Psychology Master’s Degree Programs in Wisconsin
The stoic, hard-working, no-excuses traditions of the heavily Scandinavian cultural background of many people in the state doesn’t leave a lot of room for emotions – apart from maybe Packer’s games – let alone discussing such things with a psychologist.
But along with the rest of the country, Wisconsin has had some rough times recently that bolster the need for exactly that sort of professional psychological services. As an outgrowth of the national opioid epidemic, heroin overdoses have quadrupled since 2010.
The state is also becoming more urbanized, and the growth around Eau Claire, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Appleton have all brought with them more big-city psychology concerns. Manufacturing is a major driver of the Wisconsin economy, as are healthcare and schools. The diversity that has come with those industries is changing the character of Wisconsin, and psychologists are helping to manage that transition.
It’s a state that is both distinctive and proudly middle-American, with many opportunities for psychology education and practice.
A Lot of Great Schools in WisconsinOffer Master’s Degrees in Psychology
Wisconsin really punches above its weight when it comes to great psychology graduate programs. It has a much broader variety and deeper bench of expertise than many other states of its size. You have terrific public and private options, from the highly-regarded University of Wisconsin system programs (three of them around the state) to the tiny Christian college of Cardinal Stritch University.
A Master’s Meets MFT and School Psychologist Licensing Requirements in Wisconsin
If you plan to become a fully licensed psychologist in Wisconsin, you’ll need to build on top of a master’s by going on to a doctoral program. The exception is the area of school psychology, which only requires a master’s to meet education requirements for licensure, in addition to a series of trainings.
The state allows MFT master’s program graduates to become marriage and family therapist’s as well.
Psychologists Are Coming to Grips With Substance Abuse in Wisconsin
Culturally, it’s hard to get away from smoking and drinking in the upper Midwest. Wisconsinites work hard and expect people to leave them alone when it comes to picking their pleasures during their downtime. It’s a community where being able to hold your drink is held as a mark of maturity.
That’s created what can only be called an epidemic on the alcohol front. Today, the state takes up nine slots on the list of the top 20 drunkest cities in America, including all of the top three. And the spillover into prescription pain pills and other opiates has lead to a deadly crisis hitting both urban and rural parts of the state.
That’s starting to change with the recognition that addiction spans everything from beer to heroin. Comprehensive substance abuse treatment centers, helmed and staffed by professional psychologists, are springing up across the state and doing their part to dent the wave of addiction issues.
High-Tech Wisconsin Offers a Different Set of Psychological Demands
Although Wisconsin is still a state with a lot of rural pride, in places like Madison and Milwaukee, the high-tech wave overtaking American industry is generating some big-city psychology needs.
In Madison, for example, Google is looking for psychology professionals to help conduct user experience research. Designing the right interface and usability standards for new products requires insight into human behavior, and with a master’s degree like the MS in Applied Psychology with an Evaluation Research concentration offered at UW-Stout, you get all the tools you need to develop new solutions for the modern age.
Sports Offer a Wisconsin-Approved Use of Psychological Science
Although Wisconsinites may be a little suspicious of psychologists in general, they won’t turn up their nose at any science that offers an advantage when it comes to running up the score. Sports are big across the state, from college ball to the beloved Packers, and sport psychology has become an important part of all of those programs.
TheUW Health Sports Medicine facility’s sport psychology program is an important part of improving both health and performance for Badger athletes. And at UW-Milwaukee, the laboratory for Sport Psychology and Performance Excellence offers consulting services in every arena where exertion and performance are tied together, from firefighting to the performing arts.