Online and Distance Learning

If you are thinking of taking one of the leadership psychology degrees online then this page will help you to find out more about the program and locate suitable university programs, as well as giving an indication of the future prospects in this field.

Leadership psychologists seek to understand and change the interactions between people, and between individuals and the larger social environment.  Leadership psychology programs develop the knowledge and skills required.  They focus on the study of group dynamics from a leadership perspective, looking in particular at leadership behavior and leadership attitudes.  You can study leadership psychology online and on campus at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.

Many students who are are unable to attend on campus classes (e.g., because of work or personal circumstances) prefer to take leadership distance learning programs. This mode of learning gives them flexibility and control over their study program. So this page has links to online schools for those students. You may also wish to look at the organizational psychology and leadership pages as fields related to this one. If you wish to explore taking leadership psychology on campus, go to the on campus programs page.

Where can you take leadership psychology degrees online

Listed here are selected schools where you can study leadership psychology and other closely related online programs. Request information from several schools and consider the admission requirements list of each to make sure you have the information and the qualifications they require.  Consider applying for several universities and make sure your list has a range of entry requirements, i.e., higher to lower levels of school grades.  In this way you will maximize your chances of being accepted by one of them.

• Kaplan University Online
  • BS in Psychology / Applied Behavioral Analysis

• Capella University
  • MS - Industrial / Organizational Psychology
  • MS - Leadership Coaching Psychology
  • PhD - Industrial / Organizational Psychology

• American InterContinental University Online
  • Bachelor's of Business Administration - Organizational Psychology and Development
  • MBA - Organizational Psychology and Development

• University of the Rockies
  • Doctor of Psychology
    • Executive Coaching
    • International Leadership
    • Non-Profit Management
    • Organizational Consulting
    • Organizational Diversity
    • Organizational Leadership
  • Master of Arts in Psychology
    • Business Psychology
    • Executive Coaching
    • International Leadership
    • Mediation and Conflict Resolution
    • Non-Profit Management
    • Organizational Consulting
    • Organizational Diversity
    • Organizational Leadership
  • Graduate Certificates
    • Business Psychology
    • Organizational Leadership

• Browse more schools and programs at the foot of the page.

• Search for leadership psychology degrees.

What do you study in a leadership psychology program?

Careers in leadership psychology require you to deal with people in a number of business settings.  These skills are generic and so are easily transferred from one job to another should you decide to change in the future.  They include: Business skills, Communication skills, Team building skills, Management skills, Leadership skills, Analytical skills, Motivational skills, Consulting skills, Evaluation of programs skills, Critical thinking skills, and Market Research skills.

In a leadership psychology masters degree you learn about how to examine the culture of a given organization and evaluate the effect it has on the business so as to create work environments conducive to better performance.  So you would also need to cover the following knowledge and skills in greater depth: Communication, management, team building, motivational psychology, analysis and evaluation, decision making psychology, leadership influences, leadership attitudes, and critical thinking.

What jobs do graduates of leadership psychology get?

Accredited online degrees in leadership psychology provide many career opportunities in the private and public sectors. And prospects are good.  Many leadership psychologists work in Human Resource (HR) departments.  With a bachelor's degree in leadership psychology, you could work as a human resources generalist but in order to advance in your career, a master's degree in leadership psychology is often required.

With a masters degree in leadership psychology, you can begin a career in human resources as a facilitator in corporate communications, team building, or coordinating professional development and leadership training programs.  With an online masters in leadership psychology degree you could also work in executive search firms.  Some leadership psychologists find work as a research consultant, or in universities researching and teaching leadership and decision making psychology.  However, a PhD is usually required for such positions.

Salaries are high among some of the jobs that leadership psychologists take, but vary widely depending on the job type, geographical location, company size, education level and experience.  For example, as an HR Manager with 5-9 years experience, you would earn over US57,000 per annum (PayScale.com).  With over 20 years experience you could expect to earn over US70,000 per annum.  Some other job titles to look for are: Senior Research Consultant, Human Resources Consulting Assistant and Employee Relations Manager.

Other online programs related leadership psychology

You may wish to look at an alternative online leadership degree such as a degree organizational leadership or an education leadership degree.  These can be found at the related areas listed below:

• business psychology;
• general psychology;
• industrial / organizational psychology.

For more schools and programs