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online psychology master's degree

Master of Science in Psychology (Direct Assessment)

Start your online psychology master's degree

Reach your career goals with a direct-assessment master's in psychology that you can earn faster – and for less. Learn cognitive and affective processes that drive human experience and behavior in various settings and industries. Gain skills in critical thinking and problem solving. Get equipped to apply research methods behavior evaluation and theoretical principles towards a career that helps others.

What are Direct Assessment Programs?

Ignite Your Passion

Start when you're ready

Courses

Browse courses for your direct assessment psychology degree

Education should hold practical value. That’s why our courses meet rigorous academic standards and provide you with skills and knowledge immediately applicable to your career.

Skills-aligned program icon

Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.

Requirements: 36 credits

In a competency-based program, you earn competency units by demonstrating your knowledge of a core skill, or competency. Since there are 36 units in this program, one competency equals one unit.

12 Core Courses

Completion of these courses should provide the confidence and skills needed in this field.

12 Core Courses

2, 3 or 4 courses at a time

12 weeks per course

Program Purpose Statement

The Master of Science in Psychology is an educational degree program that provides a foundation of knowledge in the field of psychology. This program does not prepare students for any type of professional certification or licensure as a psychologist.

Schedule

Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for a Master of Science in Psychology (Direct Assessment).

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every course.

We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every course.

We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tuition

Affordable, fixed tuition

Keep the same fixed, affordable tuition from start to finish of your degree program, even if it takes longer than you planned. That’s our promise: no matter what surprises life brings, you can count on us. That's your Tuition Guarantee.

Tuition Guarantee

Lock-in Tuition

$2,749

Per 12-week term

$2,749

Master of Psychology Direct Assessment

Duration
Duration
Duration
Depends on how many courses you take each term — the more courses you take, the faster you could complete your degree
Pace
Pace
Pace
Choose either 2, 3 or 4 courses every 12-week term. During the term, you can focus on one at a time or work on courses concurrently
Learning style
Learning style
Learning style
Self-paced, flexible learning within the term with faculty guidance to foster learning and prepare for competency assessments
Requirements
Requirements
Requirements
  • An undergraduate degree or higher
  • 3 years of work experience within the past ten years
  • A cumulative GPA of 2.5
Cost
Cost
Cost
$2,749 per 12-week term

To earn your master’s degree in less than a year for under $11K, you need to take a minimum of 3 courses per term. Your time to complete and cost will vary depending on how fast or slow you move through the content.

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with a Master's in Psychology degree?

Discover where your degree might take you and make informed choices about your future.

An MSP can prepare you to be a:

  • Psychology Instructor
  • Compliance Manager
  • Regulatory Affairs Manager

Top skills learned in this program:

  • Psychology

  • Ethical and social responsibility

  • Communication

  • Scientific mindedness

Ready to get started?

Start your application for free or request additional information.

What you’ll learn

When you earn your online master’s in psychology, you’ll be equipped with a concrete set of skills you can apply on the job. Topics covered in this degree include:

  • Integrate psychological principles and practice in the context of human interactions
  • Assess the implications of psychological research on the human experience         
  • Evaluate professional considerations related to ethics and diversity
  • Synthesize appropriate tactics for personal and professional communication in psychology

3% Growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for management occupations is projected to be below average between 2022 and 2032.

The BLS Projected Growth for 2022-2032 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Admissions

Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.

Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.

  • No cost to request prior transcripts
  • No GMAT
  • No essay required

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)

Gabriel G., Enrollment Representative

Call or chat with us 7 days a week.

G. Galindo - Enrollment Representative

Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]

[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)

Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.

Student Experience

An education that fits your busy life

Balancing family, work and school

Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.

Online learning

Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night.

Around-the-clock support and resources

You have a support team available up to 14 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Computer requirements for courses

Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment. 

Phoenix provides support and resources for busy students

Faculty Spotlight

Professionals dedicated to you

Your success is a top priority for our deans and faculty members. They bring an average of 28+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom, and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.

Doris Savron

As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader.

Doris Savron
Vice Provost of Colleges, University of Phoenix

As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader.

Accreditation

Count on the quality of your education

University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org, since 1978.

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This program is not eligible for federal financial aid.

While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.