Learning about human thought and behavior is just one of the things you’ll do in the top Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia. Unlike undergrad programs that typically focus on multiple aspects of psychology, graduate programs allow you to study just one field or area such as research psychology or experimental psychology. As you look at the top programs in Georgia, you need to think about which program offers the opportunities that you want and need, including whether the program lets you do an internship or if it requires any fieldwork that you’ll need to do before you can graduate.
Augusta University
College of Science and Mathematics
Augusta University now offers an electronic version of its application that you can access through the admissions website and submit online. The university will only accept students into its graduate program who have a degree from an accredited university and a transcript that shows the student maintained a 3.0 grade point average in college. You must also write an essay of no more than 750 words that explains what made you pick Augusta University for your graduate studies, why you want to study psychological sciences and how a Master’s degree will help you succeed in your future career.
M.S. in Psychological Sciences
When you enroll in this program, which is one of the top Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia, you will need to attend an orientation on the campus near the end of summer. This gives you the chance to meet some of your future instructors and meet with other students too. You can apply for one of the assistant positions available through the department, and you can apply for an internship while working on your psychology degree too. Though this is more of a general program, the university lets you pick a concentration in experiment psychology, clinical psychology or applied experimental psychology. You’ll take several courses related to that concentration.
Accreditation
Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
Contact
2500 Walton Way
Augusta, GA 30904
(706) 737-1694
Brenau University
Department of Psychology
As Brenau University offers one of the top Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia, it looks for the best students to admit each year. That is why you will need to submit both a resume and a reference letter when you apply. The resume allows you to show any experience that you have outside of your college classes, including any professional work or internships that you did as well as any volunteer experience you might have. A reference letter allows one of your supervisors or professors to speak out on your behalf. You’ll also need to supply an official transcript.
M.S. in Clinical Counseling Psychology
Clinical psychology is a field of psychology that deals specifically with clients or patients. This program prepares you for working with patients in a clinical setting. Though the program includes 10 foundation courses, you may have the option of skipping some of those classes because of your undergrad work. You will need to take 14 clinical courses that include group dynamics, professional orientation and development, ethics and professional orientation and counseling skills. Clinical counseling students also do two practicums and an internship. You’ll gain course credit for the work leading up to your thesis, and you can select a concentration too.
Accreditation
Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
Contact
500 Washington St SE
Gainesville, GA 30501
(800) 252-5119
admissions@brenau.edu
Clayton State University
Clayton State University understands that the digital world changed the way people interact with each other, which is why it now has a Facebook page that you can access from your phone. This page allows you to learn more about its psychology program, chat with other students and even see some of the topics that professors cover in their classes. Students entering this program must score at least 300 on the two main portions of the GRE, have an undergrad GPA of 3.0 or higher and attend an interview. The university holds interviews every year at the beginning of April.
Master of Science in Clinical/Counseling Psychology
This is one of several Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia that gives students the choice to graduate without doing a thesis. If you decide against doing a thesis, you’ll still need to do some type of final or professional paper that you present to others. Those who enroll in the thesis version of the program can do a final research project or experiment rather than a paper. The program includes courses designed to enhance your knowledge and prepare you for psychological careers. You can take classes like ethics in clinical settings, cultural issues in applied settings and the helping relationship.
Accreditation
Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
Contact
2000 Clayton State Boulevard
Morrow, GA 30260
(678) 466-4000
jeanettewalley-jean@clayton.edu
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Even if you think that you never heard of the Georgia Institute of Technology before, you probably have. Many refer to this school as Georgia Tech, which has its main campus in Atlanta. This is one of the most competitive technical schools in the country and has a lower acceptance rate than other colleges in the state. It ranks among the best national schools and on a state level too. Its graduate program is more of a general program that looks at several key fields of psychology, including cognition/brain science, aging, engineering psychology, IO psychology and quantitative psychology.
Psychology (MS)
Though there are many terminal Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia, the program that Georgia Tech offers is not one of them. The school expects that students enrolling in this program will further their studies at the graduate level. All courses available to students in this program are worth between one and five credits. Some of the courses worth less credits look at subjects like stress in the human environment, cognitive ergonomics and how to conduct research in an ethical manner. Georgia Tech students must all do a thesis that shows they are ready for a doctoral program.
Accreditation
American Psychological Association (APA)
Contact
Georgia Institute of Technology
North Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30332
(404) 894-2000
Georgia Southern University
Office of Graduate Admissions
Before you look at any of the other Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia, you should consider looking at Georgia Southern University. This southern college offers a number of financial aid options for incoming students that do not require paying back any funds as well as loans that can help you cover all your expenses. As the university has an affordable tuition rate, you may find that you don’t need as much financial aid as you thought either. GSU offers three psychology graduate programs that can prepare you for working with students in schools or with athletes.
Master of Science, Experimental Psychology
As an experimental psychology graduate student, you will have the chance to conduct your own experiments and research topics that interest you. Past students did thesis work on mental energy, how pictures can help kids learn faster and factors that make certain groups of people respond in different ways. Though you will need to do a thesis, the university will let you do some type of final research project instead of a more traditional paper. You have the chance to present your work in front of a panel of professors and faculty working in he department before you graduate too.
Master of Science, Kinesiology, Sport and Exercise Science Psychology
Kinesiology is really just the study of the human body and how it moves. You’ll learn more about anatomy as well as the ways in which the body recovers from injuries. This GSU program actually ranks among the top psychology graduate programs in the country. When you enroll, you will choose between doing a thesis or an internship. Those who select the internship option will work for a sports organization or athletic facility. The program includes a number of online classes too like current issues in sport psychology. Traditional classes include public health, sport psychology interventions and research design in kinesiology.
School Psychology, Ed.S.
This GSU program helps you meet the guidelines and regulations for becoming a licensed school counselor or psychologist in Georgia. As part of your studies, you will spend a full year working in a local school and helping students handle any problems they face while working under supervision. Though you may need to take some prerequisite courses, you’ll also need to take 78 credit hours of other classes. GSU requires that you take classes on counseling and research methods, partnering with those in the community and consulting in the educational field with teachers and other professionals.
Accreditation
American Psychological Association (APA)
National Association of School Psychologists
Contact
1332 Southern Drive
Statesboro, Georgia 30458
(912) 478-4636
Georgia State University
Educational Psychology, Special Education and Communication Disorders
The university that must people think of when they think of Georgia is Georgia State University. This is the primary public university of the state and a university that has both a flagship campus as well as some smaller regional branches. Some of the students enrolling in its graduate programs took classes on one of these regional campuses or through its online system first. Georgia State offers two of the best Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia and has some strict requirements for incoming students. You’ll need to meet minimum GPA and test score requirements and submit an online application.
Educational Psychology, M.S.
One of the two psychology degree programs that the university offers is an educational psychology program designed for those who want to work in an educational setting but do not want to work directly with students. You must take 15 credits of required courses that include educational research courses and a capstone course that lets you show off the skills and knowledge that you gained. Other courses focus on the psychology of both younger and older learners. These courses help you better understand how people learn and what changes you can make to change the education system.
School Psychology, M.Ed./Ed.S.
Georgia State University also offers a school psychology degree program that lets you earn a Master of Education degree or an Education Specialist degree. You can take up to 14 credits of classes each semester, but you cannot take fewer than nine credits in a semester. This lets you finish your degree in three to four years. Required courses include individual assessments, multicultural education, introduction to school psychological services, methods of research in education and basic counseling skills. You will need to take the Praxis II Assessment exam designed for school psychologists and have your score sent to the university before you can graduate.
Accreditation
American Psychological Association (APA)
Contact
33 Gilmer Street SE
Atlanta, GA
(40)413-2000
educadmissions@gsu.edu
Life University
Graduate Programs
Established in 1974, Life University is one of the newer colleges in Georgia. As a private university, it has more stringent admissions guidelines than other schools and costs more than public colleges, but many students find that the price of attending Life is worth it. When it opened as Life Chiropractic College, it had just 22 students sign up for its first classes. Once it expanded its curriculum to focus on other areas of health and medicine, the university saw its enrollment increase to more than 2,000 students. It now offers multiple degree options in fields like sports health science and psychology.
Master of Science in Positive Psychology
Life University offers one of the most unique Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia. This program only started in the late 1990s and addresses some of the more unique areas of psychology. The man who created this program wanted psychologists to find out what made humans happy and how they could make more people feel happy. Though it does not have the accreditation that some other programs has, it can prepare you for working as a life coach or a personal coach. The courses that you take in this Positive Psychology program focus on forgiveness, satisfaction and happiness.
Accreditation 39
Center for Credentialing and Education
Contact
1269 Barclay Circle
Marietta, GA 30060
(800) 543-3202
University of Georgia
Graduate School
The University of Georgia established is own Graduate School as a way to prepare students for more detailed or involved careers. This is one of the oldest graduate schools in the state and one of the largest in terms of enrollment alone. No matter which of the four psychology programs the university offers that you apply to, you will need to submit the same information. The university has an online application and asks for proof that you have an undergrad degree from an accredited college or university as well as a copy of your resume and an official GRE test score.
Educational Psychology (MA)
One program that UGA offers is an educational psychology program designed for those who want to work as school psychologists, with gifted and talented students and in other areas of the educational field. The program has funds that it sets aside for new and current students each year to help them cover any of their research expenses or any other costs they have. The program features classes on assessments of individuals, group dynamics, counseling and working with groups and individuals, treatment options for those with learning disabilities and interventions for those with learning troubles.
Educational Psychology (MEd)
You can enroll in the Master of Arts program that the university offers, but you may prefer this Master of Education program. Earning an MEd is best for those who want to work in the educational field without working with students on a daily basis. You’ll learn the skills necessary for assessing school programs and the way in which teachers work in their classes, helping publishers create textbooks that students can use in their classes and changing the curriculum offered by schools. Many of the professors working in this program won state and national teaching awards in the past.
Educational Psychology (MEd), Online Master’s Degree
UGA established an online system that expanded on the distance education programs that it once offered. Though you will need to meet the same admissions requirements to enroll in this program, you can take all the required classes and any of the electives that you want to take online. You can pick an emphasis in applied cognition and development, which focuses on how and why the brain develops over time. A second emphasis area is available in gifted and created education. This emphasis area is more suitable for students who want to work with children who develop faster than their peers.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology (MA)
Of the Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia with an emphasis in industrial and organizational psychology, the University of Georgia program ranks among the best. This program looks specifically at areas of employment and labor, including what employees want from employers and how employers can make the lives of their staff members easier. Many of the classes you take deal with human resources and how you can make positions more appealing to job seekers and what benefits you can offer existing employees. The program includes leadership classes and opportunities for students to develop strong leadership skills.
Accreditation
American Psychological Association (APA)
Contact
210 S. Jackson St.
Athens, GA 30602
(706) 542-1739
University of West Georgia
UWG Graduate School
When you enroll in the University of West Georgia, you become part of something bigger. The university has connections with its alumni and offers opportunities for future and current students to interact with its graduates. Attending one of these events can help you snag an internship while in college or find professionals willing to write reference letters for a doctoral program for you later. UWG offers some of its psychology classes through an online format to help those who want to spend less time on its main campus. The university ranks as one of the most affordable public colleges in the state.
Master of Arts with a Major in Psychology
As a student in this Master’s in Psychology degree program in Georgia, you will take core classes on human growth and human psychology, but you can then select other courses to meet the total number needed to graduate based on your own interests as well as your career goals. The adviser assigned to you at the beginning of your studies will also help you select classes that will look good to the admissions boards of PhD programs. Courses in this program that might appeal to you include psychology of dreams, psychology of love, parapsychology, advanced topics in abnormal psychology and clinical hypnosis.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
1601 Maple St.
Carrollton, GA 30118
(678) 839-5000
Valdosta State University
Department of Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy
Valdosta State University offers one of the more popular Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia that focuses on industrial and organizational psychology. This field of study looks specifically at the interactions between people at work with both other employees as well as their supervisors. You’ll also have the chance to take classes on ergonomics, which will help you learn how to design and research new products. If you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you only need to score 286 on the GRE. Those with a lower GPA will need a higher test score.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Many students choose Valdosta State University for graduate school because the university offers so many different types of financial aid. Even before you receive an acceptance letter, you can go online and apply for funding for the coming year. As an IO psychology student, you will need to take 11 hours of electives and 34 hours of required classes. While electives can vary between students, all must take the same required classes. These classes include personnel selection, professional issues in IO psychology, human resource development and employment law for professional practice as well as two practicums.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Contact
1500 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta, Georgia 31698
(229) 333-5800
Not all graduate psychology programs offer the same opportunities and courses as others, but you can find out everything you need to know about these programs before submitting your applications. Master’s in Psychology degree programs in Georgia accept new students each year and may offer some online options for students too.
See also: Top 20 Best Online PhD in Psychology Degree Programs 2017
