Master’s in psychology degree programs in California feature courses that go into greater detail about the areas of psychology you studied as an undergrad. When choosing a graduate school, you need to look closely at the concentrations available. Many grad schools give you the option of studying clinical psychology, school psychology and other fields that will help you with your career. Some programs give you the chance to work in the field and complete the minimum number of hours of fieldwork required for a license in California. These schools can help get your license in other states as well.
San Diego State University
The Department of Psychology
San Diego State University, also called SDSU, is a large public university in the California city of the same name. The Department of Psychology on this campus offers an MA program that awards graduates with a Master of Arts in Psychology. This program is specifically open to those who want to advance their studies and earn a PhD later. In addition to the MA program, there is a joint doctoral program available that is a joint effort between SDSU and a branch of California State University in the city. Professors working in the psychology department have advanced knowledge of different fields of study.
MA Program
When you hunt for the top master’s in psychology degree programs in California, you really need to consider the San Diego State University program. All students must complete a thesis project, but the university gives you the option of doing a more traditional research paper or doing some type of experimental project. You’ll need to present your study and findings to a panel before you can graduate. SDSU starts its program each fall and has an application deadline in the middle of December of the year before. You’ll study fields like mental health research and social psychology.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-4611
(619) 594-5359
San Francisco State University
Psychology Department
San Francisco State University begins accepting applications for its psychology graduate program in October of the year before classes start but gives you until the beginning of February to submit your application. You will need to fill out and submit the basic graduate school application as well as a separate application for the psychology program. Only those who submit an official GRE score and have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the last two years of classes taken will receive an acceptance letter. The university also requires a personal statement, a resume and three letters of recommendation as part of the application process.
Master of Arts/Master of Science
San Francisco State University offers one of the only master’s in psychology degree programs in California that gives you the choice between enrolling in an MA or an MS program. The Master of Science program requires more independent thinking as well as more research on your part. When you opt for the MS program, you can pick a concentration in school psychology, clinical psychology or industrial and organizational psychology. Its Master of Arts program offers concentrations in developmental psychology, school psychology and mind brain and behavior. The university requires that you write an essay based on your concentration when applying.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
1600 Holloway Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 338-2167
San Jose State University
Psychology Graduate Programs
Whether you want to finish your PhD in the future, or you want to go right to work in the psychology field, you should look at the graduate programs available from San Jose State University. Also known as San Jose State and SJSU, this public university offers three graduate programs for psychology students that let them do the research they want to do and gain the skills they need to learn. The university publishes information relating to specific classes online to help you see what you need to do in each class. You can also apply for awards from the university.
Research and Experimental Psychology
SJSU designed its research and experimental psychology graduate program for those who want to enroll in a PhD program. It features a core of 12 units of courses that include seminar class and several classes that focus on variables. You must also do a thesis before you can graduate, but the university will pair you with an adviser to help you select a topic for your thesis. That adviser will also help you decide on the type of experiment you want to do or how to complete your final project. SJSU lets you pick different electives to study too.
Clinical Psychology
If you want to work with patients struggling with mental disorders, you should study clinical psychology. The SJSU clinical psychology program is a full-time program that you can finish in two years. You will also do a fieldwork component that helps you meet the prerequisites for getting your counseling license. Most students do fieldwork in both the first and second semesters in their second years. SJSU also offers other courses for clinical psychology students, including counseling and psychotherapy, methods of psychotherapy, clinical assessment, addiction treatment, crisis and trauma counseling and methods and design for applied research in psychology.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
One of the more popular master’s in psychology degree programs in California for those who want to work in IO psychology is this program that San Jose State University offers. The skills that you develop can help you work as a survey designer, an employee relations specialist or a team leader and designer. SJSU requires that you take 18 units of core courses and a minimum of nine units of electives like advanced statistics and organizational development. You must also do an internship and complete a second more advanced fieldwork experience before doing a thesis that is worth up to six credits.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
Dudley Moorhead Hall 314
San Jose, CA 95192-0120
(408) 924-5617
Santa Clara University
School of Education & Counseling Psychology
Before you can work in a professional psychology position in California, you must have your license, which is why Santa Clara University offers a degree program through its School of Education & Counseling Psychology that helps you get your license. This program follows the national standards for professionals and teaches you everything you need to know to pass a national exam, which will help you get your license in any state. A non-licensing track is also available for those who already have a license or do not want one. The university has a dual licensing track available as well.
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
Santa Clara University offers one of the only master’s in psychology degree programs in California that allows students to meet the standards for working as a licensed marriage and family therapist. To get your MFT license, you must enroll in the university’s joint program, which requires that you do 90 units of work. You’ll also earn an MA in counseling psychology that can help you get your professional license in California or another state. Once you complete the program, you’ll need to do 3,000 hours of clinical work before you can get your counseling license.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
500 El Camino Real,
Santa Clara, CA 95053
(408) 554-4000
Saybrook University
Saybrook University gives its graduate students a range of ways to take the classes they need to graduate and earn a master’s degree. Its Oakland campus has a convenient location that is right in the downtown area of the city and close to several major employers. Students can take one or more classes on its second campus in Seattle, Washington. Saybrook also has an online campus and encourages students who are busy or think they do not have time for college to enroll in its online community. You can combine online and offline classes or earn your degree through one type of class.
M.A. in Psychology
Saybrook University is home to one of the more unique master’s in psychology degree programs in California because it offers so many unusual concentrations. You can pick a concentration in spiritual and integrative health that looks at how alternative treatments can help patients and how the mind and body connect. The university offers a second concentration in creativity studies that specifically looks at the factors that encourage and discourage individuals from expressing themselves in a creative way. You can also select a concentration in existential psychology, which looks at the ways in which humans can grow later in life.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
475 14th Street
9th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
(888) 308-0032
Simpson University
Graduate Studies
Simpson University offers several pathways and majors for undergrads that help them easily make the transition to graduate school, but the university welcomes those from other colleges into its psychology graduate program every year too. You have the option of applying online and receiving a response to your application online too. The university’s online system makes it easy to learn about any awards or special programs you might qualify for and to apply for financial aid as well. As long as you meet the university’s prerequisites for its psych grad students, you can begin taking advanced classes right away.
M.A. in Counseling Psychology
Master’s in psychology degree programs in California often help students meet the standards for licensing as soon as they graduate, which is also true of this MA program at Simpson University. Though the university designed this as a two-year program, you will need to take two sessions of summer school classes to graduate in two years. The program includes several practicum classes that give you more useful information, and the university expects you to do work on your capstone project or thesis each semester. You’ll take classes on huma sexuality as well as childhood development and counseling addicts.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
2211 College View Dr.
Redding, CA 96003
(530) 224-5600
Sofia University
Sofia University has high placement rates when it comes to its graduates because the university offers so much help and support for students looking for jobs. Its career center can help you look for job openings, prepare for job interviews, polish your resume and even gain more experience while still enrolled. The university also lets you take classes that work with and around your current schedule. Sofia offers both online and offline classes as well as hybrid programs that let you take some psychology classes on its campus and take others online. You can pick a traditional psychology program or major in two subjects.
Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology is an area of psychology that specifically looks at the connections and relationshops that exist between two people. Sofia University is the only college to offer this type of master’s degree program in California. As this is an on-campus program, you must take all 47 units on the university’s campus. These units include three that you get from doing an internship, but depending on the fieldwork experience you already have, the department may let you skip doing an internship. The program features classes like transpersonal finance, indigenous research methods and spirituality and social change.
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
Sofia University offers a more traditional Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology that is available as both an online program and a hybrid program. You must take 90 units of work that includes classes in key areas like counseling assessment and counseling practice. There are three application lab classes that you will take that let you get some hands on experience and see what working with real patients is actually like. This Sofia University psychology program also includes courses on counseling those battling addictions, research methods relating to social sciences and human development as well as practicum classes and fieldwork.
Double Major: M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology & M.S. in Computer Science
If you like doing research on things that make life easier for others, you might like this double major program. Sofia University designed this program to meet the needs of those who want to work in computer software and product development. You’ll learn the basics of what companies do, including how they research what people need and the different stages of development that new products go through. You need to take 54 units of computer science classes and 45 units of psychology classes, but some of your electives will count towards both types of courses. You’ll also need to take at least nine undergrad psychology courses too.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
1069 East Meadow Circle
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 493-4430
Sonoma State University
Department of Psychology
Signing up for the email newsletter that Sonoma State University offers through its Department of Psychology is one of the best ways to learn about its degree programs and some of the special events taking place on its campus. You’ll get advanced notice of guest lecturers visiting the campus and information sessions for prospective students. The university also welcomes prospective students to its campus to meet with current students and witness their thesis presentations. Using the university’s website also helps you learn more about the classes you can take once you enroll and the types of financial aid open to graduate students.
MA in Psychology, Depth Psychology Emphasis
Sonoma State University based its graduate psychology programs on the work of Jung, which makes it one of the only master’s in psychology degree programs in California with this type of emphasis. After taking classes your first year, you’ll take much smaller classes in your second year that focus on one key area of psychology. The university expects you to do an internship in your first year and requires that you write a detailed research paper in your second year that acts as your thesis. The program includes classes on teaching college psychology and psychology research methods.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
1801 E. Cotati Avenue
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 664-2130
https://web.sonoma.edu/depth/
Stanford University
Department of Psychology
Stanford University is one of the highest ranked colleges in California and is home to one of the highest ranked psychology graduate programs in the nation too. This program is only open to current Stanford students and allows those students to easily transition into a doctoral program once they finish their studies. Once you become a psychology graduate student, you will need to speak to your adviser about enrolling in this program, fill out an application and have your adviser sign the application before you submit it. You can also complete many of these steps through the online system.
Master’s Program for PhD Students
One of the top master’s in psychology degree programs in California is the master’s program that Stanford offers for graduate students who want a doctoral degree. This program requires that you take 18 units of core psychology courses that include statistical methods and laboratory experimental methods. Stanford expects you to do a first year project or a thesis in your second year, but the university gives you the option to do one or the other. You’ll also need to complete 18 units of additional studies that can include laboratory work, fieldwork, electives and one or more internships.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
450 Serra Mall, Building 420
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305
(650) 725-2400
Touro Worldwide University
Psychology Programs
Touro Worldwide University is a unique college that offers programs for undergrads as well as graduate students online. The university opened online in 1998 and was the first college in the world to offer a graduate program that did not require students live on campus or that they did a residency at the college. Changes in ownership led to a separate university forming that adopted the Touro name. Touro Worldwide University now offers two online master’s in psychology degree programs in California that are open to both students living in the state as well as those living in other states.
Online Master’s Degree in Psychology
If you know that you want to study psychology but aren’t sure if one concentration is better for you than another, a general psychology program like this Touro Worldwide program might be a good choice for you. As a general graduate program, it features courses in all the common and popular areas of psychology like research methods, personality and social psychology. You’ll develop strong skills that will help you in a doctoral program, but you’ll also develop skills that can help you work in industries like business and marketing. Touro charges a flat tuition rate per credit hour to keep costs low.
Online Industrial & Organizational Psychology Master’s Degree
The industrial and organizational psychology master’s degree program that Touro offers looks at how humans communicate with each other and how they both use and relate to the people and things around them. Many of the classes in this program look at ways in which companies can increase profits while also increasing the happiness and satisfaction of workers. You’ll also learn how to handle common problems that occur in the workplace, including employees who refuse to work together or cannot work together, issues with the morale of employees and sexual harassment. The university uses principles established by professional IO psychology organizations.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
10601 Calle Lee #179
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
(818) 575-6800
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public university in California that is part of the UC system of colleges. Most refer to it as UC Davis instead of using its full name. The university built its graduate psychology program on the idea that students learn more effectively when they collaborate with each other. Your professors will encourage class participation and encourage students to form small study groups to help each other before big class projects and exams. You can also attend special workshops and other events to supplement your classes and get a better look at certain subjects.
Psychology Graduate Program
Not all the master’s in psychology degree programs in California prepare students to take on roles as teachers, but this UC Davis program can teach you how to work as a college professor. One of the courses available takes place over the course of an entire year and shows you how to research and choose materials to use in your classes, what to do in front of students and other skills before letting you gain some experience actually teaching students. You’ll also need to take both an oral and a written exam later in your studies and do an independent research project.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
135 Young Hall
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-1880
University of San Francisco
School of Education
The University of San Francisco offers its marriage and family therapy program through its School of Education because it wants students to learn skills beyond simply counseling. This program is available from the main campus in San Francisco and on some of the regional campuses that the university operates, including those in San Jose and Sacramento. Also called USF, the university hosts information sessions for future graduate students and programs that are open to the general public. You can attend any of those events, meet with current students and take with professors before you enroll in the full program.
Marriage & Family Therapy Master’s Program
To become a marriage and family therapist, you must complete a program like this one before you can get your license. The University of San Francisco designed this as a dual program that you can finish in three years, which lets you meet the prerequisites for becoming a MFT and a professional clinical counselor at the same time. When you start your third year, you will become a trainee at a local organization or agency in the San Francisco area. This lets you complete the thousands of hours of clinical work that you need to do before you can get a counseling license.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
(415) 422-5555
University of the Pacific
Psychology
The University of the Pacific wants students to focus more on their studies and less on other things happening in their lives, which is why it offers so much financial aid. As a new grad student, you can apply for one of the assistant jobs working in the department. When you work as a research or teaching assistant, you get an award that covers the total cost of your tuition and a stipend that you can use for other expenses too. All of the grad students at the University of the Pacific receive financial aid packages that cover 75% or more of their costs.
Psychology Graduate Program
As a student in the University of the Pacific psychology graduate program, you will usually take 16 credits of classes in your first year and 14 in your second year. You take fewer classes in your second year because you spend more time working on your thesis. The university will also let you do some type of final project in lieu of a thesis. Though you must take some required courses like psychology of learning and research design, the university lets you complete the other credits through independent study projects or internships that you do outside of school.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
3601 Pacific Avenue
Stockton, California 95211
(209) 946.2285
University of the West
The University of the West is a public university in California that also goes by the name of UWest. As one of the more unique master’s in psychology degree programs in California, this program lets you choose between a counseling track and a Buddhist psychology track. Some of the electives and other classes that you take will vary based on the track you choose. If you plan on entering a PhD program later, the university recommends that you do a thesis, which is worth up to six credits. You’ll also need to take a comprehensive exam before you can graduate.
Master of Arts in Psychology
All students enrolled in the UWest graduate psychology program must take a seminar course on marriage and family therapy and 36 units of both core and foundation courses. Some of those classes include experimental design statistical analysis, marriage and couples and family counseling, adult development and aging, theories and techniques of counseling and legal and ethical issues in counseling. You must also take five classes on advanced counseling techniques and methods. The program includes six credits of fieldwork too that can include practicum work and actual fieldwork, but the department chair must approve the work you do.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
1409 Walnut Grove Avenue
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626)571-8811
The Wright Institute
When The Wright Institute decided to implement a master’s in psychology program, it wanted to create a program that would train students on the ethical ways of working with patients. It looked at the Mental Health Services Act and found ways to base its courses on the principles found in that Act. The program deals specifically with aspects of both couples and marriage and family counseling and strives to teach students how to improve the relationships that exist between their future patients. Students can enroll in a weekend program that offers longer classes or its more traditional daytime program.
Counseling Psychology M.A. Program
One of the only master’s in psychology degree programs in California with a weekend option is this counseling program from The Wright Institute. Designed for those who have full-time jobs or other weekday commitments, this version of the program lets you take one longer class each week. No matter which program you enroll in, you will still take the same classes. Those classes include law and professional ethics, research practices, crisis, disaster and trauma counseling and sexual development and health. All MA students must also take at least one practicum that will require some independent research.
Accreditation
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Contact
2728 Durant Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 841-9230
Though psychology is the study of human thought and behavior, the classes you take in graduate school go beyond those studies to look at things like treating victims of bullying and those diagnosed with mental disorders. No matter what you want to do in the future, you can find master’s in psychology degree programs in California that will help.
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