Dedicate your life to helping the next generation with one of the best child psychology degrees.
You probably don’t need statistics or research to understand that our childhood and adolescence are in the most volatile times in our lives. Think puberty, transitions, family conflict: Navigating our younger years can be challenging at best and miserable at worst.
Thankfully, child psychologists have come to the rescue. And if you want to join the rescue team, consider one of the 5 Best Masters in Child Psychology.
Child psychology is built on the same foundation as general psychology. There is a focus, though, on our adolescent development.
How do children develop emotionally and mentally?
What are the best ways to handle emotional and physical trauma?
What are the ethical rules and nuanced practices that child psychologists must follow?
These are some of the critical questions that child and adolescent psychologists try to answer.
This ranking will focus on the nature of:
- The program outcomes of master’s in child psychology degrees
- Career opportunities for child psychologists
- Salary potential for child psychologists
- The five best master’s degrees in the field of child psychology
Related Resource: 10 Best Clinical Research Masters Online
What is a Masters in Child Psychology Degree?
Master’s degrees in child psychology focus on the foundations, practices, and ethics of child and adolescent psychology. Take note that master’s degrees aren’t required: Psychologists must obtain a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to practice the field, and very few doctoral programs require applying students to hold a master’s degree in the field.
So is a master’s in child psychology degree useless? Far from it. We shouldn’t look at education in terms of what is and isn’t required to practice your field professionally. Requirements can be a definitive factor, of course, if you have financial or time-related limitations. Otherwise, a masters in child psychology will strengthen your mind, resume, and applicant profile.
Some standard child and adolescent psychology courses in graduate programs are:
- Approaches to Child and Adolescent Treatment
- Developmental Psychology
- Understanding Child Development
- Counseling Skills with Individuals and Families
- Principles of Assessment and Behavior Change
Admission requirements vary depending on the school; however, most require at least the following:
- A 3.0 or higher GPA
- Strong GRE scores
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- A well-written personal statement
See Also: 30 Best Online Master’s in Child and Adolescent Psychology
Careers for Child and Adolescent Psychology Majors
As you may guess, child and adolescent psychology majors usually strive to become child and adolescent psychologists. As we discussed earlier, having a master’s in the field is not enough to get you that job: You need a Ph.D. or Psy.D. and a license before you can become a child psychologist. Think of the master’s in child psychology as a stepping stone to earning a doctoral degree.
While a master’s degree can’t qualify you to become a psychologist, it does offer you many child psychology jobs. Those who don’t want to continue on postgraduate school can use their master’s degree in child psychology to pursue careers as:
- Social Workers
- Nonprofit Directors
- Public Agency Administrators
Those who continue on to postgraduate school, graduate with a postgraduate degree, and obtain a license can practice as child and adolescent psychologists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports no statistics specific to child and adolescent psychologists, but here is a brief breakdown of the work environments for general psychologists:
- 29% are self-employed.
- 24% work for elementary and secondary schools.
- 18% work for ambulatory health services.
- 10% work for the government.
- 6% work for hospitals.
See Related: 25 Best Online Master’s in Child Development
Child and Adolescent Psychology Salary Potential
We will first report the average salaries for positions you can obtain after graduating with a master’s in child psychology. Below, we will talk about the average salaries for child and adolescent psychologists. Note that salaries vary: We are just reporting income of the 50th percentile in each field. Some people make less; others make far more.
With a master’s degree in child psychology, you can become a:
- A Social Worker earns $50,390 per year.
- A Social and community service manager earns $74,000 per year.
- Postsecondary teachers earn $79,640 per year.
According to Payscale, child and adolescent psychologists earn an average of $68,611 per year. The 90th percentile earns over $95,000, while the bottom 10% earn less than $41,000 per year.
Experience, place of work, and expertise are the most significant determinants of your income. PayScale also reports that child and adolescent psychologists earn an average bonus of $2,501 per year, which is reported separately from salary.
See Also: 25 Best Master’s in Child Development
What Are the Best Masters in Child Psychology Degrees?
At CollegeRank, we strive to do our best to guide you and your family toward a fruitful academic career. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble one, and we want to help you reach your goals. Please feel free to visit our dedicated methodology page for a step-by-step breakdown. For questions, comments, badge downloads, or data corrections, please feel free to reach out to us at editor@www.collegerank.net.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
A beautiful campus, a better location, and one of the best public universities in America: There’s little not to like about the University of Washington. The same thing applies to the school’s Master of Arts in applied child and adolescent psychology: prevention and treatment program.
Students at the University of Washington:
- Learn from excellent professors
- Conduct cutting-edge research
- Make relationships that last forever
Some notable courses in the child psychology master’s degree program are:
- Principles of Assessment and Behavior Change
- Developmental Psychology
- Counseling Skills With Individuals and Families
- Social and Emotional Development
- Child and Adolescent Psychopathology: Assessment and Diagnosis
These courses will challenge you, update you on the latest practices in the field, and teach you about the foundations of the child development profession.
Are you interested in applying? If so, you’ll need:
- An undergraduate degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA, preferably in a closely related field
- Experience working with children
- A successful background check
- Three letters of recommendation
- A purpose statement
- Unofficial transcripts
- A resume
GRE scores are accepted but not required.
Florida State University
Are you as interested in human services as in becoming a child psychologist? If so, consider Florida State University’s master’s degree in family and child sciences. Rather than looking only at psychology practices and the psychologist-patient relationship, this psychology program puts more weight on action in human services, which include:
- Businesses
- Educational institutions
- Public agencies
Some core courses that Florida State University students in this master’s degree program include:
- Advanced Child Development
- Theories of Child Development
- Grant Writing in FCS
- Families in Crisis
- Developmental Psychology
- College Teaching in Family Sciences
Some students choose to write a thesis; those who don’t write a thesis focus more on instructing courses in the field.
This master’s degree in child psychology is an excellent choice for people who are torn between psychology and human services. With this degree, you can work in human services and still advance to a Ph.D. or Psy.D. doctoral degree in psychology. If you find that family and child sciences is the right profession for you, you can choose to enroll in FSU’s dual M.S.-to-Ph.D. option.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
The University of Pittsburgh is a fantastic school. From an urban setting to an excellent on-campus life to some of the best academic programs in the world, students from near and far flock to Pitt. The university offers an excellent Master of Science in applied developmental psychology program, which is a two-year and 36-credit program.
Students in this program can choose concentrations in:
- Applied Research Methods for Child and Youth-serving Organizations
- Behavioral Health in Schools and Communities
- Children with Special Healthcare Needs
- Infant Mental Health
- Child Development
Some courses that all students must take are:
- Development: Conception Through Early Childhood
- Evidence-Based Interactions in Real-World Contexts
- Applied Developmental Psychology: Professional Identity and Leadership
- Human Development
- Developmental Psychology
To gain admission to this psychology program, you must have a 3.0 GPA from an accredited undergraduate institution. You don’t need to have majored in a specific field, but you do need to have completed prerequisite coursework in research methods and developmental psychology to gain admittance to this program. Finally, you should have experience working with children.
Montclair State University
Montclair State University offers an outstanding Master of Arts program in clinical psychology with an adolescent psychology concentration. This option is ideal for those who are sure they want to become psychologists but want to gain academic and real-world experience before beginning postgraduate school.
This psychology program is relatively affordable, and students who graduate from this school consistently find jobs and placements in the nation’s best postgraduate programs. Some courses that you can expect to take in this program are:
- Family Systems and Therapy
- Evidence-Based Psychological Interventions
- Multicultural Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Cognitive Assessment
These classes range from general psychology courses that focus on theory to cutting-edge courses that detail best practices.
Montclair State University prefers admitting students with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. If that isn’t you, you may still gain admission as long as you have twelve undergraduate credits in psychology. If you still don’t meet those requirements, Montclair may still accept you, but you’ll have to complete prerequisite courses at the school.
The school requires students to have:
- A 2.7 or higher GPA
- GRE scores
- A personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- An admissions interview
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University may be the most reputable university on this list. Vanderbilt alumni include:
- 53 current and former members of the United States Congress
- 18 U.S. Ambassadors
- 14 governors
- Ten billionaires
- Seven Nobel Prize laureates
- Two Vice Presidents of the United States
- Two U.S. Supreme Court Justices
Looking at these statistics, you can trust that Vanderbilt University’s Master of Education program in child studies will suit your needs.
Students in this child development program choose between a clinical and developmental research track or an applied professional track. Some courses in the former option are:
- Advanced Applied Child Studies
- Developmental Research Methods
- Statistical Inference
Some courses in the latter option are:
- Applied Child Studies
- Seminar in Social and Personality Development
- Child Development Practicum
Students can choose a concentration within their track. Some concentration options for the clinical and developmental research track are:
- Clinical Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Students in the applied professional track can concentrate in:
- Child and Family Services
- Gifted Education
- Educational Program Development
If you’re interested in pursuing higher education, then you should check out the 20 Best Online Doctorates in Psychology and 10 Online Doctorates in Behavioral Psychology!
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