<div class="edu-card" data-widget-id="13" data-cy="edu-card"> <div class="edu-card-banner" data-cy="edu-card-banner"> Advertisement </div> <div class="edu-card-container" data-cy="edu-card-container"> <div class="edu-card-content" data-cy="edu-card-content"> <div class="edu-card-title" data-cy="edu-card-title"> <h1 class="edu-card-title-heading" data-cy="edu-card-title-heading"> Pepperdine's Online MAP </h1> <p class="edu-card-title-subheading" data-cy="edu-card-title-subheading"> Earn a Psychology Master's Online. No GRE Req'd. </p> </div> <div class="edu-card-content-description" data-cy="edu-card-content-description"> <div class="edu-card-content-description-content"> <p>Earn Your Master's in Psychology online from Pepperdine in as few as 18 months. Bachelor's degree required.</p> </div> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore"> <input type="checkbox" id="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-13" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input" /> <label for="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-13" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label"> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label-arrow"></span> </label> </span> </div> <a class="edu-card-content-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/requestinfo/map/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-content-caption"> </span> </div> <div class="edu-card-action" data-cy="edu-card-action"> <picture class="edu-card-picture" data-cy="edu-card-picture"> <img src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PEP-PSY_School_Stacked.png?w=250&amp;h=165" class=""> <span class="edu-card-picture-label"> </span> </picture> <div class="edu-card-action-cta" data-cy="edu-card-action-cta"> <a class="edu-card-action-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/requestinfo/map/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-action-caption"> </span> </div> </div> </div></div><script> function checkWidgets() { document.querySelectorAll('.edu-card-content-description-content').forEach((content) => { const readMoreBtn = content.nextElementSibling; if (!readMoreBtn) { return; } if (content && content.clientHeight === content.scrollHeight) { readMoreBtn.style.display = 'none'; } else { delete readMoreBtn.style.removeProperty('display'); } }) } window.removeEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); window.addEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); checkWidgets();</script>

<div class="edu-card" data-widget-id="14" data-cy="edu-card"> <div class="edu-card-banner" data-cy="edu-card-banner"> Advertisement </div> <div class="edu-card-container" data-cy="edu-card-container"> <div class="edu-card-content" data-cy="edu-card-content"> <div class="edu-card-title" data-cy="edu-card-title"> <h1 class="edu-card-title-heading" data-cy="edu-card-title-heading"> MA in Psychology from Pepperdine </h1> <p class="edu-card-title-subheading" data-cy="edu-card-title-subheading"> Earn Your MA in Psychology in as Few as 18 Months </p> </div> <div class="edu-card-content-description" data-cy="edu-card-content-description"> <div class="edu-card-content-description-content"> <p>No GRE Required: Earn Your Master's in Psychology online from Pepperdine. Bachelor's degree required.</p> </div> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore"> <input type="checkbox" id="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-14" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input" /> <label for="edu-card-content-description-readmore-input-14" class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label"> <span class="edu-card-content-description-readmore-label-arrow"></span> </label> </span> </div> <a class="edu-card-content-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/requestinfo/map/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-content-caption"> </span> </div> <div class="edu-card-action" data-cy="edu-card-action"> <picture class="edu-card-picture" data-cy="edu-card-picture"> <img src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PEP-PSY_School_Stacked.png?w=250&amp;h=165" class=""> <span class="edu-card-picture-label"> </span> </picture> <div class="edu-card-action-cta" data-cy="edu-card-action-cta"> <a class="edu-card-action-button" target="_blank" href="https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/requestinfo/map/">Learn More</a> <span class="edu-card-action-caption"> </span> </div> </div> </div></div><script> function checkWidgets() { document.querySelectorAll('.edu-card-content-description-content').forEach((content) => { const readMoreBtn = content.nextElementSibling; if (!readMoreBtn) { return; } if (content && content.clientHeight === content.scrollHeight) { readMoreBtn.style.display = 'none'; } else { delete readMoreBtn.style.removeProperty('display'); } }) } window.removeEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); window.addEventListener('resize', checkWidgets); checkWidgets();</script>

ad_Psychology

cat_Other

Low Intent

ptype_Explainer

Sydney Lake

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly put pressure on health systems—and particularly frontline practitioners like doctors and nurses—but one of the everlasting negative effects of the pandemic will be the tax on mental health. “Illness, grief, job loss, social isolation, uncertainty, and other pandemic-driven stressors have contributed to an increase in psychological distress on an unusually wide scale,” <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/covid-19-and-ptsd-assessing-the-pandemics-toll-on-mental-health/">according to Yale University’s School of Medicine</a>.</p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



<p>This increase in mental strain has been cause for greater demand for treatment of anxiety and depression, and therefore a spike in the need for psychologists. These professionals have seen bigger workloads and longer wait-lists for treatment than before the pandemic, <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/mental-health-treatment-demand#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20As%20the%20impact%20of,by%20the%20American%20Psychological%20Association.">a 2021 report from the American Psychological Association</a> (APA) shows. </p>



<p>“As more people seek treatment for mental health conditions, the demands on psychological practitioners have increased,” <a href="https://www.apa.org/about/apa/senior-staff/evans-bio#:~:text=%2C%20Jr.%2C%20PhD-,Chief%20Executive%20Officer%20and%20Executive%20Vice%20President,psychology%20in%20the%20United%20States.">APA CEO</a> Arthur C. Evans Jr. <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/mental-health-treatment-demand#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20As%20the%20impact%20of,by%20the%20American%20Psychological%20Association.">said in an October 2021 statement</a>. “Like many other health care providers, psychologists are feeling the pressure.”</p>



<p>In line with increased demand, salaries have also risen. Hourly wages for mental health workers and psychiatric aides jumped nearly 9% to $18.36 in 2022 compared with the prior year, and more senior leadership roles, such as behavioral health directors, saw a pay bump in excess of 2% to more than $45 per hour, according to <a href="https://www.hhcsinc.com/press/2022-BH-Press-Release.pdf">Hospital &amp; Healthcare Compensation Service</a>.</p>



<p>The mean salary for psychologists is nearly $100,000, according to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193039.htm">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, which also notes that the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm#tab-4">profession often requires</a> a Ph.D. or <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-psychology-degree-programs/">master’s degree</a>. Earning a degree in the field requires an investment of both time and money, though. </p>



<p>For people who are looking to explore their interest in the field without attending a degree program, <em>Fortune </em>has compiled a list of a few free online courses. These intro psychology courses hosted by top universities, as deemed by <em>Fortune</em>, are available to anyone and have flexible enrollment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-yale-university-introduction-to-psychology">Yale University: Introduction to Psychology</h2>



<p><a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/yale-university/">Yale University</a> is widely recognized as having one of the best psychology programs in the country, and it hosts a free online <a href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-psychology">Introduction to Psychology</a> course. This class, which takes about 15 hours to complete, explores the ideas of perception, communication, learning, memory, decision making, persuasion, emotions, and social behavior. </p>



<p>While it’s just an intro course, 14% of students who completed the class started a new career, according to Coursera. The course also focuses on cognition, development, and language. It’s taught by renowned Yale psychology professor Paul Bloom, and nearly 1 million students have taken the class through Coursera.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-university-of-chicago-understanding-the-brain-the-neurobiology-of-everyday-life">University of Chicago: Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life</h2>



<p>Neurobiology is a discipline focused on how the nervous system produces behavior and is related to psychology. This course hosted by the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/university-of-chicago-booth/">University of Chicago</a> covers topics including the nervous system, perception and vision, hearing, movement, and abstract functions. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/neurobiology">Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life</a> is a beginner-level course and takes about 28 hours to complete. It’s taught by University of Chicago neurobiology professor <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=peggy+mason+university+of+chicago&amp;rlz=1C5GCEM_enUS1005US1005&amp;oq=peggy+mason+universi&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57.3038j0j9&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">Peggy Mason</a> and has flexible enrollment. Students will apply what they learn about neurobiology to how we perceive the world, control our bodies, and interact with others.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carnegie-mellon-university-introduction-to-psychology">Carnegie Mellon University: Introduction to Psychology</h2>



<p><a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/carnegie-mellon-university-tepper/">Carnegie Mellon University</a> offers free and open courses to everyone, including its <a href="https://oli.cmu.edu/courses/introduction-to-psychology-open-free/">Introduction to Psychology</a> class. The class focuses on human behavior and the mind, but also covers topics including memory, personality, wellness, psychological disorders, and research methods. </p>



<p>The course is broken up into 16 units including content such as text, videos, exercises, and assessments. The course will take about 14 weeks to complete, and the university suggests that students try to complete at least one unit per week. It’s entirely self-paced, though, and includes access only to the existing course materials. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mit-introduction-to-psychology">MIT: Introduction to Psychology</h2>



<p>Highly regarded as having some of the best STEM programs in the country, the <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-sloan/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> offers a free online <a href="https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/9-00sc-introduction-to-psychology-fall-2011/">Introduction to Psychology</a> class through its open courseware platform. The class focuses on how the mind works and how the brain supports the mind, but also explores topics including memory, intelligence, emotion, personality, stress, adult development, and psychopathology. </p>



<p>The course is self-guided but includes materials such as lecture videos, exams with answers, as well as extra notes from the instructor. This is an undergraduate-level course that was taught by MIT neuroscientist John D.E. Gabrieli, who is widely regarded as a cognition expert.</p>



<p><em><em>See how the schools you’re considering fared in </em></em>Fortune’<em><em>s rankings of the best master’s degree programs in data science (<a href="https://fortune.com/education/information-technology/masters/rankings/best-masters-in-data-science/">in-person</a> and <a href="https://fortune.com/education/data-science/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-data-science/">online</a>), <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-nursing/">nursing</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/information-technology/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-computer-science/">computer science</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/information-technology/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-cybersecurity/">cybersecurity</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-psychology-degree-programs/">psychology</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/public-health/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-public-health-programs/">public health</a>, and <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business-analytics/masters/rankings/best-online-masters-in-business-analytics/">business analytics</a>, as well as the best <a href="https://fortune.com/education/leadership/doctorate/rankings/best-online-doctor-education-programs/">doctorate in education</a> programs and MBA programs (<a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-parttime-mba-programs-in-2022/">part-time</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-executive-mba-programs-in-2021/">executive</a>, <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-mba-programs/">full-time</a>, and <a href="https://fortune.com/education/business/mba/rankings/best-online-mba-programs/">online</a>).</em></em></p>
</div>

For people who are looking to explore their interest in the field, Fortune has compiled a list of a few free online courses to try.

4 free online psychology courses to try out the high-paying field

F-Search

Education

Education Articles

Jasmine Suarez

Health and Wellness

Fortune earns a commission for purchases made from affiliate partners via some links on our site; other links are not affiliate partner links. <a href='/affiliate-disclosure/'>Click here</a> to read the full Fortune advertiser disclosure and how we earn commissions.

We have independently evaluated the products and services below. We may earn affiliate revenue from links in the content.

Fortune Editors

Fortune Education is designed to be your guide to navigating this new, rich and somewhat overwhelming world of education. Our team of experienced editors is committed to scouring the universe of online offerings in order to rank, rate, provide comparisons and recommend the right solutions for you and your career.

Fortune Education

Uncategorized

homepage

articles

Articles Hub

By Region

By State

By Cost

Business

Career Hub

Tech

EDUCATION

EDUCATION ARTICLES

4 FREE ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY COURSES TO TRY OUT THE HIGH-PAYING FIELD

4 free online psychology courses to try out the high-paying field | Fortune Education

Rich Griset

10 free data analytics courses you can take online

https://fortune.com/education/articles/free-data-analytics-courses/?itm_source=parsely-api

Preston Fore

Northwestern, Columbia, and UPenn have the best EMBA programs in the country. Here's why

https://fortune.com/education/articles/best-exec-mba-programs-news/?itm_source=parsely-api

2024 real estate school review: AceableAgent

https://fortune.com/education/articles/real-estate-school-review-aceableagent/?itm_source=parsely-api

Brit Morse

A law associate making $300,000 a year at Skadden Arps quit over the firm’s deal with Donald Trump

/article/rachel-cohen-making-300k-year-law-associate-skadden-arps-quit-protest-firms-deal-trump/

Get ready to pay more than $2,000 for a new iPhone: Experts say Trump’s 125% tariff on China is a ‘complete disaster for Apple’ akin to ‘Armageddon’

/2025/04/10/apple-iphone-16-price-complete-disaster-china-trump-tariffs/

It’s about to get a lot harder for job seekers as tariffs are set to make the hiring landscape even more daunting

/2025/04/07/trump-tariffs-labor-market-more-challenging-job-seekers-economists-say/

This company does peer performance reviews—And then lets everyone read each other’s evaluations

/2025/03/24/performance-review-process-company-allows-all-workers-read-garner-health-workplace-culture/

2024 health coach certification review: Catalyst Coaching Institute

/education/articles/health-coach-certification-review-catalyst-coaching-institute/

A guide to a nurse’s salary: Broken down by all 50 states and industry type

/education/careers/nurse-salary/

2024 health coach certification review: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

/education/articles/health-coach-certification-review-institute-for-integrative-nutrition/

10 high-paying public health jobs right now

/education/careers/public-health-jobs/

Jason Del Rey

Is eBay actually sexy again as the ecommerce old-timer’s stock surges to an all-time high?

/2025/07/31/ebay-earnings-live-sports-cards-trading-pokemon/

Erik German

Meet the CIA-backed venture fund behind Palantir, Anduril—and a spy tool that might be on your phone

/2025/07/29/in-q-tel-cia-venture-capital-palantir-anduril/

Dana Hull

Kiel Porter

Bloomberg

Tesla engineering VP Moravy says company in ‘big swing moment’

/2025/07/27/tesla-engineering-vp-lars-moravy-big-swing-moment-musk-robotaxi-optimus-semi/

Christiaan Hetzner

Volkswagen seeks audience with Trump, dangling more than $10 billion in U.S. investments in exchange for tariff exemptions

/2025/07/25/volkswagen-trump-tariffs-exemptions/

Whether you’ve just completed your undergraduate degree or you are a professional with years of experience, Fortune is here to guide you on the next step of your educational journey.

4 free online psychology courses to try out the high-paying field

About the Contributors

Top Articles

10 free data analytics courses you can take online

Northwestern, Columbia, and UPenn have the best EMBA programs in the country. Here's why

2024 real estate school review: AceableAgent

MA in Psychology from Pepperdine