Psychology Master’s Degree Programs in Connecticut
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Connecticut is sometimes known as “The Land of Steady Habits.” A stolid, dependable Yankee demeanor is something that goes hand in hand with being a Connecticuter, and folks from the Tri-state area often have a kind of envy for the idyllic country lifestyle here.
Connecticut can seem like an oversized suburb sometimes, with its high quality of life and central location between the New York and Boston metropolitan areas drawing in residents from both. None of Connecticut’s own cities break 200,000 residents, which gives every town from Greenwich to New Haven a real community feel.
But neither the reputation nor the reality mean that the state doesn’t need the services of expert psychologists. From Hartford to New Haven, there’s a strong demand for psychological services here. And, fortunately, some of the best schools in the country are located in the state, offering master’s programs to train students of psychology to deliver those services.
Top Ranks And Good Values Characterize Connecticut Psychology Master’s Programs
Connecticut has nearly a dozen institutions offering master’s degree programs in psychology, a nice selection that offers a variety of choices without being overwhelming. Ranging from the prestigious Ivy League program at Yale University to the eminently affordable UConn, ranked on Kiplinger’s Best Value Public Schools list, everyone can find something that fits their budget and interests.
Licensing Is Key To The Right Psychology Job in Connecticut
Psychology is a highly regulated field of practice, rightly so, and education is a key part of the requirements you need to fulfill to get a license to offer psychological services. A master’s degree is just one step on a path to becoming a fully licensed psychologist in Connecticut, which ultimately requires a PhD or PsyD degree.
But it is possible to earn a professional certificate as a school psychologist in the state with only a master’s and the necessary supervised training time. A master’s in psychology can also qualify you to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in Connecticut.
Clinical Psychology and Counseling Boom in Connecticut
Connecticut hits a triple in measures of wealth and progress among all states. It has the highest per-capita income, the highest median household income, and the highest rank on the Human Development Index in the United States.
That all adds up to a lot of people with both the kinds of concerns and the resources to pay for professional counseling and psychology services.
Organizational Psychologists Get a Running Start From Connecticut Programs
Connecticut has a history of innovation and ingenuity that has made it a long-time center for industry. From the submarine builders at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton to high flying Sikorsky Helicopters in Stratford, important manufacturing plants dot the state.
This has led to some excellent master’s programs in organizational psychology springing up there. One of the best of these is the MS in Organizational Psychology at the University of Hartford. Building analytical and leadership skills, it offers courses from not only the department of psychology, but also from the School of Communication and the Barney School of Business, providing a full-spectrum education in organizational considerations.
Social Psychology Has Hidden Applications in Connecticut
Hiding behind the highest per-capita income in the nation is a more sobering reality: ranking behind only New York state, Connecticut also has the single largest salary gap between the top 1 percent and the bottom 99 percent of residents in the nation. It’s a state of affairs that can lead to some real social strain, so it’s a good thing that the University of Connecticut has one of the best Social Psychology graduate programs in the country.
With seven different research groups looking into everything from social stigma’s to the effects of language and behavior on culture, students have an opportunity to dig into the frictions that make society unequal and unfair… and to develop ways to fix them.
Central Connecticut University’s Community Psychology track also has plenty to offer in this vein. Training active practitioners in community-based research and prevention is one way to help turn the trend around.
If there is any state where this kind of breakthrough is likely to happen, it’s going to be right here in Connecticut.