The 10 Most Affordable Online Masters in Psychology Programs in California for 2026

You need to understand what you’re committing to when selecting the right art therapy programs in California. Entry-level practice requires a master’s degree in art therapy, which typically includes around 60 credits. You’ll also need to complete at least 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

California hosts several prominent art therapy programs. Each provides unique approaches that prepare you for careers in hospitals, wellness centers, schools and private practice. Here are seven expert-picked art therapy programs in California worth thinking about for your graduate education.

Dominican University of California – MA in Art Therapy

Program Overview and Accreditation

Dominican University of California operates the only Master of Arts in Art Therapy program in Northern California. The program sits on a 60-acre campus in San Rafael, just 12 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) granted original accreditation upon recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) in July 2023. The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) approves the program. It also holds WSCUC approval from the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

The department offers three distinct pathways. These are a standard 63-unit MA in Art Therapy (MAAT), a 30-unit Post-Master’s Advanced Standing track (MAATA) for those with existing mental health master’s degrees, and a 63-unit MA in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT). Students accepted into the program can begin in fall or spring semesters.

Key Program Features

You’ll learn through hands-on training that credentialed art therapist faculty guide. The program maintains small class sizes with individual faculty advising. This encourages close relationships with professional organizations like AATA, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (CAMFT), and the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB).

Retention rates show the program’s stability. The 2023 fall cohort had 78.9%, 2024 had 85.7%, and 2025 reached 100%. Employment outcomes demonstrate strong career preparation. 100% of survey respondents who graduated in the 2023-2024 academic year reported working in the field. That year, 85.7% of all graduates were confirmed to be employed in art therapy.

The program draws approximately 30% of students from outside California. You’ll have access to training and internship opportunities throughout the Bay Area. The region is known for its arts community and healthcare systems.

Admission Requirements

You need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. Art, Psychology, or Behavioral Science are preferred. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required.

Prerequisite coursework has 18 semester units (or 27 quarter units) in two- and three-dimensional studio art and design across media of all types. This must have at least three semester units each in drawing, painting, and clay. You must also complete 12 semester units or 18 quarter units in psychology. These are three units each in general psychology, lifespan developmental psychology (birth to death), abnormal psychology, and personality theory.

Your application requires two professional or academic recommendation letters and a three- to four-page letter of intent regarding your interest in art therapy. You’ll also submit a portfolio of 12 color images of personal artwork that represents a range of media. Portfolios may be submitted online as JPEG or PowerPoint images. An in-person or online interview completes the process. Application deadlines are June 1 for fall admission and December 1 for spring admission.

Tuition and Program Length

The standard MAAT program spans three years (summers included) with 63 total units. Tuition for the 2026-2027 academic year breaks down as follows:

The Advanced Standing track costs $34,618 over two years for 30 units.

Classes meet on campus. Some required weekend and summer intensive sessions are part of the program. Seven to ten degree-required units are offered only in summer terms. This has six one-unit week-long intensives that meet three hours daily Monday through Friday. Approximately eight weekend courses (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) are required throughout the three-year program.

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates meet eligibility requirements to become Registered Art Therapists (ATR) through the Art Therapy Credentials Board. The MA-AT also meets Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements. This qualifies you to apply for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licensure.

You can pursue careers working with children, adolescents, couples, adults, elders, families, groups, and communities. Settings range from schools and mental health organizations to hospitals, community centers, nursing homes, assisted living centers, prisons, and private practices. The program can lead to advanced study in a PhD in Art Therapy that Dominican offers.

California Institute of Integral Studies – MA in Expressive Arts Therapy

Program Overview and Accreditation

California Institute of Integral Studies offers a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a Concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy designed for California residents. The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) has approved the program, and it operates in both part-time and full-time formats through a low-residency structure.

The training meets educational requirements for California’s Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) license. The program also lines up with educational requirements to become a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Professor Phil Weglarz chairs the program and prepares students to integrate creative modalities into mental health services and community transformation.

Key Program Features

CIIS employs a Scholar-Artist-Practitioner model that unites academic knowledge, clinical practice, and community participation with arts as the central focus. The pedagogy weaves multimodal expressive arts into all courses, including visual and digital arts, music, dance and movement, poetry, and spoken word.

Classes operate through online asynchronous and virtual synchronous formats. You must attend a one-week in-person intensive at the start of each fall and spring semester in the San Francisco Bay Area. The curriculum emphasizes experiential coursework through hands-on learning.

You’ll integrate theoretical and expressive arts into practice through volunteering or incorporating principles into your current work in the first and second years. Third-year students complete a year-long supervised practicum to gain direct client work experience. You’ll work in clinical practice dyads and small groups for collaborative assignments.

The program requires 50 hours of personal psychotherapy with a licensed mental health professional, ideally an Expressive or Creative Arts Therapist. CIIS maintains relationships with hundreds of practice sites throughout California and provides options for applying skills during training and beyond.

Full-time study spans three years. The part-time option extends to five and a half years.

Admission Requirements

You need an undergraduate degree (BA, BS, or BFA) from an accredited college or university. A GPA of 3.0 or higher in previous coursework is required, though a GPA below 3.0 doesn’t automatically disqualify you. CIIS will think over prospective students with GPAs between 2.0 and 3.0, who must submit a GPA Statement and contact the Admissions Team.

Your application requires official transcripts from all accredited institutions where you earned seven or more credits. Submit letters of recommendation from academic advisors, professors, or professional supervisors who can attest to your graduate-level capabilities. Include a five-page sample of academic writing that demonstrates critical and reflective thinking abilities. A current curriculum vitae that details your educational and professional experience completes your application materials.

Tuition and Program Length

Master’s Division students pay $1,374 per unit for the 2025-26 academic year. Based on standard program completion:

The graduate application fee is $68.

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates prepare for licensing as therapists, counselors, and Registered Expressive Arts Therapists. You must complete supervised client contact hours and pass the MFT licensing examination after graduation, a process that takes three to five years on average.

You can apply skills in community mental health settings, private practice, mental health facilities, healthcare organizations, and human services agencies. The program also gives you the tools to develop innovative community-based arts programming that responds to emerging mental health needs.

Loyola Marymount University – MFT with Art Therapy Specialization

Program Overview and Accreditation

Loyola Marymount University has been a leader in art therapy education in the United States since 1975. The Marital and Family Therapy with Specialized Training in Art Therapy master’s program received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) on January 20, 2022. The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) recommended this accreditation.

Graduates meet academic requirements to obtain California state licensure as Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) and registration by the American Art Therapy Association (ATR). The program has not determined whether it meets other states’ requirements.

Key Program Features

You’ll experience small classes with hands-on opportunities and access to international experiences. The department operates a dedicated Art Therapy Clinic, an International Summer Program and an Art Therapy Research Institute. These demonstrate the program’s commitment to service, multiculturalism and scholarship.

The program accepts around twenty students each year. Classes meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the day on campus. Internship assignments vary in times and locations. You’ll complete two clinical internships totaling approximately 840 hours with at least 350 hours of direct client contact. A research paper is required to graduate.

Students enrolled full-time complete degree requirements in two years. A modified three-year program allows you to fulfill requirements at a slower pace while maintaining daytime class attendance.

Admission Requirements

Your bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution must show a 3.0 GPA or higher. Prerequisites include 18 semester hour credits (or 27 quarter-hour credits) in studio art that demonstrate proficiency in different media types. Psychology prerequisites require 12 semester hour credits (or 18 quarter-hour credits). These include developmental psychology and abnormal psychology, taken for a letter grade within the last five years.

Submit a personal autobiography of ten to twelve pages that focuses on personal life experiences rather than educational information. Your art portfolio should include no more than 10 images in a variety of media. One selected piece requires a 300-word statement that discusses its meaning and psychological content.

Two letters of recommendation are required. You’ll complete a video interview that responds to four questions in 10 minutes. This is followed by a virtual group interview on either February 7 or 8, 2026. The application deadline falls on November 30, 2026. A $50 application fee applies, with a $250 non-refundable deposit due within 21 days of acceptance.

GRE scores are optional, though a score of 158 on the verbal portion is recommended.

Tuition and Program Length

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates work in public mental health, community mental health centers, psychiatric hospitals, medical centers and therapeutic schools. They also find positions in residential treatment facilities and substance abuse treatment facilities. The training qualifies you to obtain California MFT licensure and ATR registration. Licensure requirements outside California require separate research.

Notre Dame de Namur University – MA in Art Therapy

Program Overview and Accreditation

Notre Dame de Namur University housed one of California’s most established art therapy programs until July 2021. The American Art Therapy Association approved the program from January 1, 1986, through July 1, 2021, and it transferred to Dominican University of California. This partnership provided a pathway for the Art Therapy programs to continue after the Spring 2021 semester.

NDNU itself maintains WSCUC accreditation continuously since 1955. The university is an independent Catholic, coeducational institution that offers graduate, credential, and undergraduate degree completion programs. The master’s program in art therapy at NDNU was the largest in the United States with 133 students while it operated and gained international recognition as one of the leading programs worldwide. The university offered the degree for more than 30 years.

Key Program Features

Students who completed the program praised the educational experience. Alumni reported gathering a solid clinical base and expertise in art therapy. The department created a close-knit community where professors demonstrated knowledge and passion for the field.

Small class sizes made discussion, interaction, and connection-building among peers and faculty easier. Art-making integrated into many classes and provided significant hands-on experience in understanding the therapeutic process. The curriculum balanced rigorous academic learning with experiential fieldwork and prepared graduates to enter the mental health field with distinction.

The program combined Marriage and Family Therapy training with art therapy specialization and set graduates apart from other applicants with similar degrees. Faculty dedication was unmatched, and many alumni maintained professional connections long after graduation.

Admission Requirements

The program required a BA or BS degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) was required.

Your application needed a statement of purpose detailing affinity for working with people, motivation for pursuing art therapy careers, personal meaning of art or creativity, and creative strengths. You needed two recommendation letters. An art portfolio containing a minimum of 15 pieces that reflected knowledge of various materials and techniques was required, with expressive works preferred over assignments.

Coursework prerequisites included 18 credit hours in studio art covering drawing (3), painting (3), and ceramics or photography (3). Psychology requirements totaled 12 credit hours and included child/adolescent or human development and abnormal psychology. You needed to complete at least 12 hours of studio art and nine hours of psychology before admission, with remaining hours finished within the first enrollment year.

Tuition and Program Length

Average graduate tuition and fees at Notre Dame de Namur University were $17,884. The program structure varied based on full-time or part-time enrollment.

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates secured positions as pediatric art therapists at hospitals and worked in schools, mental health organizations, and private practice settings. The dual-license approach prepared students for both Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapist credentials. Alumni reported 100% employment in their field of study within six months of graduation while the program operated.

Sofia University – MA in Transpersonal Psychology with Art Therapy

Program Overview and Accreditation

Sofia University operates from campuses in Palo Alto and Costa Mesa. The school started as the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WSCUC) accredited the university in 1998 and reaffirmed that status for six years in June 2022. The Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology (MATP) represents the birthplace program of transpersonal psychology education.

We offer the MATP online and require 42 units minimum. You complete it over two years. You’ll attend residency components twice during the program for five consecutive days each. We conduct these as retreats either in person or through virtual teleconferencing. Sofia University holds state authorizations for distance education in multiple states and territories.

Key Program Features

You can select from four concentrations: Veteran Leadership, Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching, Creativity and Breakthroughs, or Spiritual Psychology. We offer an optional secondary concentration in Transpersonal Ecopsychology. The program combines theory and practice through whole-person, transformative, experiential learning. Hands-on practicum experiences complement engaging, interactive classrooms that passionate instructors guide.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) gave Sofia University Level One Accreditation. Students who complete the Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching concentration fulfill several requirements and can apply for Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credentials through ICF.

Admission Requirements

You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students with lower GPAs might still be considered if they supply an additional letter of recommendation. Your application requires a $50 application fee, statement of purpose addressing your passion for transpersonal psychology, one letter of recommendation, and official academic transcripts. A faculty interview follows document submission. You discuss goals and program expectations there. An acceptance fee of $200 is required.

Tuition and Program Length

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates pursue careers as social workers with median annual wages of $61,330, consultants earning $100,000 annually, entrepreneurs at $81,729, life coaches at $65,140, and roles in nonprofit work with median wages of $92,801 annually. Additional career paths include teaching, social advocacy, and health and wellness positions.

Pacifica Graduate Institute – MA in Counseling Psychology with Art Therapy

Program Overview and Accreditation

Pacifica Graduate Institute delivers its MA in Counseling Psychology from two breath-taking campuses in Santa Barbara County: the Lambert Campus in Carpinteria and the Ladera Lane Campus in Santa Barbara. The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) accredited the institution in 1997, with reaffirmation granted in February 2025. The California Board of Private Postsecondary Education approved the institute to operate in April 2014.

The 93-unit program spans 2.5 years or 10 quarters and prepares you to pursue both Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licensure in California. Depth psychology anchors the curriculum and invites curiosity about the psyche while respecting human experience diversity.

Key Program Features

You’ll choose from four tracks that accommodate different schedules. Tracks C, D, and V meet on-campus Fridays through Sundays, while Track W operates Mondays through Wednesdays. Classes run from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Days 1 and 2, with Day 3 meeting 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. All tracks attend a full seven-day summer session during the first two years.

The program enrolls a maximum of 35 students per cohort and promotes collaborative learning that reflects team approaches to treating individuals, couples, and families. You’ll complete a minimum 300-hour practicum with at least 280 direct service hours in your home community. The program also requires 50 hours of personal psychotherapy, with a minimum of five hours each quarter.

Two complete examinations and a master’s thesis fulfill graduation requirements. Students pass a Complete Oral Examination in Spring Quarter of the second year and a Complete Written Clinical Vignette Examination in Winter Quarter of the third year.

Admission Requirements

You need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited or state-approved institution. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.9 is required. The program welcomes students with different educational backgrounds, though psychology training improves your experience.

Your application requires a personal statement of 3-5 pages, a resume or curriculum vitae, and an APA format academic writing sample of 3-5 pages. Submit one recommendation form from an academic or professional source, an acknowledgment of licensure requirements form, and official transcripts sent from your academic institution. An interview follows once your file is complete.

Tuition and Program Length

Estimated total program tuition reaches USD 62,500. You’ll want to budget an additional USD 2,000 per year to cover the required personal therapy and USD 600 to USD 1,200 to hire a thesis editor, depending on your writing abilities.

A $175 non-refundable deposit and enrollment agreement forms confirm your acceptance. Transfer credits up to 16 quarter units may be approved if completed within four years prior to matriculation.

Career Paths and Licensure

After completing the master’s degree, you must meet California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) requirements and pass examinations to apply for LMFT or LPCC licenses. The coursework meets educational requirements for both credentials in California.

Mount Mary University – MA in Art Therapy (Online for California Residents)

Program Overview and Accreditation

Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin offers its 60-credit Master of Science in Art Therapy online and makes it available for California residents seeking art therapy programs California. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited the program upon recommendation from the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education. This represents Wisconsin’s only accredited art therapy graduate program.

Key Program Features

The curriculum emphasizes relational, art-based philosophy and educates self-reflective practitioners through experiential learning. You’ll complete 700-1,000 hours of supervised training experience among 39 art therapy credits and 21 counseling credits. Student retention reached 84.6% for 2023 and climbed to 100% for both 2024 and 2025 cohorts. Employment placement stands at 92.3%.

Admission Requirements

You need a bachelor’s degree in psychology or related fields with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Submit a $45 application fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, career goals statement, artwork portfolio and writing sample. Fall applications close January 15, while summer deadlines fall on March 15.

Tuition and Program Length

Average tuition reaches $16,813 each year. The program spans three years and includes summers.

Career Paths and Licensure

Graduates meet national Registered Art Therapist (ATR) credential requirements for California. Median wages for counseling occupations reach $65,010 each year. The program has not determined California Licensed Professional Counselor eligibility.

Choose Your Art Therapy Masters Today

Choosing among these seven art therapy programs California offers may seem overwhelming, but the decision becomes clearer once you identify your priorities. Determine whether you prefer traditional on-campus experiences like Dominican University and LMU or low-residency formats such as CIIS and Mount Mary’s online option. Think about which licensure path arranges with your career goals: ATR registration, California LMFT, or LPCC credentials. Employment outcomes in these programs demonstrate strong career preparation, so your choice should reflect personal learning priorities, location flexibility, and specialization interests. Take the case of Dominican University’s 100% employment rate or Mount Mary’s 92.3% placement. These programs prepare graduates for successful careers in hospitals and mental health facilities, along with schools and private practice throughout California and beyond.