If you wonder how people’s minds work, a master’s degree in psychology can answer those questions and advance your career.
With a master’s degree in psychology, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the human brain. The classes will teach you about human behavior from a range of perspectives. This degree can open doors in many fields and you don’t even need a psychology background to get started.
What Is a Master’s Degree in Psychology?
A master’s degree in psychology is a graduate-level degree that teaches you all about how the human mind works. Typically, these degrees take about two or three years to finish. Master’s degrees in psychology prepare you for one of two different paths. Some programs prepare students to get their doctorate. These programs are good for people who want to work in a clinical setting. Other programs prepare students to enter the workforce. These are ideal for people who want to work in a school or business setting. Both programs often combine online classrooms and hands-on learning.
How Much Can You Earn with a Master’s Degree in Psychology?
Since you can get a number of jobs with a master’s degree in psychology, the salary range is wide. How much you make will really depend on what job you choose. If you want to work as a psychologist, the average income is over $82,000 a year. If you’re interested in becoming a school counselor, they make an average of $58,120 each year. Family therapists have average salaries of around $51,000. However, some jobs in psychology can pay well into the $100,000 range with time. Since a master’s in psychology prepares you for a doctorate degree, you have the potential to earn even more.
What Is Required For a Master’s Degree in Psychology?
The requirements for a master’s degree in psychology are a little different at every school. At most schools, you’ll pick a concentration pretty early on. You can choose from options like research, school psychology, and so many more. Once you choose an area of interest, your classes will focus on that subject. However, there are some general classes you’ll likely take too. Your school might have you start with a general psychology class or a class that teaches you about types of research. Schools also have different tracks for people who want to go right to work and people who want to get their PhD. If you want to get a PhD, you can expect to do a lot more research than if you wanted to go straight to work.
What Are the Best Master’s Degrees in Psychology?
OSR uses six data points: three school-wide and three program-specific. For school-wide, OSR uses Student Satisfaction, Admission Rates, and the number of programs the school offers online. For program-specific, OSR checks the Median Debt of graduates from that program, how many degrees are offered within that program’s umbrella department, and what percentage of students at that school graduated from that department.
The six statistics are displayed by each school. The sliding bar under each statistic represents how that school compares to other US institutions. “Not reported” means a school did not release that information to the US Department of Education. A more detailed description of the OSR process can be found on the methodology page
Best Online Master’s in Psychology Degrees FAQs
What is required before I get my master’s degree?
Almost every psychology master’s degree program has a set list of requirements for all students to meet. Before starting any master’s degree, you first need to earn your bachelor’s degree. You can get a bachelor’s degree at any four-year college or by splitting it up. You can earn your associate’s degree first and then move on to a bachelor’s program after. No matter how you get your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to do well in school. Most programs look for students that have a good GPA. Masters programs want students who will be successful and they use GPA as a good estimate. Some degree programs will also require a test called the Graduate Record Exam, or the GRE. This test is another way programs can tell if you’re likely to do well in graduate school.
To show your experience outside of the classroom, some schools may have you send in a resume. It will need to be formatted in a professional way and should not have any typos. Your resume should highlight the things you have done that make you unique. Schools might also ask you to write an essay or answer prompts. This is another place where you can show off your individual personality.
Where can you work with a master’s in psychology?
You might be surprised to learn about all that you can do with a master’s degree in psychology. Not everyone with this degree is a psychologist. People who have these degrees actually work in a lot of different places. They can work in both the public and private sectors. This means that you can either work for the government or for a private company.
If you’re interested in a government job, there are options at local, state, and federal levels. You could work as a school psychologist or for the family services department. You could also work in forensics and help solve crimes.
If a private job is your goal, you can either work for a big company or a small office. Big companies often hire people with psychology degrees in departments like human relations. You could help recruit new employees or train existing ones. In a small office, you could work as a therapist or counselor.
There’s also a range of other options. People with master’s degrees in psychology can work in labs or be professors, too. They can even open their own business. With these options and more, what you do with your degree is truly up to you.
If you want to take the next step in your career, an online master’s degree in psychology could be a great place to start. By studying psychology, you’ll get to learn all about the ways people behave. You’ll even get to pick the track you want to study. After you graduate, you can work in a wide range of fields. You can even decide to go back to school later to get your doctorate. With an online master’s degree in psychology, there’s definitely an option out there for everyone.