2023 Most Popular Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Psychology Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, psychology students earned 40,562 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Psychology program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Psychology Doctor's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Most Popular Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Alliant International University to be the most popular school for psychology students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Alliant is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
Women make up 78% of the psychology majors at the school.
Full Psychology at Alliant International University Report
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles is a great place for psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Women make up 78% of the psychology majors at the school.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Palo Alto University is a great place for psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Palo Alto.
About 84% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 16% are male.
Full Psychology at Palo Alto University Report
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Out of the 44 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Northcentral University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Northcentral University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
About 74% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 26% are male.
Full Psychology at Northcentral University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fielding Graduate University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Fielding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Barbara.
About 81% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 19% are male.
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Pacifica Graduate Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Pacifica Graduate Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the rural area of Carpinteria.
About 78% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 22% are male.
Full Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute Report
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The Wright Institute ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, The Wright Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 74% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 26% are male.
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The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for psychology students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, The Chicago School Irvine Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 81% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 19% are male.
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California Institute of Integral Studies did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for psychology students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. CIIS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
About 77% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 23% are male.
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With a ranking of #10, Pepperdine University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
About 84% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 16% are male.
Read full report on Psychology at Pepperdine University
Request InformationBest Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,848 |
| Oregon | 2,071 |
| Hawaii | 511 |
| Nevada | 996 |
| Alaska | 133 |
Majors Related to Psychology
Psychology Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 141,695 |
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 33,758 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 17,542 |
| Other Psychology | 2,683 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Nevit Dilmen.
More about our data sources and methodologies.