Cambridge, Massachusetts’ Harvard University is one of the best known elite schools in the country. While not a purely online program, it’s online Master of Liberal Arts in Psychology carries with it the prestige and earning potential of one of the most well-regarded universities in the world and US News and World Report’s second-ranked college in the USA.

Offered through Harvard’s extension school, this mixed online and on-campus program requires students to take three on-campus prerequisites before applying to the program. These requirements, combined with very competitive admissions, makes this program a long shot for most people, but for those who can apply, a better online program is hard to find.

Penn State is a very large public research university in the town of State College. The university’s online Global Campus offers a 33 credit online Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership. Like other programs in this list, the degree is intended for working professionals hoping to enhance their career opportunities.

The focus of this research degree is the disciplined study of leadership in different contexts with the aim of applying research findings to the promotion of best practices. Another asset of the Psychology of Leadership program is that it offers students membership in Psi Chi, an online psychology club that connects students with faculty and former students for further education opportunities and professional networking.

The University of Southern California is a large private research university located in Los Angeles. The school offers an online Master of Science in Applied Psychology through their Dornsife College of Letters, Art, and Sciences. The degree can be completed in as few as 16 months and is designed for employed professionals who seek to utilize the psychological sciences to innovate in their respective fields.

The degree provides two concentrations. The first is in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and focuses on the psychological dimension of workplace related issues. The second is Consumer Psychology and studies psychological phenomena related to advertising and consumption. The degree can be advantageously applied to a number of professional fields, including marketing, consumer research, human relations, and career counseling.

The University of Georgia is a large, public research university located in Athens. Among the graduate degrees they offer in an online format are a Master in Education in Educational Psychology, Applied Cognition, and Development and a Master in Education in Educational Psychology, Gifted and Creative Education.

Both degrees have application in the field of education and are meant to study and foster all aspects of the learning process, including motivation, child development, and cognition. Additionally, the Gifted and Creative Education degree will enable graduates to qualify for the Gifted In-Field Endorsement for the State of Georgia.

The University of Alabama is a large public university located in Tuscaloosa. Its distance learning school, Bama by Distance, offers 42 different online graduate programs, among which is a 30 credit MA in Educational Psychology Learning and Assessment. As its title indicates, it is focused both on developing education practices based on the latest psychological research as well as the most effective ways to measure educational success.

For those hoping to use their Master’s degree as a stepping stone for further advancement in academia, Bama by Distance also offers a 69-credit joint MA in Educational Psychology/EdS in Educational Psychology. An EdS (Education Specialist) degree is an advanced professional degree, one step below a doctorate, that can open doors to further advancement in the field of education. Both degrees are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

The University of Tennessee is a large public university in Knoxville. As part of their distance learning program, UT offers two Master of Science degrees in educational psychology, one which specializes in adult education and one which emphasizes applied educational psychology. Both programs require 36 credit hours of coursework the content of which is synchronous- taking place during the evening in Eastern Standard Time.

The program is intended for those working in any child or adult educational setting, whether it be a public nonprofit or instilling knowledge or training in the context of a for-profit institution. Class content, among other things, includes motivation, learning disorders, theories of human development, and utilizing educational technology.

Kansas State University is a large, public, doctoral university located in Manhattan, Kansas. Through its Global Campus, K-State offers a 38 credit Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The program is a hybrid online/on-campus degree, though the onsite component only comprises two weeks every summer for the first two years of the program.

As a professional and terminal degree, it is not intended for those hoping to pursue further studies in the field, but rather for professionals in human resources or management wanting greater facility in hiring, consulting, and job training. The degree ends with a guided study practicum that helps students, with the help of faculty advisors, to apply what they have learned to their chosen fields.

The University of Memphis is a large public university in Memphis, Tennessee. Through their online program, U of M Global, they offer a 36 credit Master’s of Science in Educational Psychology. Though not intended for those seeking licensure in primary education, it is an excellent supplemental degree for educators who require a graduate degree for further advancement and would like to use the latest psychological research to solve pedagogical or social problems in an educational environment

U of M uses the well-known Desire to Learn (D2L) format as its online educational platform, allowing U of M professors to easily distribute reading materials, host online discussions among students, and administer coursework completely online. Among the classes offered are Statistical Methods Applied to Education, Early Childhood Development, Adolescent Psychology, Cultural Diversity, and Individual Differences.

Located in the city of Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota (UND) is the largest and oldest university in the state. Among their online distance programs is a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. Forensic psychology applies psychological theory to problems within the fields of criminal and civil justice.

Potential students should be aware that there is a two-week on-campus capstone experience required to complete the degree, so applicants should ensure that they have the capabilities to travel to Grand Rapids for the requisite period of time. During the capstone experience, students will interact with a variety of professionals in the field of criminal and civil justice to learn how to apply what they have learned in their online coursework in real-world situations. Besides the capstone requirement, the degree is completely online, and students from every state are eligible to receive in-state tuition.

Ball State University is a large public university in Muncie, Indiana. BSU offers two different online Master degrees in psychology, an MS in Quantitative Psychology and an MA in Educational Psychology. The former can be taken entirely online or as a hybrid online/on-campus format for those who live near campus. The latter is only offered online.

This unique degree focuses on the statistical and mathematical modeling of psychological concepts and processes. With the passage of legislation that makes remuneration in fields like healthcare and education dependent on attaining certain measurable goals, quantitative assessment grows in importance and jobs with such skills are in higher demand. BSU’s MA in Education is intended as a terminal degree for those in the field of education who would like to complement their educational experience with greater psychological insight and expertise.

Eastern Michigan University is a large public university located between Ann Arbor and Detroit in the town of Ypsilanti. EMU’s College of Education offers a 30 credit hour online MA in Educational Psychology. The program is open to students residing in states subject to the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).

Students in the program can choose between two different concentrations: ‘Developing Learners’ which focuses on the emotional, cognitive, and social development of children and adolescents and ‘Research and Assessment’ which is primarily concerned with the application of research and statistical/data analysis as applied to the field of education. In addition to a final advanced seminar in educational psychology, students must complete either a written thesis or a culminating project.

The University of Northern Colorado is a medium sized public university located in Greeley. It also has satellite campuses in Denver, Loveland, and Colorado Springs. Through its extended campus, UNC offers a 30 credit Master of Arts in Educational Psychology. The degree is intended to be completed in 20 months, or five consecutive academic terms, and begins in the summer term.

It is a highly structured program and would not be suitable for those looking for flexibility in credit loads and elective courses. However, it is a solid curriculum that will cover such topics as research methodology, developmental psychology, motivation, cognition, and educational assessment. In addition to a final comprehensive examination, students will complete a thesis that applies educational psychology to a topic within their scope of educational practice.

Another school offering a Master in Applied Psychology is Sacred Heart University. Sacred Heart is a private, Catholic college in Fairfield, Connecticut. The degree requires 38 credit hours and offers three different concentrations: Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Community Psychology, and General Applied Psychology.

As mentioned in earlier reviews, I-O Psychology focuses on studying and resolving problems in the workplace. The Community Psychology concentration was designed for application to issues faced by community and nonprofit organizations. The General Applied Psychology concentration gives students the flexibility to choose freely among courses in the program in order to tailor the degree to their needs.

Located in Longview, Texas, LeTourneau University is a very small, private, Christian college that hosts a large number of distance learning students. Among the degrees offered is an online Master of Arts in Psychology. Though not a licensure program, LeTourneau will appeal to those who want to pursue a vocation to faith-based Christian counseling. The program combines clinical psychological theory with Christian theology and spirituality.

For students hoping to become licensed professional counselors or Marriage and Family Therapists, LeTourneau also offers online and hybrid graduate level degrees in various forms of counseling. These also have a faith-based approach that will appeal to those hoping to undertake counseling as a Christian ministry.

Southern New Hampshire University is located in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Though this small, private, nonprofit school only has an on-campus population of roughly 3,000 students, it boasts an amazing 60,000 distance learners. Its innovative online learning platform has been recognized by US News & World Report and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Among their programs is their online MS in Psychology. As a non-clinical/non-licensure program, it is not for those hoping to become licensed counselors. However, it does offer three different concentrations that have real-world applications such as Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Child & Adolescent Development Psychology.

Emporia State University is a medium-sized public university in the Kansas town of the same name. Among its distance learning programs are three entirely different graduate degrees. The first of these is an MS in Clinical Psychology. In addition to this clinically-focused degree, Emporia also offers an MS in Psychology with an Industrial-Organizational concentration and also an MS in School Psychology.

By offering three different degrees, rather than just three concentrations of the same degree, ESU is one of the schools on the list that offers the most academic diversity for those with interest in psychology. The MS in Clinical Psychology includes both a thesis and non-thesis option and requires a 750-hour clinical internship.

Saint Leo University is a medium sized Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Leo, Florida. The university has one of the oldest distance learning programs in the country and among the many graduate degrees offered is its online MS in Psychology. While many of the programs on this list specialize in subfields such as educational or I-O psychology, Saint Leo’s degree combines a broad-based approach to psychological topics with a focus on practical application.

Covering topics as diverse as developmental psychology, social psychology, and physiology will give students engagement with many different facets of the discipline. Courses such as Research Methods, Tests and Measures, and a two-semester Capstone Project can help students apply what they have learned to a variety of different potential workplaces.

Austin Peay State is a public and predominantly undergraduate university located in the town of Clarksville, in North Central Tennessee. The fastest growing university in the state, APS also boasts some excellent online degree programs, including a 34 credit Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. With a practitioner and research focus, it is a good choice for those who are unsure if they want to pursue a terminal degree or go on for doctoral level work in the field.

The degree is structured according to the guidelines for Master’s level training from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). These guidelines emphasize proficiency in several different competencies. These include a broad understanding of psychology, comprehension of research methods and statistics, small group theory, theories of leadership, organizational change, and labor-management relations.

Missouri University of Science and Technology is a medium sized STEM and business-oriented university located in Rolla. Through its distance and continuing education office, Missouri S&T offers a 36 hour Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. While the program utilizes synchronous content, the video is archived for later review, allowing for more flexibility than a merely synchronous program could provide.

The MS in I-O Psychology is intended as a professional and terminal degree. It offers both a thesis and non-thesis option as well as three different degree tracks: leadership in technical organizations, psychometrics, and human factors. The first focuses on theories of leadership and management, the second ways of measuring and testing employee productivity, and the latter on designing and studying different labor environments.

The University of Idaho is a small public university located in Moscow. Many of their degree programs are offered in an online format, one of which is a Master of Science in Psychology: Human Factors, offered through its College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. The only degree with this specialization in this list, human factors psychology studies how people interact with objects in their environment. It is especially useful for those hoping to work in the fields of product/software design and engineering.

Admission into the degree program requires either an undergraduate degree in psychology, design, computer science, or engineering. Topics covered in the program include the psychology of perception, human/computer interaction, ergonomics, and engineering psychology. Students will complete the degree through a comprehensive examination and a faculty-directed thesis.

The University of Hartford is a small private university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. They offer a 36 credit Master of Science in Organizational Psychology. The program is very generous in its flexibility. In addition to having three different annual start dates, students can tailor their course load to their needs, though the program can be finished in as few as two years for students who are motivated.

Like other I-O programs, the focus of U of H’s degree is the workforce and how psychological knowledge might facilitate better productivity, creativity, and motivation. Coursework includes topics such as personnel psychology, experimental design, and advanced research methods. All coursework focuses on the integration of theory and practice.

Northcentral University is an online, for-profit university headquartered in San Diego, California. Through their School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, they offer a 30-36 (varying according to concentration) credit Master of Arts in Psychology. In addition to this general degree, they also offer a 30 credit Master of Science in Forensic Psychology.

The MA has four different concentrations: general psychology, gender diversity, health psychology, and I-O psychology. The MS in Forensic Psychology equips students to apply their knowledge in the fields of law and criminal justice. One benefit of NU’s online-only format is that it allows students to start at any time of the year and to complete their degree at their pace. Neither the MA or the MS will lead to accreditation in psychology or counseling.

Golden Gate University is a small, private, nonprofit school located in downtown San Francisco. It has gained a reputation for adult education and was recognized by Washington Monthly as being the top school for those getting a degree later in life. Though it specializes in business-related degrees such as administration and accounting, it also offers a 36 credit Master of Art in I-O Psychology.

Coursework includes classes such as Managing People in International Settings, Human Resources Management, Group Dynamics in Organizations, Leadership, Organizational Change, and Conflict Resolution. To finish the degree students will need to complete an internship in applied psychology during which they will collaborate with an I-O practitioner in a business or nonprofit setting.

National University is a private, nonprofit school headquartered in La Jolla, California, with several small campuses throughout that state as well as one in Nevada. In addition to courses offered at these sites, NU also has an extensive listing of online degree programs, including several Masters-level degrees in the field of psychology. These include a Master of Arts in Performance Psychology, a Master of Science in School Psychology, and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.

Unlike other schools on this list, NU’s programs are, except for its MA in Performance Psychology, geared toward professional certification and licensure. Though this is a benefit with regard to employability, these are primarily for licenses in the state of California. Students who complete NU’s MS in School Psychology will receive a recommendation for their Pupil Personnel School Psychology (PPSP) credential through the California Commission for School Credentialing. Those who complete the MA in Counseling Psychology can sit for either a Marriage and Family Therapist license or a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor license, depending on their specialization in that degree program.

The American Public University System is a for-profit, online-only system of higher education that comprises two different schools, American Public University and American Military University. It is based out of Charles Town, West Virginia, and is owned by a publicly traded corporation. They offer a 39 credit hour Master of Arts in Psychology.

Though it does not provide for different concentrations, it has a solid foundation in the essentials of the subject with classes such as Research and Statistical Methods of Psychology, Learning and Cognition, Personality and Counseling Theories, Substance Abuse and Addiction, and Crisis and Emergency Intervention. As an online school, they offer monthly program starting dates and completely asynchronous learning formats, making for exceptional flexibility for students who need it.

Fort Hays State University is a medium sized public university located in Fort Hays, Kansas. FHSU specializes in low-cost online education, and a sizable number of their student body (~6000) are comprised of online students. Among the online programs offered through their virtual college is a 30 credit Master of Science in School Psychology.

Students who complete Fort Hays’ MSSP and then go on to complete an Education Specialist in School Psychology degree will be eligible for licensure as school psychologists in Kansas and other states. Potential applicants should be aware that completing the degree does require one short 5-day on-campus workshop. Among the topics covered are developmental psychology, the appraisal of children, and inferential statistics. Fort Hays’ degree has the distinction of being the most affordable on the list.

Touro University Worldwide is the distance learning school within the Touro College and University System, which is a private, non-profit, Jewish-affiliated system of schools with branches in California, Nevada, New York, Florida, as well as international campuses in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, and Paris. Touro-affiliated schools specialize in osteopathic medicine, but they have as part of their online offerings at TUW a 12 course Master of Arts in Psychology.

The program offers two different concentrations, Media Psychology and Educational Psychology. The former concentration is unique to this list and studies how the human mind interacts with various kinds of informational media, making it useful for those interested in fields such as advertising and software design.

Indiana Tech is a small nonprofit university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While the school specializes in tech, business, education, and criminal justice, it also offers a 33 credit online Master of Science in Psychology through its College of General Studies. The program is non-licensure but follows the requirements of the American Psychological Association’s guidelines for accreditation for doctoral education, making it a useful degree for those hoping to continue for doctoral level work in the field.

Among other things, the stated learning outcomes of the degree are knowledge of various psychological theories and principles, familiarity with different research methodologies, and understanding the role of ethics in psychology. Courses in the program include Multicultural Psychology, Psychopathology, Advanced Biopsychology, and Lifespan Development.

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is a small public university just South of Lake Erie in the small town of the same name. Perhaps because of its remoteness, Edinboro has organized a program of online graduate offerings that has received a top-tier ranking by US News and World Report. Among its graduate programs is a Master of Education in Educational Psychology. The curriculum is listed among the approved programs at the National Association of School Psychologists.

Among the courses offered are Learning Theories, Crisis Management and Violence Prevention, Statistical Methods in Education, Foundations of Literacy, and Mild to Moderate Disabilities. To complete the program students must pass a comprehensive evaluation.

Grand Canyon University is a large for-profit Christian university whose main campus is in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by a publically traded corporation called Grand Canyon Education, Inc. The majority of GCU’s student body is comprised of online students and among its online graduate programs is a 36 credit Master of Science in Psychology with seven different concentrations: general psychology, forensic psychology, geropsychology, health psychology, human factors psychology, I-O psychology, and life coaching.

Core courses include Ethical Issues in Psychology, Social and Cultural Psychology, and Graduate Statistics. Course length is only 8 weeks. To complete the program students must participate in a capstone seminar which prepares students for future careers in their field.

Angelo State University is a medium-sized public university in the West Texas town of San Angelo. Through their College of Graduate Studies and Research, they offer a 36 credit Master of Science in Applied Psychology. The degree is wide ranging in the topics it treats within the field of psychology but requires faculty and students to apply coursework to real life concerns.

Some of the classes offered include Social Psychology, Theories of Personality, Psychology of Creativity, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, and Environmental Psychology. There are application deadlines every Spring and Fall- with separate dates for domestic and international students.

The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a small a public university in Monroe and member of the University of Louisiana System. Through their eULM distance learning program, U of L Monroe offers a 36 credit Master of Science in Psychology. The program offers two different specialization tracks: a general track and a forensic psychology track.

The general track is intended for students who want the broadest expertise in the field. For general track students hoping to continue for a doctorate, it is recommended that they complete a thesis. The forensic track is intended for students hoping for a career in law, criminal investigation, and law enforcement. Classes in this specialization include Counseling and Criminal Justice, Psychopathology, and Advanced Theories of Crime and Delinquency. Students completing the degree for professional advancement as a terminal degree can choose a non-thesis option for completion.

Ashford University is a large, for-profit, online university owned by Bridgeport Education and headquartered in San Diego, California. They provide a 36 credit online Master of Arts in Psychology. Ashford boasts very short (6 week) courses and allows students to complete their degree as slowly as one course at a time, making it accessible for those who need to finish their degree quickly as well as those working full time.

Among the classes offered in its Master in Psychology are Applied Social Psychology, Learning and Cognition, Psychopharmacology, and the Biological Bases of Behavior. It should be noted that Ashford has been subject to several controversies and lawsuits related to deceptive advertising, aggressive recruitment, and deceptive private student loan practices.

Regent University is a small, private, Christian university located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was founded and is affiliated with Pat Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network fame. Through its School of Psychology and Counseling, it offers two Master of Science in Psychology degrees, one intended as a terminal and professional degree. The other- called the MS in Psychology, Doctoral Preparation- is intended for those hoping to go on for a Ph.D. in the field.

Classes include Statistics, Biological Bases of Behavior, Lifespan Psychology, Integrative Psychology, and Multicultural Psychology. As a religious institution, Regent also strives to incorporate faith and study and offers a class in psychology of religion as well. The doctoral preparation degree requires a thesis, and the terminal degree does not.

Capella University is a large for-profit, online university owned by a publicly traded corporation and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to a general psychology degree, they offer six different Master of Science in Psychology degrees, including clinical counseling psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, I-O psychology, leadership coaching psychology, and sports psychology.

While Capella does not promise any of their degrees will allow students to attain licensure, their clinically oriented degrees to offer students information and support through their licensure support team. As an online-only school, Capella has frequent start dates and asynchronous content so that students can learn at their pace.