2024 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.
College Factual looked at 49 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,700 master's degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology during the 2020-2021 academic year.
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 take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination 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 complete 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
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles is a wonderful option for students pursuing a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Master's students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn about $51,294 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country 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 fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology degree program at University of Southern California earn $5,532 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Southern California
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology has to look into Pepperdine University. Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu.
Students who graduate with their master's from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $47,307.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pepperdine University
It is hard to beat Santa Clara University if you want 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.
Master's recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Santa Clara University get $5,792 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Santa Clara University
Located in the city of Santa Barbara, Fielding is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fielding Graduate University
National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology master's degree recipients from National University earn a boost of approximately $3,258 above the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from National University
Alliant is a small private for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego.
Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their master's degree from Alliant International University make $15,395 more than the typical clinical psychology graduate.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Alliant International University
Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology master's degree recipients from University of San Francisco get an earnings boost of about $4,507 above the average earnings of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of San Francisco
Located in the rural area of Palo Alto, Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make around $53,629 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Palo Alto University
Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make about $45,045 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a master’s in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from California Baptist University