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2025 Best General Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California

24 Colleges in California
1,327 Master's Degrees
$53,082 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #34 in popularity, general psychology is one of the most sought-after master's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,327 master's degrees in general psychology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Psychology School for Your Master's Degree

Best General Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California Your choice of general psychology for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general psychology students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank General Psychology Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study General Psychology in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in general psychology.

10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Psychology

1
34 Annual Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in general psychology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in general psychology from University of California - Los Angeles

2
12 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in general psychology needs to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in general psychology from University of Southern California

3
16 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in general psychology needs to check out University of California - Davis. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in general psychology from University of California - Davis

4

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in general psychology has to take a look at Pepperdine University. Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the psychology program make about $47,132 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in general psychology from Pepperdine University

5
37 Annual Graduates

CSULB is a very large public university located in the city of Long Beach.More information about a master’s in general psychology from California State University - Long Beach

6

SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego.

Those general psychology students who get their master's degree from San Diego State University receive $9,581 more than the standard psychology grad.

More information about a master’s in general psychology from San Diego State University

7
36 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in general psychology from California State University - Fullerton

8

Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Azusa.

Students who graduate with their master's from the psychology program report average early career earnings of $47,262.

More information about a master’s in general psychology from Azusa Pacific University

9

Fresno State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fresno.

General Psychology master's degree recipients from California State University - Fresno earn a boost of about $17,156 above the typical income of general psychology graduates.

More information about a master’s in general psychology from California State University - Fresno

10

Located in the city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, psychology master's recipients usually make about $45,558 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in general psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

Best General Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 183 42
Oregon 158 24
Nevada 105 5
Hawaii 85 10

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General Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Psychology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 1,327

Related Major Annual Graduates
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 5,685
Other Psychology 272
Child Development & Psychology 205

Notes and References

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