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Best Online Educational Psychology Degree Programs (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Key takeaway: Educational psychology (CIP 42.2806) is the research-and-learning degree: how people learn, how to measure that, and how to design instruction and assessment around the evidence. Purdue Global sells a master’s. It is not a counseling license and it is not automatically a school psychologist credential, even though those jobs sit in the same building. In IPEDS 2024, 88 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 87 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Compare accredited programs below.
IPEDS 2024 shows this CIP is overwhelmingly a graduate field. A bachelor’s with this title is rare. If you need to work as a school psychologist, you want a specialist-level (EdS) or doctoral program with NASP approval and a supervised internship, not a general MA in educational psychology.
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
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Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
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BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
$64,330
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Projected job growth (2024-2034) for educational psychology careers. Source: BLS Employment Projections. Chart: Best Online College.View the data behind this chart
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
3.5%
Instructional Coordinators
1.3%
School Psychologists
0.7%
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
-1.6%
Survey Researchers
-5.2%
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School PsychologistsSOC 19-3034
$95,990Median annual pay
Median hourly$46.15
Mean annual$99,160
Employment (US)63,940
Pay range (25-75%)$77,470 - $120,310
Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsSOC 19-3033
$100,580Median annual pay
Median hourly$48.36
Mean annual$112,750
Employment (US)75,990
Pay range (25-75%)$73,210 - $135,200
Psychologists, All OtherSOC 19-3039
$110,840Median annual pay
Median hourly$53.29
Mean annual$111,210
Employment (US)18,820
Pay range (25-75%)$68,850 - $147,240
Psychology Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1066
$80,340Median annual pay
Mean annual$93,860
Employment (US)41,530
Pay range (25-75%)$63,400 - $105,920
Instructional CoordinatorsSOC 25-9031
$77,440Median annual pay
Median hourly$37.23
Mean annual$80,920
Employment (US)227,760
Pay range (25-75%)$60,780 - $98,820
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsSOC 21-1012
$64,330Median annual pay
Median hourly$30.93
Mean annual$71,430
Employment (US)353,310
Pay range (25-75%)$51,270 - $82,870
Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolSOC 25-2058
$74,260Median annual pay
Mean annual$77,260
Employment (US)163,930
Pay range (25-75%)$60,180 - $93,730
Survey ResearchersSOC 19-3022
$69,460Median annual pay
Median hourly$33.40
Mean annual$79,580
Employment (US)8,290
Pay range (25-75%)$51,270 - $99,760
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
It does not license you as a therapist. Compare counseling and psychology for clinical paths. It does not, by itself, credential you as a school psychologist.
A educational psychology degree covers learning theory, cognitive development, statistics and measurement, research methods, motivation, and a thesis or applied project. IPEDS 2024 shows this CIP is overwhelmingly a graduate field. A bachelor’s with this title is rare. If you need to work as a school psychologist, you want a specialist-level (EdS) or doctoral program with NASP approval and a supervised internship, not a general MA in educational psychology.
Can I earn a educational psychology degree online?
Yes. In IPEDS 2024, 88 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 87 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
Is educational psychology accredited?
NASP approves specialist-level school psychology programs. APA accredits doctoral psychology programs. A master’s in educational psychology that is not a specialist-level school psychology program will not make you eligible for school psychologist credentialing in most states. Read the catalog title, not the department name.
What do educational psychology graduates earn?
School Psychologists The national median annual wage was $95,990, with the 10th percentile at $63,070 and the 90th at $142,330 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 67,200 in 2024, projected to grow 0.7 percent through 2034, with 3,800 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, and experience.
