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2024 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California

49 Colleges in California
4,700 Master's Degrees
$51,883 Avg Early-Career Salary
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

Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California 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.

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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Clinical Psychology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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

1

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

2

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

3

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

4
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

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

5
85 Annual Graduates

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

6
National University crest
National University
San Diego, CA

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

7

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

8
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

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

9
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology crest
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA

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

10

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

Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 183 269
Oregon 158 168
Nevada 105 4
Hawaii 85 104
Alaska 52 12

View All Rankings >

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology is one of 24 different types of Psychology programs to choose from.

Clinical Psychology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Counseling Psychology 1,336
Applied Behavior Analysis 1,110
Clinical Psychology 974
School Psychology 458
Industrial & Organizational Psychology 270
Forensic Psychology 193
Other Psychology & Counseling 141
Applied Psychology 129
Educational Psychology 36
Health/Medical Psychology 24

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 1,293
Other Psychology 142
Child Development & Psychology 112

Notes and References

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