Child psychologist education requirements

Q: What degree do you need to be a child psychologist?

A Ph.D. in psychology is the degree requirement for practicing as a child psychologist. Along the way to becoming a child psychologist, several degrees and specialized areas of study will be necessary. All aspiring child psychologists will first earn a bachelor's degree in psychology or clinical psychology. These two areas of study represent nearly 70% of undergraduate majors. As this profession requires advanced degrees, several relevant undergraduate majors are acceptable such as experimental psychology and mental health counseling. Earning a master's degree and Ph.d. both satisfy the minimum requirements to practice as well as allow candidates to specialize within the field of psychology neuro, forensic, and clinical psychology are all specializations relevant to child psychology.

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a child psychologist. Child psychologists usually study psychology, clinical psychology, or counseling psychology. 55% of child psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 126 real child psychologist resumes to see exactly what child psychologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for child psychologists are the Southeastern University and the Southeastern University.

There are also many online child psychologist courses to help get the education required to be a child psychologist.

What education do you need to become a child psychologist?

What degree do you need to be a child psychologist?

The most common degree for child psychologists is bachelor's degree, with 55% of child psychologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 21%.

Bachelor's, 55%

Master's, 21%

Doctorate, 21%

Associate, 1%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a child psychologist?

You should major in psychology to become a child psychologist. 43% of child psychologists major in psychology. Other common majors for a child psychologist include clinical psychology and counseling psychology.

Psychology, 43%

Clinical Psychology, 22%

Counseling Psychology, 6%

Elementary Education, 3%

Other Majors, 26%

Most common colleges for child psychologists

Child psychologists often get their degrees at Southeastern University, Indiana State University, and National University. Here are the most common colleges for child psychologists in the US based on their resumes.

Child psychologist common college	Percentages
Southeastern University	12.00%
Indiana State University	8.00%
National University	8.00%
Pepperdine University	8.00%
Western Washington University	4.00%

Show more common child psychologist colleges

Best majors for child psychologists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	43.0%
2	Clinical Psychology	22.1%
3	Counseling Psychology	5.8%
4	Elementary Education	3.5%
5	Mental Health Counseling	3.5%

Show more common child psychologist majors

Best colleges for child psychologists

The best colleges for child psychologists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A child psychologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child psychologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become child psychologists.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

6. University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,167

Enrollment

30,279

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

10. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

20 best online courses for child psychologists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for child psychologists

The most affordable schools for child psychologists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for child psychologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for child psychologists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child psychologists

The hardest universities for child psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for child psychologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for child psychologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child psychologists

The easiest schools for child psychologists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and wayland baptist university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child psychologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for child psychologists.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average child psychologist salary by education level

According to our data, child psychologists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $86,452 annually. Child psychologists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $81,302.

Child psychologist education level	Child psychologist salary
Master's Degree	$81,302
Doctorate Degree	$86,452

Child psychologist education FAQs

What degree do you need to be a child psychologist?

What is the best college for Child Psychologists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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