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Most Popular Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California

2023 Most Popular Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California

85 Colleges
$45,565 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Psychology Master'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 Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 85 schools in California to see which master'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.

Check out the psychology master's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

#1

National University

La Jolla, CA

Our 2023 rankings named National University the most popular school in California for psychology students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Of the 1,058 students majoring in psychology at National University, 20% are male and 80% are female.

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#2

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

The in-demand master’s degree programs at Pepperdine University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular psychology schools in California. Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 671 students majoring in psychology at Pepperdine, 18% are male and 82% are female.

Full Psychology at Pepperdine University Report

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Out of the 85 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles landed the # 3 spot on the list. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

About 82% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 18% are male.

Full Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles Report

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#5

Northcentral University

San Diego, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northcentral University is a great place for psychology students working on their master’s degree. Northcentral University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

About 84% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 16% are male.

Full Psychology at Northcentral University Report

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#6

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA

Touro University Worldwide ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California list. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Alamitos.

Women make up 77% of the psychology majors at the school.

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California Institute of Integral Studies landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree psychology programs. CIIS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

About 76% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 24% are male.

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California Baptist University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Riverside.

About 79% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 21% are male.

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Antioch University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for psychology students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Culver City, Antioch University - Los Angeles is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 71% of the students majoring in psychology at the school are women while 29% are male.

Full Psychology at Antioch University - Los Angeles Report

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#10

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Psychology Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 83% of the psychology majors at the school.

Full Psychology at University of San Francisco Report

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University of Southern California landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree psychology programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 79% of the psychology majors at the school.

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#12

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Carpinteria, CA

With a ranking of #12, Pacifica Graduate Institute did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for psychology students working on their master’s degree. Pacifica Graduate Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the rural area of Carpinteria.

Women make up 73% of the psychology majors at the school.

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Psychology Master's Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
13 The Wright Institute Berkeley, CA
14 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
15 Palo Alto University Palo Alto, CA
16 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
17 University of San Diego San Diego, CA

Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Psychology Schools 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

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

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.

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