Psychology Master’s Degree Programs in New Hampshire
“Live Free or Die” may be an inspiring catchphrase when you’re on your way to overthrowing an oppressive monarchy, but it’s a little dark for the motto of a modern state. The fact that New Hampshire natives not only celebrate the phrase, but that it was chosen over “Scenic” in the early 1970’s as the words emblazoned on state license plates, tells you a lot about the psychological state of mind here.
Granite Staters are proud and independent, from Berlin down to Portsmouth. The bulk of the population lives along the Concord/Nashua axis, providing an urban and suburban outgrowth from the Boston area that has drawn fresh immigrants and new commercial opportunity while avoiding most of the social ills that have afflicted other growing areas of the country.
New Hampshire is a little bit idyllic in a lot of ways, which makes it a strange place to practice psychology. But in their private lives and in the changing world, earning a master’s degree in psychology at a New Hampshire university is still a good game plan that opens up interesting and lucrative career opportunities.
Study Hard or Fail in Top-Rate New Hampshire Universities
New Hampshire has an embarrassingly good educational system, tied with Massachusetts as having the highest SAT and ACT scores among graduates in the nation.
That extends to the university level, where a disproportionate number of excellent schools offer college degrees around the state. Anchored by the University of New Hampshire in Durham, which has one of the best graduate psychology programs in the state, you’ll find a wide array of public and private schools with superb psychology departments.
Psychologist Licensing is Strict in the Granite State
A doctorate is a must-have in New Hampshire to become licensed as a professional psychologist. You’ll have to pick up a master’s before you get there, though, either separately or as part of a combined PhD or PsyD program.
Marriage and family therapy licensing is a brighter spot for psychology degree holders. If you have selected MFT as a specialization, you can qualify for a license, or by taking COAMFTE-approved post-graduate training on top of your degree. You can also get a school psychologist’s license with a psychology master’s degree.
Finally, it’s possible to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Hampshire with a psychology master’s degree, although you’ll probably have to jump through a few hoops—the state specifies degrees from CACREP accredited schools but allows equivalent programs to suffice.
Take a Leadership Position in Developmental Psychology Research in New Hampshire
Neuroscience and psychology are revealing fascinating new things about the relationship between the brain and human behavior and cognition. You can help uncover those mysteries at advanced New Hampshire research universities.
It never hurts to have an Ivy League school on your CV and for New Hampshire natives that means Dartmouth. As the smallest of those hallowed 8 institutions, it’s a place where you can get a lot of personalized instruction and interaction with faculty in the Psychological and Brain Science program. Researchers are diving into subjects of social, cognitive, and behavioral neuroscience with projects that are at the forefront of the field.
Clinical Psychology Has Broad Application in New Hampshire
Although New Hampshire is a beautiful and relaxing place to live, the private lives of residents are the same as those of people anywhere: sometimes marred by tragedy, challenged by stress, hurt by dysfunctional relationships.
That’s why becoming a clinical psychologist offers plenty of opportunities for work or independent practice. Particularly in the growing southern part of the state, around Nashua and Hampton Beach, there are many openings for practicing traditional psychologists. And with programs like that at Rivier College, in Nashua, you can get an education that will prepare you to take on anything from school psychology to counseling work.
A History of Industry Pays Dividends in The Modern Age
Once upon a time, New Hampshire was known for its mills. The largest cotton textile plant in the world lived along the shores of the Merrimack in Manchester, and in fact the town was founded because of its ideal setting for the water-powered plants. Levi Strauss’ riveted blue jeans, the iconic American fashion, were fashioned from denim emerging from the sweaty confines of the Amoskeag Mills.
Manchester, in fact, was one of the earliest efforts at utopian factory-city planning, the outcome of a sort of proto-industrial psychology work.
Today, the mills have mostly relocated, but smart manufacturing and high technology are moving in… a great fit for psychologists specializing in industrial and organizational psychology, which you too could study at the superb online degree program at Southern New Hampshire University.
If you come to New Hampshire for the education, you’ll probably stay for the people and the lifestyle you will find here. Earning your master’s degree in the state is a good first step in that process.