There are few ways to advance into senior roles in the psychology profession better than Master’s in Psychology degrees in Alabama. These degrees build on skills learned at the undergraduate level and often focus on very specific areas of psychology: Developmental disabilities, academic research and teaching, clinical psychology, school psychology, and numerous other areas. The advanced classes and specialized skills offered by programs in Alabama will help practicing psychologists advance to professional licensure, private practice, or senior management roles in larger organizations. The state is home to three top-ranked programs in psychology, each with a unique focus that will aid differing types of professionals.
Auburn University
Department of Psychology
Known nationally for its impressive SEC football program, Auburn University is an Alabama institution that’s locally regarded as on of the best and most prestigious public schools in the state. The school’s undergraduate and graduate programs are considered a best value by U.S. News and World Report, and its graduate programs rank as among the best in overall quality in several publications, including U.S. News and World Report, the Princeton Review, and Consumer Reports. Students in the psychology program will participate in research on-campus, graduate teaching assistantships during their second year of study, and innovative, hands-on internships in the local community that will help them build their advanced skill set in developmental disabilities and behavioral analysis.
Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities
Auburn’s program is unique in Alabama, since it focuses almost exclusively on developmental disabilities and the process of behavioral analysis and diagnosis. The program utilizes a trimester format; the first three trimesters, which take 12 months to complete, constitute the traditional coursework necessary to graduate with a Master of Science degree. The second component of the program, which lasts at least another 12 months, is a practicum component that will see students work in real-world behavioral analysis and developmental disability psychology roles. They will work alongside a supervisor as they learn how to handle the sensitive nature of developmental disabilities, both with the patients themselves and with their loved ones. Graduate teaching jobs and research may also be encouraged of students who intend to study at the doctoral level.
Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
Auburn University
Department of Psychology
226 Thach Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849
Phone: (334) 844-4412
Email: psychology@auburn.edu
Program Website
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Psychology Department
The University of Alabama’s Huntsville campus is one of the largest and fastest-growing public campuses in Alabama, and is home to some of the state’s highest-ranked business, education, and social science programs. The Psychology Department oversees a unique Master of Arts program that is designed to help students gain a further understanding of general psychology topics, prepare them for work in a business setting, and get them involved in academic research and undergraduate instruction. Classes are taught by an all-doctoral group of faculty members, and classes are paired with laboratory experiences, a research component, and the ability to engage in internships with local businesses and private practices.
M.A. in Psychology
Interestingly, the M.A. in Psychology at UAB Huntsville is specifically designed not to lead to professional licensure in the psychology field. Instead, the program is targeted to people who would prefer to use these skills in business settings, thanks to the industrial / organizational psychology concentration. Another key goal of the program is to teach the fundamentals of advanced psychological experimentation and research, through a special concentration in these specific areas. In both concentrations, students will take core classes in professional ethics, psychological research, business and interpersonal psychology and communication, and a seminar in current psychological issues. Each concentration will build on these skills in unique ways, preparing students for business and human resources roles, or a research and teaching role at a major university.
Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Psychology Department
301 Sparkman Dr.
Huntsville, AL 35899
Phone: (256) 824-1000
Email: webmaster@uah.edu
Program Website
University of South Alabama
Psychology Department
Founds to serve the residents of Alabama’s Gulf Coast region with a local, public university education, the University of South Alabama has consistently been ranked as one of the fastest-growing and most affordable campuses in the state. Psychology students enjoy a large professional network and easy access to professional positions in Mobile and its surrounding suburbs. The university’s doctoral faculty oversee graduate and doctoral research, graduate teaching assistantships, and arrange internships for students who wish to develop their skills more practically, with hands-on work at local firms and clinical establishments.
Master of Science in Psychology: Behavioral and Brain Sciences Emphasis
USA’s graduate program in psychology offers only one concentration, in behavior and brain sciences. This concentration is designed to teach students not only about different behavioral disorders and theories, but also about how these behaviors are rooted in certain parts of the brain or certain chemical imbalances in the brain. Much of the program is devoted to classroom theory, though the second year of the graduate program focuses a bit more heavily on on-campus research, preparation for a thesis presentation, and teaching work in South Alabama’s undergraduate psychology classes on-campus. The program does prepare students for licensure, and South Alabama’s pass rate on the state’s licensing exam has been increasing in recent years.
Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Contact
University of South Alabama
Psychology Department
UCOM 1000
75 S. University Blvd.
Mobile, AL 36688
Phone: (251) 460-6371l
Email: nash@southalabama.edu
Program Website
Advance a Psychology Career with These Excellent Graduate Programs
Graduate-level education in psychology is designed to help practicing professionals specialize their skill set and move into more advanced positions in the industry. Thanks to the innovative Master’s in Psychology degrees in Alabama, students local to the three schools mentioned above can easily accomplish those goals as they pursue an advanced education in this field utilizing a number of different perspectives.
See also: Psychology Doctoral Programs in Alabama