Top Psychology Masters Programs in the U.S.

Terminal master's programs are not offered at many of the top-ranked graduate schools for psychology in the nation, which instead offer doctoral or co-terminal programs in psychology. The following highly ranked colleges and universities offer either terminal or co-terminal psychology master's programs.

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Top Master's-Level Psychology Programs

1. Stanford University in Stanford, CA

Founded by Jane and Leland Stanford in 1891, Stanford University currently houses seven schools covering business, earth sciences, education, engineering, humanities and sciences, law and medicine. In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Department of Psychology at Stanford first in a list of the best graduate schools for psychology.

The graduate programs offered by this top-ranked department are centered on either teaching or research. Although Stanford doesn't offer a separate psychology master's program, it does offer a co-terminal 45-credit Master of Arts (M.A.) option for students pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology or a bachelor's degree in psychology.

2. University of Wisconsin - Madison

U.S. News and World Report listed the University of Wisconsin - Madison eighth on its 2009 list of the best graduate schools for psychology, tying with other top schools such as Princeton University and the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. This 4-year public university is the second-highest-ranked school to offer a master's degree program in psychology.

Although the doctoral psychology program is the core of the graduate program at the Department of Psychology, a Master of Science (M.S.) in General Psychology is also an option. In addition to this terminal master's psychology program, doctoral students can also pursue a thesis-based master's degree by completing the necessary requirements.

3. James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA

Serving over 20,000 students every year, James Madison University is a public university that has high rankings as a southern regional university; it placed third for overall regional universities in the South and first for public schools by U.S. News and World Report in 2011.

The Department of Graduate Psychology offers three different graduate programs in psychology and psychology-related fields at the master's level, including a M.A. in Psychological Studies and two-combined M.A./Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Psychology programs. Four concentrations of study are offered to the psychological studies students, including behavior analysis, clinical research, cognitive science and quantitative psychology. Students in the program are also required to take part in a research apprenticeship their first year.

List of Ten Good U.S. Psychology Master's Programs

College/University Name Distinction Location
Fairfield University The Foundations of Advanced Psychology study track Fairfield, CT
James Madison University Offers two combined M.A./Ed.S. degree programs offered Harrisonburg, VA
Loyola University in Maryland Offers a master's plus Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program Baltimore, MD
New York University Social and consumer psychology specialization track in the master's program New York, NY
Stanford University Ranked number one psychology graduate school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report in 2009 Stanford, CA
Santa Clara University The M.A. in Counseling Psychology with marriage and family therapy (MFT) California licensing requirement Santa Clara, CA
University of Wisconsin - Madison The First Year Project requirement for graduate students Madison, WI
Valparaiso University Joint Law/M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Valparaiso, IN
Villanova University The 5-year B.A./M.S. in Psychology concurrent degree program Villanova, PA
Xavier University The M.A. in Experimental Psychology program Cincinnati, OH
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