In the past, people interested in the counseling professions could begin their careers with a bachelor's degree in psychology. But the standard has been raised in recent years, and the Department of Labor now reports that a master's degree is considered to be the minimum educational requirement for working in the many licensed fields of psychology.

When you earn a master's degree in psychology online, you now only complete fundamental education for working in the challenging counseling field, you benefit from flexibility in scheduling and accelerated online training that focuses on career skills.

Masters of Psychology Specializations

Online masters of psychology programs provide fundamental education in counseling's major fields: marriage and family, children and adolescents, addictions and alcoholism treatment, vocational, school, and rehabilitation counseling, and depth psychology.

Mental health counselors can complete their online master's of psychology degree with a specialization in a sub-field within the overall professions, including issues in social work, research, gerontology, death and grief, disability and learning disorders, and cognitive therapy.

Licensing, Internships, and Psychology Careers

While most states have their own licensing requirements for counselors and psychologists depending on their career fields, a great many require the minimum master's degree. Online psychology degree programs allow master's candidates to focus on coursework without interfering with existing family or work commitments. At the same time, online programs often provide hands-on internship components that enable students to combine course credit hours with real-time clinical experience.

Counseling jobs, according to the Department of Labor, are expected to grow faster than the average growth of all other jobs through 2014. Key openings are predicted for new behavioral disorder and addictions counselors.

Online Master's Degree in Psychology Programs

• What Is a Master's Degree in Psychology?
• What Can You Do with a Master's Degree in Psychology?
• Earning an Online Masters of Psychology
• Benefits of Earning a Master's Degree in Psychology Online
• Opportunities Available to Those with a Masters in Psychology

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