Psychology Degrees, Schools, and Careers in Maine

Tucked away in the Northeast corner of the country, Maine is an often overlooked state when students from outside of New England are considering where to attend college. But if students can stand the cold and enjoy smaller, more close-knit professional communities, the more than 30 degree-granting post-secondary institutions in Maine might be worth a closer look, especially when it comes to psychology. The University of Maine system -- which is comprised of seven schools and houses the majority of the college students in Maine -- had more than 27,000 students enrolled in the Spring of 2015 and granted more than 5,500 degrees in 2014. Of those more than 5,500 new degree-holders, the state conferred 279 degrees in psychology including 23 Master's degrees in psychology and 12 PhDs in psychology as well. Yes, those numbers pale in comparison with similar data from larger states, but the psychology degree programs in Maine are well-respected and offer an excellent chance to start a career in the industry, especially in Maine.

What school and degree program students consider should depend heavily on what sort of career they wish to have within psychology. If they wish to be a licensed psychologist in ME, then the state will require that the student earn a doctorate or a professional degree. But if they are only interested in the field and want a less intensive education and career as a psychologist assistant, then they may want to consider only getting their bachelor’s degree or their master’s degree. Maine has all those options and opportunities to just take individual classes in psychology as well at many of their schools.

The state’s flagship school, the University of Maine, is the proud home of the state’s only clinical psychology degree program and also offers a master’s degree in the subject. The only other state research school that offers graduate degrees in psychology is the University of Southern Maine, which offers a master’s of science in educational and school psychology and a PsyD in school psychology as well.  Those two schools also offer bachelor’s degrees in the subject as well as other state schools such as the University of Maine-Farmington and University of Maine at Presque Isle.  If you prefer smaller, private schools, check out Bowdoin College, Colby College, or Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, all of which have psychology degree programs as part of their curriculum.

Online Psychology Schools & Degrees in Maine

Considering its relative lack of postsecondary education options, it should be surprising to know that Maine has a relatively large selection of online psychology degree programs and classes spread across a number of different schools. Only two universities offer fully online psychology degrees. The University of Maine Presque Isle offers an online bachelor’s degree in psychology and the University of Maine at Machias offers an online degree in psychology and community studies with a possible concentration in Disabilities in Youth. The University of Maine at Augusta offers a bachelor’s degree in psychology in a blended format if you can occasionally make on-campus class times, and a number of the other state universities offer online psychology courses but be sure to check if the school only offers them to students already enrolled in the university.

There are also a large handful of national online psychology schools that offer fully online degrees in the subject to students in Maine. Liberty University offers a bachelor’s degree and an associate’s degree in the subject, Baker College Online offers a bachelor’s degree in psychology, as does Colorado Technical University.  If you are interested in an online doctoral degree, you should consider Walden University, Capella University, or Keiser University Graduate School too.

Of course there are many other online and traditional psychology schools and degree programs in Maine, these are only meant to be a glance at a few. The average annual cost of enrollment for a full-time student in Maine in 2013-14 was $19,123 for an in-state student attending public school and $44,057 for a student attending a private school, so a lot is invested in this decision. Students should also do their own, in-depth research on each institution before deciding which program they want to attend.

Career Opportunities for Psychologists in Maine

Maine does have its advantages for aspiring professional psychologists looking to start a career in the industry. For starters, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the state had at least 460 professional psychologists as of May 2022. Secondly, the state or private enterprises in the state pay its psychologists well as they earned an annual average wage between $88,770 and $102,910 depending on specialty. Thirdly, the industry is growing as the Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information estimates that employment amongst professional psychologists will remain steady through 2030 with 30 job openings projected every year. And finally, while big states may have more psychologists and job opportunities, they don’t have a close-knit professional community and early opportunities to network with fellow professionals or potential employers on a more personal level. That can only happen in a state as small as Maine.

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information job market trends and salary figures for clinical and counseling psychologists, school psychologists, and psychologists (all other) are based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2023.

Featured Maine Schools with Psychology Degree Programs