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Health psychologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a health psychologist. Health psychologists usually study psychology, clinical psychology, or counseling psychology. 42% of health psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 139 real health psychologist resumes to see exactly what health psychologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for health psychologists are the Alliant International University and the Alliant International University.
There are also many online health psychologist courses to help get the education required to be a health psychologist.
What education do you need to become a health psychologist?
What degree do you need to be a health psychologist?
- Bachelor's, 42%
- Doctorate, 33%
- Master's, 22%
- Associate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a health psychologist?
- Psychology, 39%
- Clinical Psychology, 22%
- Other Majors, 22%
Most common colleges for health psychologists
| Health psychologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Alliant International University | 8.11% |
| Pepperdine University | 8.11% |
| University of Maine at Farmington | 8.11% |
| University of Connecticut | 5.41% |
| Adelphi University | 5.41% |
Best majors for health psychologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 38.8% |
| 2 | Clinical Psychology | 22.3% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 12.6% |
| 4 | Experimental Psychology | 3.9% |
| 5 | Philosophy | 2.9% |
Best colleges for health psychologists
The best colleges for health psychologists are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
A health 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 health 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 health psychologists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
3. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. University of California - San Diego
La Jolla, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,167
Enrollment
30,279
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
20 best online courses for health psychologists
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3. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)...
4. Cognitive Psychology for Positive Mental Health and Wellness
Optimise your mental health and reduce stress by mastering the key concepts of Cognitive Behavioural Psychology (CBP)...
5. Health Care Delivery in Healthcare Organizations
Have you ever needed health care and thought that there must be better ways to get or deliver health care? For example, have you found yourself thinking that there should be a way to get a diagnostic test or treatment at home? Or do you work in a healthcare organization and find yourself thinking that there must be better ways to deliver health care? If you have, this course is for you. Course content includes an overview of health care delivery including healthcare consumerism, the patient's...
6. Addiction Treatment: Clinical Skills for Healthcare Providers
This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
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15. Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
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16. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Certificate
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17. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Practitioner Course
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18. CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Therapists & Coaches
Comprehensive CBT Therapy Training Cognitive Behavior Therapy Practitioner Level Treat Anxiety, Depression & More...
19. A Beginner's Guide to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Learn how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) contributes to long-term personal growth and sustainable mental resilience...
20. Workplace Mental Health: A Manager's Ultimate Guide
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Top 10 most affordable universities for health psychologists
The most affordable schools for health psychologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for health 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 health psychologists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
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. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
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 health psychologists
The hardest universities for health psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for health 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 health 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
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for health psychologists
The easiest schools for health psychologists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a health 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 health psychologists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
8. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
9. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
10. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
Average health psychologist salary by education level
| Health psychologist education level | Health psychologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,149 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,289 |
Health psychologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025