Accredited Online Master’s in Psychology Programs in Connecticut [2025]

Getting your master’s degree in psychology opens up a wealth of job opportunities in Connecticut. You might pursue licensure and work in a mental health clinic in Hartford. Alternatively, you might study the applications of psychology in sports or marketing and work for a collegiate or professional athletic team, like the University of Connecticut athletic department. Another option is to use your master’s program as a stepping stone to doctoral studies. The possibilities are endless!

Now more than ever, students like you are pursuing their master’s in psychology online. Doing so allows you to get the education you want without the hassle of attending online classes. Instead, you can complete your studies from home and get your degree in a way that minimizes disruptions to your life.

The programs outlined below are some of the popular options for getting an online psychology master’s degree in Connecticut.

Best Accredited Online Master's in Psychology Programs in Connecticut

Online Master’s in Psychology Degrees in Connecticut

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online psychology master’s degrees in Connecticut:

  • University of Hartford
  • Walden University
  • Capella University
  • William James College
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • Grand Canyon University
  • University of New Haven
  • Merrimack College

University of Hartford

Online Master of Science in Organizational Psychology

At the University of Hartford, you can complete a Master of Science in Organizational Psychology that involves studying psychological theories and applying those theories in business settings. As a STEM-designated program, you’ll focus specifically on how psychology can be used to improve productivity, efficiency, and job performance in a variety of organizations.

This program focuses on helping you develop a number of different in-demand skills that will help you make positive impacts on the business world. For example, you’ll gain improved critical thinking and analysis skills. You’ll also become a skilled communicator. Throughout this program, you’ll have opportunities to gain leadership skills and become well-versed in the process of consultation with other professionals to meet specific goals. With these and other skills under your belt, you’ll be able to:

  • Improve employee satisfaction.
  • Open the lines of communication between employees and managers.
  • Develop a positive workplace culture.
  • Onboard skilled talent.
  • Retain quality employees.

You’ll develop these skills and competencies over the course of a 36-credit program. The 36 credits needed to complete this degree are divided between required courses, elective courses, and a capstone experience.

The required coursework includes four essential industrial-organizational classes. This includes Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Experimental Design. You’re also required to take Advanced Research Methods, which helps you develop the skills and competencies necessary to conduct psychological research.

What’s more, your coursework in research methods and experimental design prepares you to analyze and solve problems–a prime capability for an IO psychologist. For example, you can draw on your experiences in these classes to identify potential causes for low employee morale at a manufacturing facility. Using skills like observation, data collection, and information analysis, you might conclude that a simple change in the daily work schedule to allow more frequent breaks might resolve the morale issue.

As for electives, you must take 21 credits of coursework directly related to industrial-organizational psychology. The University of Hartford gives you many different choices, including the following:

  • Consulting and Professional Practices
  • Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Leadership: Theory and Practice
  • Performance Evaluation and Management

This is just a small sampling of the elective options available to you, though. You can tailor your degree to your specific interests by focusing on topics that help you fulfill your desired educational and career goals.

The program’s final component is the capstone experience mentioned earlier. The purpose of the capstone is to demonstrate your ability to apply what you’ve learned throughout the program in a real-world industrial-organizational setting. In fact, the University recommends that you use your current workplace as a case study for your capstone project. Doing so allows you to fulfill this part of the degree requirements while also gaining specific skills that are directly applicable to your current job.

During the capstone, you’ll participate in a detailed literature review and use your findings to address a workplace-related problem. The combination of your literature review and your application of IO techniques in the workplace should demonstrate your understanding of the complex topics and applications of IO psychology. You’ll be supported throughout the process by an advisor and a group of other students.

To apply, simply complete an application for graduate admission. You can do so year-round. The University of Hartford admits students to this program in the fall, spring, and summer terms. You must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide a current professional resume.
  • Submit a letter of intent in which you describe your academic and professional goals and how this program fits into your future plans.
  • Provide three letters of recommendation from references who can speak to your academic and/or professional capabilities.

Walden University

Online Master of Science in Forensic Psychology

Walden University is a nationally recognized university that offers a Master of Science in Forensic Psychology, which is available to you as a student in Connecticut. This unique program explores psychological principles and their application in the criminal justice field. You’ll study how psychology is a key component of identifying criminals, predicting criminality, and making communities safer from crime.

Furthermore, this non-clinical program prepares you to pursue any number of career paths. For example, you might use your degree to prepare for a career as a victim advocate who provides assistance to victims of crimes (e.g., case management, trial preparation for testimony, procuring needed services like medical care or counseling). As another example, you could use this degree to work toward a career in criminal investigations for a law enforcement agency.

Whatever your future goals might be, you must complete this program before you can start your career. The program, which takes most students about 15 months to complete, requires you to take 48 quarter credits. One of the first classes you’ll take is Foundations in Graduate Studies in Psychology. This foundational course prepares you for the rigors of graduate work. You’ll learn how to be an effective online graduate student, make connections with your peers in your classes, and gain improved academic skills, like scholarly writing, ethical decision-making, and critical thinking.

This degree also requires you to complete 25 credits of core coursework. These classes form the foundation of your forensic psychology studies and include the following:

  • Intersection of Crime, Psychology, and the Law
  • Abnormal Behavior
  • Criminal Behavior
  • Research Theory, Design, and Methods
  • Understanding Violence, Risk, and Threat Assessment

Broadly speaking, these courses allow you to gain expertise in psychology and criminology-related topics while also helping you understand how to apply what you learn in these areas in real-world settings.

For example, the course on Criminal Behavior is key to your development as a forensic psychologist. You’ll learn about modern theories of criminality and examine case studies of crimes to gain an appreciation for the mechanisms that compel someone to commit a crime. Furthermore, you’ll explore the victim’s experience, sociological forces on crime, and biological markers that make maladaptive behavior more likely to occur.

The next component of the program is your chosen specialization. Walden allows you to choose from nearly a dozen different specializations ranging from Legal Issues in Forensic Psychology to Criminal Justice to a self-designed specialization of your choice. Whatever path you choose, you must complete 15 credits within the specialization. For example, the Terrorism specialization requires you to take the following courses:

  • Psychology of Terrorism
  • Terrorism: A Systemic Approach for Emergency Preparedness -or- Current Issues in Homeland Security
  • Culture and Psychology

But let’s say that instead, you specialize in Police Psychology. In that case, you’d take Law Enforcement Psychology and Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue. You’d supplement those classes with courses in Disaster, Crisis, and Trauma or Stress and Coping.

This degree also requires you to complete either a capstone project or a field experience. The former requires you to utilize what you’ve learned to promote positive social change in the forensic psychology field. You’ll write an integrative paper that relates to your specialization and use research and theory to justify your recommendations for making positive changes.

Alternatively, you can choose to complete an 11-week field experience at a location that’s specific to your specialization. For example, if you specialize in Terrorism, you might arrange a field experience with the Department of Homeland Security. No matter where your field experience takes place, you’re required to work at least 60 hours onsite.

The admissions criteria are as follows:

  • Complete the application for admission linked above.
  • Have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.

Walden University does not require you to take the GRE or submit an essay. There is also no application fee.

Capella University

Online Master of Science in Sport Psychology

If you’re interested in learning how to apply psychological principles in a sports setting, Capella University’s Master of Science in Sport Psychology is an ideal option. Though Capella University is based in Minnesota, its online programs are available nationwide.

As a student in Connecticut, you can complete your studies in this field without having to relocate. And not only that, but Capella offers this program in a FlexPath format, which is self-paced. If you’re the kind of student who is time efficient and focused, FlexPath can help you finish your degree faster than the usual 15 months needed to finish the degree.

During your time in the program, you’ll take 58 credits of psychology coursework. Four core courses are included in that total. These courses help you develop foundational knowledge and skills upon which you’ll build your expertise in this field:

  • Quantitative Design and Analysis
  • Foundations of Theory and Practice for Master’s Psychology Learners
  • Tests and Measurements
  • Survey of Research Methods

As is typical of graduate psychology programs, the core courses don’t specifically focus on the program’s specialization. Instead, you gain a broad understanding of these elements of the study and practice of psychology and then learn how to apply this knowledge in your specialty courses.

Speaking of the specialty courses, this program requires you to complete seven classes for 35 credits. These courses explore a variety of psychological concepts. For example, you’ll take Performance Enhancement in Sports, in which you’ll learn about performance enhancement theories you can use to help athletes improve their on-field production. You’ll also learn how to implement biofeedback, hypnosis, visualization, and other techniques into your practice.

Additionally, you’ll take an Applied Sport Psychology course that helps you understand how to apply sport psychology to your preferred profession. On the one hand, you’ll learn how to use psychological research to improve your competency in this field. On the other hand, you’ll learn about important professional and ethical issues to consider as you begin your career in sport psychology. The other required specialization courses are as follows:

  • Learning Theories in Psychology
  • Principles of Sport Psychology
  • Biological Basis of Behavior
  • Current Issues in Sport Psychology
  • Ethics and Multicultural Issues in Psychology

The third and final piece of this degree program is an integrative project. This class requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of sport psychology and your ability to conduct effective psychological research. To do so, you’ll work with a mentor professor to develop a detailed project that’s five chapters long. You’ll address a number of tasks in the project, including writing grants, conducting research, and demonstrating proficiency in explaining key psychological concepts.

As mentioned earlier, you can choose to complete this degree using Capella’s FlexPath format. This format is extremely flexible and self-paced. You take just one or two classes at a time and have the opportunity to complete as many classes in a 12-week term as you like.

However, if you prefer a more hands-on learning experience, Capella’s GuidedPath format might be a better fit. Enrolling in GuidedPath gives you access to more mentorship from your teachers, active participation with your fellow students, and a structured schedule that requires you to meet traditional deadlines throughout each term.

You must meet the following requirements to be admitted to the GuidedPath program:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Have a 2.3 GPA or higher for all college-level work.
  • Submit a copy of your driver’s license or another valid government photo ID.

Capella does not charge an application fee, nor does it require you to take the GRE for admission.

William James College

Online Master of Arts in Psychology

The Master of Arts in Psychology from William James College is yet another non-licensure option to consider if you want to expand your knowledge of human behavior and prepare for a new career or doctoral studies. Though William James College is based in Massachusetts, this online program is available to you as a resident of Connecticut. Better yet, you’ll be in the same time zone as your professors, which can be helpful for getting assistance while working remotely.

First and foremost, this program focuses on essential psychological theories and principles that have guided the formation of this field for generations. For example, you’ll take courses like Lifespan Development, Psychopathology, and Social Bases of Behavior to gain an understanding of how life changes, biological processes, and social forces can affect how we act.

Moreover, you’ll take classes like Diversity, Difference, and Inclusion, and examine how forces like social norms, religion, and even political beliefs can influence how people behave. Coursework in Ethics, Standards, and Professional Practice is also required, so you can emerge from this program prepared to start your career and perform in a way that adheres to the highest of professional standards.

The program at William James College also includes detailed studies in psychological research. A prime example of this is the required statistics course. You’ll study both inferential and descriptive statistics and learn how to utilize statistical methods to evaluate data. What’s more, you’ll study parametric and non-parametric tests and discover how to use hard data to drive decision-making.

You’ll also take classes that focus on the theory and practice of psychology. For example, the Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy class examines key psychological models and various approaches for treating maladaptive behavior. This includes the study of seminal theories like cognitive-behavioral, system, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches.

To gain some experience in using these approaches in the context of a helping profession, you’ll take Introduction to Family Therapy. In this class, you’ll study family dynamics and the common forces that cause friction among close relatives. You’ll explore systems theory, the family life cycle, and diversity issues as well.

Your learning will be in the context of virtual classroom discussions as well as role-playing situations. Adding the role-playing element allows you to put what you’ve learned into practice and get valuable feedback from your professors and classmates.

Other requires coursework you’re required to complete for graduation includes the following:

  • Social Bases of Behavior
  • Leadership and the Use of Self
  • Research and Program Evaluation
  • Substance Use and Addiction Evaluation and Treatment

Before you begin your psychology studies, you’re also required to take an Orientation MA Psychology Program class that readies you for online graduate studies. The course also examines the services available to you to enhance your learning experience and takes you through the student handbook so you’re sure to understand what’s expected of you as you complete your studies.

To qualify for admission, you must have a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university. Furthermore, you must complete the following steps to apply:

  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide one letter of recommendation.
  • Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.
  • Submit an application essay in which you discuss your academic and professional background, your career goals, and your strengths and abilities that directly relate to studying psychology. The essay must also include a discussion of previous experience learning online, how you’ve overcome challenges in your life, and outline any volunteer or community service activities in which you’ve participated.

Southern New Hampshire University

Online MS in Psychology – Child & Adolescent Development

Southern New Hampshire University’s accredited online Master of Science in Psychology program equips you for a meaningful career in mental health and wellness, serving a variety of individuals in diverse settings such as hospitals, schools, and government agencies.

In this program, you’ll expand your knowledge on conducting research, understanding how people think, how they interact with others, and their personality traits. You’ll also study the processes of learning and the ethical practices required in the field of psychology, with an emphasis on applying psychological research to practical situations.

The online master’s program in psychology allows you to explore subjects beyond psychology while concentrating on core psychological studies. The program includes eight primary courses that address research methods, assessment, ethics, and other key areas.

By selecting the child and developmental psychology concentration within the master’s program, you’ll develop the skills to design and implement strategies that cater to the unique needs of children, taking into account their varied backgrounds.

Focusing on child development within your master’s degree can enhance your job prospects in organizations that work with children. You may find opportunities to develop and oversee child-centered programs in community centers, daycares, schools, and nonprofit institutions.

This specialization also provides strong preparation for further academic studies at the doctorate level, allowing you to pursue a career as a child psychologist.

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