by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 66 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,247 master's degrees in psychology during the 2020-2021 academic year.
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 quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various 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 schools for psychology students working on their master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in psychology.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles is a great decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in psychology. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in psychology. 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
It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a master's degree in psychology. Located in the large 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
Santa Clara University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in psychology. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara.More information about a master’s in psychology from Santa Clara University
Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu.More information about a master’s in psychology from Pepperdine University
Located in the small city of Santa Barbara, Fielding is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from Fielding Graduate University
National University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.More information about a master’s in psychology from National University
Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in 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.More information about a master’s in psychology from Palo Alto University
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in psychology from University of California - San Diego
Learn about other programs related to Psychology that might interest you.
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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 California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Alliant International University | San Diego, CA |
| 12 | California Baptist University | Riverside, CA |
| 13 | Holy Names University | Oakland, CA |
| 14 | Loma Linda University | Loma Linda, CA |
| 15 | The Wright Institute | Berkeley, CA |
| 16 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
Explore all the Best Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 31 | 333 |
| Oregon | 29 | 194 |
| Hawaii | 27 | 114 |
| Nevada | 27 | 32 |
| Alaska | 21 | 12 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 4,700 |
| General Psychology | 1,293 |
| Other Psychology | 142 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 112 |
