Wichita instead of Derby?

Wichita, KS is 10.4 miles from Derby and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Derby an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Derby’s median household income of $82,089 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Derby while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Mental Health Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Derby

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Derby:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.