by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2023, College Factual analyzed 556 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 32,270 master's degrees in psychology to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The psychology master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality psychology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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 take this into account 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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for psychology students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Our Master of Science in Psychology program is designed to extend your knowledge and discipline in psychology, preparing you for a wide variety of professions and contexts.
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Become a champion of change and take your first step toward licensure as a clinical mental health counselor with this specialized and CACREP-accredited online clinical counseling master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Harvard University is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in psychology. Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Harvard University
Duke University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in psychology. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a master’s in psychology from Duke University
Yale University is a good decision for students pursuing a master's degree in psychology. Yale is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven.More information about a master’s in psychology from Yale University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in psychology has to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Northwestern University
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in psychology from Washington University in St Louis
UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Pennsylvania
Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Notre Dame
UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Chicago
Located in the large city of Chicago, The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
Located in the small city of Princeton, Princeton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Princeton University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Cornell University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in psychology from New York University
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University
Located in the small city of Melbourne, Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Florida Institute of Technology
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Southern California
Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in psychology from Villanova University
The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in psychology from The Graduate Center, CUNY
UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Georgia
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Vanderbilt University
Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station.More information about a master’s in psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Boston College
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from George Washington University
Learn about other programs related to Psychology that might interest you.
MS in Psychology - Forensic Psychology
Understand the intersection of psychology and the law with this online forensic psychology graduate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
MS in Psychology - Industrial-Organizational Psychology
In our Master of Science in Psychology program, you can prepare for the rapidly changing professional landscape of the 21st century, which has led to a growing demand for individuals with a formal psychology background.
This section shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 556 different United States psychology schools we analyzed.
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 award.
View the Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 22,477 |
| General Psychology | 6,330 |
| Other Psychology | 1,777 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 1,686 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 158,506 |
| Social Sciences | 16,693 |
| Communication & Journalism | 10,997 |
| Library Science | 5,485 |
| History | 3,509 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 3,139 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,942 |
