Psychology Master’s Degree Programs in North Carolina
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Genteel, respectable, reserved: they’re all things people think of when they think of North Carolina. None of them would seem to indicate a strong need for psychological services, nor do the state’s relatively average rates of addiction, crime, or incarceration. It’s just a pretty great place to live and people who live here are pretty happy about it.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a slow or unexciting place when it comes to psychological services. The Research Triangle in the Piedmont bracketed by Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, has major employers like IBM, LabCorp, and the National Institutes of Health headquartered in it, not to mention first-rate universities and medical centers that are hooked in with those employers.
That’s fertile ground for psychologists in North Carolina for both employment and education.
Although the state is known for tobacco and other agricultural products, it’s gradually become a powerhouse in information and biotechnology among other high-tech industries. That has led to a concentration of North Carolinians in urban centers near Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, which is also where you’ll find a lot of your job opportunities as a psychologist.
A Heritage of Strong Education Benefits Psychology Students Here
You’re in luck when you’re looking for an advanced degree in psychology in North Carolina. The state was the first in the nation to open a public university, and even today, the entire UNC system, with campuses from Greensboro to Charlotte to Wilmington, has an array of psychology programs that offer outstanding graduate degrees at a very affordable cost.
But you have access to a wide array of programs with a large variety of specializations that can prepare you for any kind of career in psychology. In Winston-Salem, Wake Forest has a first-rate, research-oriented psychology MA, for example.
And there is plenty of flexibility offered by North Carolina universities that you will appreciate—Fayetteville State is well known for their online psychology master’s degree, one of several open to you in the Tarheel State.
Licensing in School Psychology is Available with a Master’s
You need a doctorate from an APA-accredited program to become a licensed psychologist in North Carolina so a master’s degree is just one step on your path if that’s your destination. On exception is for school psychologists, who need only a master’s in school psychology, such as that offered at Eastern Carolina University.
Counseling, therapy, and social work are other traditional roles for psychology master’s graduates, but stringent educational requirements make most psychology graduate degrees in the state unsuitable for pursuing those tracks, making online options very popular here.
Cognitive Neuroscience and Research Are on the Cutting Edge in North Carolina
One area that doesn’t require a license and that a master’s in psychology can prepare you for is research. And you’ve come to the right place if exploring groundbreaking theory and experimentation is your bag.
Lead by top-of-the line programs at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill, the boundaries of the known are being pushed out daily in the fields of cognitive psychology and integrative neuroscience. And where there is cutting-edge research, you’re going to find well-paying jobs after graduation. The Research Triangle has plenty of listings for research psychologists, openings that will be filled in large part by graduates from North Carolina universities.
Clinical Psychology Plays a Significant Role in North Carolina
No matter where you are in the U.S., you are going to find at least some demand for the traditional practices of clinical psychologists. Whether in private practice or working with healthcare facilities, there’s a strong demand for clinical psychologists in North Carolina, demand that is being met through programs like the MA in Psychology at Appalachian State University in Boone. The Clinical Psychology track boasts excellent pass rates for both national and state practice examinations and good placement rates in doctoral programs.
The gradual rotation of the population from rural areas to more urban has put pressures on people making the transition. It’s an aspect of life that can benefit from either direct psychology therapy or more general guidance, both of which you will be equipped to provide as a master’s-educated professional in the field of psychology.