by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 71 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,322 master's degrees in psychology during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of 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:
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.
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.
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 colleges for psychology students working on their master's degree.
The 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 Psychology Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of California - Los Angeles is a great option for students interested in a master's degree in psychology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in psychology. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of Southern California
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in psychology has to take a look at University of California - Davis. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - Davis
University of California - Santa Barbara is a good decision for students interested in a master's degree in psychology. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Santa Clara University
Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Pepperdine University
USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of San Francisco
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego.More information about a master’s in psychology from San Diego State University
Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from National University
Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from California Baptist University
CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach.More information about a master’s in psychology from California State University - Long Beach
CSUMB is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Seaside.More information about a master’s in psychology from California State University - Monterey Bay
Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa.More information about a master’s in psychology from Azusa Pacific University
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - San Diego
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 the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 16 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| 17 | California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton, CA |
| 18 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 19 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 20 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 21 | Palo Alto University | Palo Alto, CA |
| 22 | The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 23 | University of La Verne | La Verne, CA |
Explore the best psychology colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 33 | 6,233 |
| Washington | 31 | 333 |
| Oregon | 29 | 194 |
| Hawaii | 27 | 114 |
| Nevada | 27 | 32 |
| Alaska | 21 | 12 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 6,383 |
| General Psychology | 1,377 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 290 |
| Other Psychology | 272 |
