2023 Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Psychology Master's Degree School for You
Psychology is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 7,826 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 5th out of all the majors we track in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 74 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for psychology majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 15% Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for psychology students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Brandman University is a great place for psychology students working on their master’s degree. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Palo Alto University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Palo Alto.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Fielding Graduate University is a great place for psychology students working on their master’s degree. Fielding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Barbara.
Out of the 74 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Santa Clara University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
University of Southern California ranked #6 on this year’s Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Psychology at University of Southern California
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for psychology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Touro University Worldwide landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree psychology programs. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Los Alamitos.
Read full report on Psychology at Touro University Worldwide
University of San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for psychology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Psychology at University of San Francisco
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best schools for psychology students working on their master’s degree. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.
Loma Linda University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Loma Linda.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
12 | Fuller Theological Seminary | Pasadena, CA |
13 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, CA |
14 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Washington | 406 |
Oregon | 367 |
Nevada | 88 |
Hawaii | 140 |
Alaska | 23 |
More Psychology Rankings in California
Psychology Related Rankings by Major
Psychology Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 29,224 |
General Psychology | 8,051 |
Child Development & Psychology | 2,576 |
Other Psychology | 2,162 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Psychology
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Education | 199,724 |
Social Sciences | 22,292 |
Communication & Journalism | 12,242 |
Library Science | 5,929 |
History | 4,391 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Nevit Dilmen.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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