Offered: Online
The Chicago School now offers a Master of Arts in Psychology degree in an online/blended format for working professionals. The program equips graduates with a broad, foundational knowledge of psychology and a specific specialization to support each student’s career focus. Our master's program ensures that graduates have sufficient theory and research in psychology and in a specified field, but is distinctive in that it applies learning directly to the workplace, using assessment, projects, and other measures to ensure practical, application-based learning.
At The Chicago School, we understand that many professionals may have career obligations that prevent them from enrolling in psychology graduate programs. For this reason, we offer psychology graduate degrees obtainable through accelerated programs tailored to fit the time constraints and career demands of working adults.
Students enrolled in our psychology graduate school will learn through a practitioner-focused curriculum that combines innovative online courses with real-world practitioner training in a dynamic urban environment. As they learn the theoretical frameworks and scientific bases of psychology through these online courses, students will gain the skills and theoretic knowledge necessary to effectively treat the mental health issues of the patients they encounter. The limited time students spend in residency will provide them with actual experience they can use as a foundation of expertise in the field of psychology that they will be able to build upon in future years of professional practice.
The Chicago School is dedicated to providing students of our psychology graduate programs with an understanding and appreciation of how diversity and cultural issues impact a range of populations. Through coursework, students will learn how different treatments help the mental health conditions of a variety of populations. Our psychology graduate programs work with students to help them reach the specific professional goals they strive to achieve.
Our psychology graduate degrees offer a specialization in:
- Child and Adolescent Psychology
- Psychology Generalist
The Child and Adolescent Psychology Specialization provides students with basic concepts for addressing child and adolescent related disorders and other behavioral issues. This specialization focuses on the implementation and maintenance of evidence-based programs. Knowledge of psychopathology and behavior disorders including etiology, treatment, and prevention, addictive disorders, interviewing skills, trauma and crisis intervention, and mental health law will be provided. Students will select electives in either juvenile offenders or family systems. While this specialization is open to anyone meeting the admissions requirements, it is most often pursued by those who work in community-based agencies or programs, in youth centers, educational settings, and in any other setting where an understanding of children, youth, and families would be beneficial.
In the concentration, students of our psychology graduate school will also gain a firm understanding of the ethical and professional guidelines associated with psychology. They will be trained in efficient research methodologies and gain the ability to evaluate research as it relates to the field of psychology. Graduates will utilize the information they learn and experiences they participate in while obtaining their Psychology graduate degrees to maintain an effective professional practice.
Program Overview
- Online course work, with one weekend residency
- 36-credit-hour program generally completed in less than two years part time, though students may choose an 11-month, accelerated path
- Course work consists of nine credit hours in foundational psychology, six credit hours in an applied research project, and the remaining 21 credit hours taken within a specialization track
- Students receive a specialization in Child and Adolescent Psychology
- Builds upon the self-direction and experience of adult learners
- Students complete an Applied Research Project, applying program learning to an authentic workplace situation
- For those who do not wish to pursue a master's degree, students may earn a nine-credit-hour certificate in Child and Adolescent Psychology
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Three or more years of post-baccalaureate work experience
- Access to a computer that is less than three years old, a broadband or cable internet connection, and Microsoft Office software
- The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required, though students who have taken the exam may submit their scores to enhance their applications
Office of Admission
Phone: 312.329.6666
Toll Free: 800.721.8072, ext. 6666
Email: admissions@thechicagoschool.edu
Additional Program Information
Applied Behavior Analysis
Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Industrial Organizational and Business Psychology
School Psychology
Continuing Professional Development
