2025 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California
If you pursue a master's degree in
clinical, counseling & applied psychology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #7 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 40 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,685 master's degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology School for Your Master's Degree
The clinical psychology master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to clinical, counseling & applied psychology students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for clinical, counseling & applied psychology to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized clinical, counseling & applied psychology related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The clinical psychology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology in California
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology.
10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Clinical Psychology
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology master's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of about $11,940 over the average earnings of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Southern California
It's hard to beat Santa Clara University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara.
Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their master's degree from Santa Clara University make $5,984 more than the typical clinical psychology graduate.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Santa Clara University
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology has to check out Pepperdine University. Pepperdine is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu.
Students who graduate with their master's from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $49,456.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pepperdine University
It is hard to beat University of San Francisco if you wish to pursue a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology master's degree recipients from University of San Francisco receive an earnings boost of about $5,801 over the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of San Francisco
National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $57,834 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from National University
Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from San Diego State University
Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside.
Master's students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $55,299 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from California Baptist University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology master's degree recipients from California State University - Monterey Bay get an earnings boost of around $24,455 above the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from California State University - Monterey Bay
Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population.
Master's recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology degree program at California State University - Long Beach earn $21,443 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from California State University - Long Beach
Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Azusa Pacific University
