The field of applied psychology is wide, and many career pathways are available. With a degree, you can do anything from patient counseling to offering marketing advice. In its most general terms, it involves applying the principles of psychology to real-world situations rather than simply generating more research papers.

Choosing the Right Online Applied Psychology Degree Program

You will find that there are plenty of online options available for applied psychology degrees, as well as traditional in-person possibilities. Jobs in psychology-related fields open up as soon as you get your bachelor’s degree, but it’s the master’s and doctorate that will give you more traction when it comes to specializing.

No matter which program you choose, make sure it is accredited. This ensures that your diploma will be respected by employers and any university program you wish to transfer to. Licensing boards, where applicable, also demand that your degree come from an accredited program. For psychology degrees, the top accrediting agency is the American Psychological Association.

Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Psychology

This is typically a four-year program, but the true time may be shorter or longer depending on how many courses you take every year, and how flexible your online program is. A program for applied psychology will have more classes on how to actually use psychology in a variety of real-world situations than would be found in a general psychology program. It will open doors to jobs in the field of psychology, but these positions will tend to be more general. Bachelor’s-level jobs also pay less than those open to people with a master’s degree or greater.

Many bachelor’s degree programs are available that are completely online, which can make them available to people who aren’t able to attend traditional classes.

Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology

Here is where your employment opportunities start to get interesting. With this degree, which takes between two and four more years to get, you can be hired to help with marketing campaigns, to evaluate public programs, to analyze issues surrounding social media, and more.

Several universities offer online-only master’s degree programs, though there are likely fewer of these than there are bachelor’s programs.

Doctorate Degree in Applied Psychology

These degrees are available in both Ph.D. and PsyD formats. Ph.D. programs are geared towards those who wish to continue into academia, while the PsyD is better for people interested in clinical practice or other real-world positions. Most states require a doctorate degree from an accredited program for licensure. Clinical experience, or practicum time, is also typically required. Most if not all universities will provide this experience as part of their doctorate programs. The time needed for a license ranges from 1,500 hours all the way to 6,000 hours, so check with your state to see how much will be required there. Then, make sure your prospective university’s program covers it.

Which Applied Psychology Degree is Right for You?

Bachelor’s DegreeMaster’s DegreeGraduate CertificatePh.D. or PsyD
I am interested in gaining entry-level experience in applied psychologyx
I want to get started in my applied psychology career before I pursue more educationx
I want to pursue a non-patient-facing role in applied psychologyxx
I want to pursue or switch to a niche psychology specialtyxx
I already have a psychology degree and want to gain specialized knowledgexx
I want to conduct research in applied psychologyxx
I want to become a licensed applied psychologist and treat patientsx
I want to work in academiax

Applied Psychology Degree Program Curriculum

Courses in applied psychology are, as the degree’s name implies, focused mostly on the ways psychology can be applied in the real world rather than just the theories involved. At the bachelor’s level, you’ll also have to take a variety of courses in subjects like math, history, and English.

  • Bachelor’s Degree: It typically takes 120 credits to get a bachelor’s degree. These credits are usually earned by taking 15 credits worth of courses each fall and spring, which will add up to 120 after four years. However, you can usually vary how many credits you take per semester, and thereby alter the standard timeframe.
  • Master’s Degree: Some schools offer master’s degrees with just 30 credit hours beyond a bachelor’s, but that doesn’t make it a one-year program. Instead, it takes between two and four more years thanks to the requirements for theses or dissertations.
  • Doctorate Degree: There are both PsyD and PhD versions of this degree, though not all universities offer both. Normally, the PhD is sought after by people who want to go into research or academia, while the PsyD is chosen by those who want to go into clinical practice. The credit-hour requirement is misleadingly low, with the high 80s or low 90s being typical. However, the main work of getting a doctorate lies in its requirements for a dissertation and many hours of practicum experience.

Applied Psychology Degree Program Clinical Requirements

The requirements vary depending on the degree level, with a bachelor’s typically not requiring any, and a doctorate needing at least 1,500 and sometimes much more. State regulations strongly influence the hours needed at the doctoral level because the school will try to match the hours demanded by the state licensing board.

Clinical practice hours are gained under the supervision of a licensed practitioner and offer increasing independence as time goes on. This makes it so that someone who gets a license has at least some experience right from the start. When it comes to online programs, clinical hours can often be performed in the student’s local area.

List of Online & Campus-Based Applied Psychology Degree Programs

Looking for an online or campus-based applied psychology degree program near you? Browse our state-by-state school listings below.

Jump to Your State Listings

Alabama

301 Sparkman Dr
Huntsville, AL 35899
(256) 824-6120

Arizona

9414 North 25th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85021
(602) 371-1188

California

Bachelor's Programs
13800 Biola Ave
La Mirada, CA 90639-0001
(562) 903-6000

First and Normal Sts
Chico, CA 95929-0150
(530) 898-6116

150 E Tenth St
Claremont, CA 91711-6160
(909) 621-8000

Colorado

102 Administration Building
Fort Collins, CO 80523-0100
(970) 491-1101

Florida

Associate ProgramsBachelor's Programs
150 West University Blvd
Melbourne, FL 32901-6975
(321) 674-8000

11200 S. W. 8 Street
Miami, FL 33199
(305) 348-2000

Georgia

Illinois

1032 W. Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 274-3000

Lincoln Drive
Carbondale, IL 62901-4512
(618) 453-2121

Bachelor's Programs
601 S Morgan
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 996-7000

Iowa

106 S Sixth St
Forest City, IA 50436-1713
(641) 585-2450

Kentucky

6191 College Station Drive
Williamsburg, KY 40769
(606) 549-2200

1906 College Heights Blvd
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1000
(270) 745-0111

Louisiana

Maryland

Charles at Mount Royal
Baltimore, MD 21201-5720
(410) 837-4200

Certificate Programs
3501 University Blvd East
Adelphi, MD 20783-8010
(301) 985-7000

Massachusetts

140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 552-8000

Master's Programs
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02115-5005
(617) 373-2000

Michigan

106 Warriner Hall
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
(989) 774-4000

Missouri

5000 Holmes St.
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 235-1000

Nevada

6375 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146-1164
(702) 651-5000

New Jersey

Master's Programs
406 Penn
Camden, NJ 08102
(856) 225-1766

Master's ProgramsAccelerated Masters ProgramsCertificate Programs
83 Somerset St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1281
(848) 445-4636

New York

Bachelor's Programs
160 Convent Ave
New York, NY 10031
(212) 650-7000

365 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212) 817-7000

Bachelor's Programs
2350 Broadhollow Road
Farmingdale, NY 11735-1021
(934) 420-2000

441 E Fordham Rd
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 817-1000

100 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549
(516) 463-6600

70 Washington Sq South
New York, NY 10012-1091
(212) 998-1212

Ohio

Bachelor's Programs
2600 Cleveland Avenue NW
Canton, OH 44709-3308
(330) 471-8100

Oregon

Master's Programs
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR 97116
(877) 722-8648

PhD Programs
724 SW Harrison
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 725-3000

Pennsylvania

Bachelor's Programs
1400 Montgomery Ave
Rosemont, PA 19010-1699
(610) 527-0200

1871 Old Main Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299
(717) 477-7447

Rhode Island

Bachelor's Programs
One Old Ferry Road
Bristol, RI 02809-2921
(401) 253-1040

South Carolina

201 Sikes Hall
Clemson, SC 29634
(864) 656-4636

4822 East Palmetto Street
Florence, SC 29506
(843) 661-1362

South Dakota

Bachelor's Programs
1101 W 22nd St
Sioux Falls, SD 57105-1699
(605) 331-5000

Texas

1333 W. Washington
Stephenville, TX 76401-0000
(254) 968-9000

800 West Campbell Road
Richardson, TX 75080-3021
(972) 883-2111

3900 University Blvd
Tyler, TX 75799-6699
(903) 566-7000

Utah

201 Presidents Circle, ROOM 201
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9008
(801) 581-7200

Virginia

Graduate Certificate Programs
4400 University Dr
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
(703) 993-1000

1971 University Blvd
Lynchburg, VA 24515
(434) 582-2000

Wisconsin

Master's Programs
712 S Broadway St
Menomonie, WI 54751
(715) 232-1122

Are we missing your school's program or need to update information listed? Please contact us so we can make the necessary changes.

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