Psychology degrees can be earned at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. Of course, one usually progresses from one to the next, and thus the bachelor’s is largely seen as a stepping stone to further study. However, there are some jobs available to those with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Testing is an excellent career choice for a person interested in neuropsychology or cognitive psychology, even child psychology. In fact, a psychology graduate can work as a testing or research assistant with a Bachelor’s degree, though generally a Master’s or PhD is needed to truly specialize in this challenging field and make the most of one’s career. Once the Master’s degree is earned, a variety of new job opportunities will arise. So, let us look at the best masters degrees to get you on the road to future career success!
Brick and Mortar Masters in Psychology
Psychology Degree Online
According to an extensive program review by U.S. News and World Reports, in their Graduate School annual issues, the top six physical campus university psychology programs are as follows, as U.S. News and World Reports ranked them, starting with the best:
Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
University of California, Berkeley, CA.
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
University of California, Los Angeles, CA.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Online Masters in Psychology
Online education has become a huge part of the modern educational system. Private for- profit universities have been around for 15 years, even longer, and even state-run public universities are now offering fully online degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate level. Three of the largest accredited online universities, each of which offers a fully online psychology degree, including the following, in alphabetical order:
Capella University. With a total enrollment of 32,000, Capella was founded in 1993 on the model of scholar-practitioner, the idea that students should be trained as scholars who utilize research to improve professional practice. Capella offers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees.
Kaplan University. With a total enrollment of over 70,000 students, Kaplan offers associates, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, though they lack a PhD in psychology. Kaplan has instructors with extensive real-world experience and has teamed up with the University of Alabama for extensive online library services.
Phoenix University. With a total enrollment of 380,000 students, the University of Phoenix is the largest online, for-profit university. Their courses are all accelerated, designed for fast program completion. They offer associates, bachelor’s, master’s and post-master’s certificates.
Moving Forward with Your Education
Becoming a master of psychology is an exciting even. With one of the best masters degrees you will stand out above your bachelor’s holding peers when it comes to many entry level jobs. However, as you begin to establish yourself in the field of psychology and discover new areas of research interest or clinical practice, you will likely find that you want to pursue a PhD or one of the many exciting PsyD programs across the country. Consider completing your master’s, then taking a year or two to work in professional practice, learning more about the specific area you might want to focus. Once you have an exciting area that you know you want to be part of, consider returning to school for that final doctorate degree.
Brief Look at the Best Master Degrees in Psychology
My name is Richard Harrelson and psychology is my passion. If you share same infatuation with this gentle yet powerful discipline – become familiar with my posts about Psy D Programs on my blog www.clinicalpsychologygraduate.org.