Can you get a psychology degree online? Yes, at every level from an associate through a doctorate, with most coursework completed online. The catch is the hands-on part: licensure-track master’s and doctoral programs still require in-person practicum and internship hours you complete locally.
You have pictured yourself in the lecture hall. You have also pictured the part where work, kids, or a brutal commute keep you out of it. So, can you get a psychology degree online instead? Yes, and psychology happens to be one of the most online-friendly majors there is, because most of the work (reading studies, writing papers, watching recorded lectures) travels just fine to your kitchen table.
Which psychology degrees can you earn online?
Pretty much all of them, but how “fully online” each one is changes as you climb the ladder. The lower the degree, the easier it is to finish without ever shaking a professor’s hand. The higher you go, the more your program needs to put you in a room with actual people.
An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in psychology can usually be done start to finish online, and you can see real examples in the online bachelor’s programs we rank. For most students, there is no lab to staff or patients to sit with at this stage, so the coursework is mostly reading, writing, and discussion boards. A master’s is where the “online” label picks up an asterisk: the lectures and exams live online, but most programs build in a practicum or internship you complete in person, at an approved site near you. Doctoral programs (the PhD and PsyD) push that further with supervised clinical hours, and many online or hybrid programs add residencies or other in-person training even when the classwork is remote.
Here is how the levels compare:
| Degree Level | Can you earn it online? | In-person component | Where it leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | Yes, fully online | None | Entry-level support roles or transfer into a bachelor’ degrees |
| Bachelor’s (BA or BS) | Yes, fully online | None at most schools | Entry-level jobs or graduate school |
| Master’s (MA or MS) | Coursework online | Practicum or internship at a local site | Counselor or therapist licensure (varies by state) |
| Doctorate (PhD or PsyD) | Hybrid in most programs | Supervised clinical hours, sometimes campus residencies | Licensure as a psychologist |
The takeaway: if you only need the degree, online works at any level. If you need a license at the end, plan to leave the house for the clinical hours.
Can you study psychology online without a psychology background?
Yes. You do not need a bachelor’s in psychology to start studying it, online or anywhere else. If you are coming straight out of high school or switching majors, an online bachelor’s in psychology takes you from zero. If you already hold a bachelor’s in something else and want to jump to a master’s, that works too, with one common catch: many graduate programs require a few prerequisite courses first, usually introductory psychology, statistics, and research methods.
If you are missing those, you are not stuck. Many schools let you knock out the prerequisites online before you start, and some build them right into the first term. A history major can absolutely end up in a master’s program in psychology. You might take a couple of catch-up classes on the way in.
Will an online degree let you become a licensed psychologist?
Here is the part people get wrong, so read it twice: a psychology degree by itself does not make you a psychologist. Not the online version, not the on-campus version. The diploma is one ingredient, not the whole recipe.
To call yourself a psychologist and practice independently in most states, you need a doctoral degree (a PhD or PsyD), a stack of supervised clinical hours, and a passing score on the EPPP, the national exam recognized by state psychology boards. Online and hybrid doctoral programs exist, but if licensure is the goal, the program and its internship have to meet your state board’s standards, so it pays to check the licensing rules in your state before you commit. The most widely recognized and preferred standard is accreditation from the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA).
If a doctorate sounds like a lot, that is because it is, and it is not the only door in. An online master’s degree that meets your state’s requirements can lead to licensure as a counselor or therapist, such as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which offers a separate, faster path with its own state exam. The work is in demand either way. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of clinical and counseling psychologists to grow about 11.4% between 2022 and 2032, and substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors to grow 18.4% over the same period, much faster than the average for all jobs.
Is an online psychology degree respected?
Yes, as long as the school is properly accredited. Employers and graduate admissions committees care about accreditation, not whether you attended class in your pajamas. At a regionally accredited university, the online degree usually carries the same name on your transcript as the on-campus one, and most diplomas do not announce the format at all.
The one thing worth checking before you enroll is the accreditation, every single time. Look for regional accreditation on the school, and APA-CoA accreditation on any doctoral program you are counting on for licensure. That one check is what separates a degree that opens doors from a “university” that mostly takes your money. If a program dodges questions about its accreditation, keep walking.
Select your state below to find accredited online and on-campus psychology programs, application links, and licensing requirements for your area.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary data and Projections Central 2022-2032 job growth forecasts for Psychologists (including Clinical & Counseling, Industrial-Organizational, and School Psychologists) and Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June 2026.