GGU’s Graduate Psychology Programs Receive High Marks

GGU’s Online Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology was designated the best online counseling psychology program of 2023 by Forbes Advisor. 

According to Forbes Advisor, “Golden Gate University offers several online programs, including a master of arts in counseling psychology that aligns with the Psychotherapy Action Network’s guidelines. The program’s 60-credit curriculum meets California’s marriage and family therapy licensure requirements. GGU strives to support working professionals, as almost all students in the program are at least 25 years old.” 

Additionally, Forbes Advisor ranked GGU’s Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology as their number 2 online Master’s in Organizational Psychology program of 2023.  

“The Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Golden Gate University is offered online and hybrid. Learners in the hybrid program must attend at least 20% of their classes in person,” said Forbes Advisor. 

Intelligent.com ranked GGU’s Organizational Psychology degree program in its top 10 best online graduate organizational psychology degree programs. 

Both GGU’s Counseling Psychology and Industrial-Organizational Psychology programs have experienced increased interest from prospective students since the pandemic. 

“Both degrees have seen a fair bit of growth, but the counseling degree really skyrocketed,” said Tom Wooldridge, associate professor and Department of Psychology Chair, to Fortune.com. “I’d say we went from 60 or 70 students to 160 in that two or three years.” 

As the pandemic transitioned out of its acute phase and GGU continued to offer instruction through accessible and convenient online, hybrid, and in-person formats, enrollment continued to swell. Additionally, COVID helped raise awareness about the importance of mental health—resulting in a surge in demand for mental health professionals and graduate degree programs in the field. 

“The public consciousness was really raised around the necessity of mental health care, the effects of isolation and social disruption on people’s emotional lives,” Wooldridge says. “A lot of our students, they’re hungry to do something that gives them a sense of meaning or purpose. A lot of them have benefitted from psychotherapy themselves and I think they see it as a way to try to give something back.” 

“It’s a really great time to get into the field because there’s such demand for mental health workers,” Wooldridge added. “There’s a lot of jobs out there. There’s far more than even when I was a student, opportunities for post-graduate training and different kinds of training that you can get. It’s really a cool time to be entering the field.”