A rich tradition of higher education runs throughout New England, and Maine is no exception. Here are some data about psychology schools and colleges in Maine, taken from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the American Psychological Association (APA) and other trusted institutional sources:
- The NCES lists 14 psychology schools and colleges in Maine, of which 4 offer psychology degrees that can be earned online.
- One of the psychology Ph.D. programs in Maine — clinical psychology at the University of Maine, to be precise — has earned recognition by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists and accreditation from the APA.
- Several of the college and universities in Maine have earned impressive marks from U.S. News and World Report on its 2016 rankings, including some top-20 and top-10 finishes.
Students who complete their education at psychology schools and colleges in Maine can look forward to a relatively favorable job market after graduation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The mean annual salary for clinical, counseling and school psychologists in Maine came to $86,170 in 2015, which outpaced the national occupational average by more than $10,000. Each of the three statistical regions of Maine for which the BLS collected data also had its own yearly mean salary:
- $95,750 in Bangor
- $73,550 in Portland
- $101,230 in Greater Southwest Maine
No state-specific data was reported for industrial-organizational, forensic and other psychologists who don’t fit into the clinical, counseling or school practitioner categories, but their national average salary in 2015 was $93,050.
Region | Career | Total Employment | MeanAnnualWage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-South Portland, ME | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 170 | $71,910 |
2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov.
Maine psychology licensing requirements
Graduates of psychology schools and colleges in Maine must successfully submit a licensure application to the Maine Board of Examiners in Psychology before they can practice legally. Here’s a list of the application requirements, according to the Board’s website:
- Earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or other qualifying post-graduate degree from an accredited institution
- Provide documentation of 1,500 hours each of pre- and post-doctoral supervised clinical experience
- Furnish official transcripts for all academic work and three references
- Submit to a criminal background check
- Take and pass the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) and the Maine Jurisprudence Exam
- Remit a $250 license fee and any other administrative costs
Psychologist licenses in Maine must be renewed each year, on April 30, for a renewal feel of $125. Documentation of completed continuing education in psychology must be kept on hand through the renewal period, as it may be audited at any point by the Board. Take a look at the state’s Board of Examiners website for information on conditional or temporary licenses and other details.
Featured psychology schools in Maine
Some psychology colleges in Maine may have greater name recognition than others, or have attracted more attention from national rankings agencies, but there’s one quality or another that sets just about every institution apart. Here’s detail on a few psychology schools and colleges in Maine:
University of Maine
Maine’s largest postsecondary institution has also got the state’s most well-regarded psychology department. The clinical psychology Ph.D. from the Orono school is accredited by the APA and recognized by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, for one, and the options for graduate study are among the more diverse selections in the state. Students can choose among the aforementioned clinical psychology Ph.D., a dual Master of Arts (MA) and Ph.D. in developmental psychology and a similar joint master’s and doctoral program in psychological sciences.
- Department: University of Maine – Psychology
- Location: Orono (main campus)
- Online options: Numerous online degrees are available at the University of Maine, but psychology was not among the subjects offered as of Fall 2016.
University of New England
Psychology programs at the University of New England are focused on training undergraduates, and its degrees provide students with early opportunities to specialize their psychological study. Along with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in general psychology, the psychology department at UNE offers Bachelor of Science (BS) programs in neuroscience and animal behavior and an undergraduate minor in art therapy. Students hoping to join the psychology field in a technical capacity can also work toward a mental health rehabilitation technician/community certification as their minor, and both a proprietary psychology club and a chapter of psychology honor society Psi Chi are active on campus.
- Department: University of New England Department of Psychology
- Location: Biddeford
- Online options: Online degree programs at UNE focus mainly on education and health care, but you may be able to take some lower-division science courses online as part of your general education core.
Bowdoin College
An undergraduate major in general psychology stands as the single psychological degree program at Bowdoin, although the flexible major system at the Brunswick school gives students the opportunity to combine their study of psychology with elements of other disciplines in an interdisciplinary, double or student-designed major. The school does, however, have a unique claim to fame that gives it a permanent mark on the map of the psychological world: Alfred Kinsey, whose work on human sexuality revolutionized the national conversation on the subject, graduated from Bowdoin in 1916.
- Department: Bowdoin College Department of Psychology
- Location: Brunswick
- Online options: As of 2016, Bowdoin College seems to only offer classes in a traditional campus setting.
University of Southern Maine
Students pursuing general psychology training may only be able to earn a BA or an undergraduate minor at this Portland institution, but those hoping to focus their psychological training on the education sector have another option available. USM also offers a PsyD program in school psychology that was designed to conform to the standards of the APA, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). As a practitioner-focused degree, the PsyD prepares students moreso to use their training in an occupational capacity than to go into scholarship or research.
- Department: University of Southern Maine Department of Psychology and University of Southern Maine School Psychology Program
- Location: Portland
- Online options: USM does offer a few core curriculum courses as well as a BA in social and behavioral sciences online, but no orthodox psychology degrees can be earned solely in the virtual classroom.