Best universities for psychology degrees in the US 2024
Explore the best universities the US for psychology degrees using data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
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Top 10 universities in the US for psychology degrees 2024
Scroll down for the full list of best universities for psychology in the US
| US psychology rank 2024 | Psychology rank 2024 | University | State |
| 1 | 1 | Stanford University | California |
| 2 | 2 | Princeton University | New Jersey |
| 3 | 4 | Harvard University | Massachusetts |
| 4 | 5 | University of California, Berkeley | California |
| 5 | 7 | Yale University | Connecticut |
| 6 | 8 | University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| 7 | 9 | The University of Chicago | Illinois |
| 8 | 11 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan |
| 9 | 12 | University of California, Los Angeles | California |
| 10 | 13 | Columbia University | New York |
The US higher education system offers flexible course options, and most undergraduates can study a range of subjects before declaring their specialisation or major at the end of their second year.
Psychology is a popular major or minor choice for students in the US. Students can study a range of topics, including cognitive psychology, social behaviours and abnormal psychology. Students often get the chance to be involved in research projects with academics at their institutions.
Postgraduate options are varied and usually require students to undertake a large independent research project.
Below are the best universities in the US for psychology degrees.
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5. Yale University
Yale University's department of psychology offers programmes in psychology to undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD candidates.
Undergraduate students are able to pursue a psychology major or students more interested in neuroscience can take the neuroscience track. Students are able to then specialise further based on their interests and career goals. Undergraduate students are also able to take part in research opportunities within the department.
The department offers doctoral training in the following areas: clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and social/personality psychology. Applicants must indicate which of these areas they wish to focus on.
The Psychology department was established at Yale University in the 1940s by Carl Hovland.
4. University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley’s department of psychology was established as a stand-alone department in 1921, having previously been part of the department of philosophy.
UC Berkeley offers undergraduate and graduate degree programmes in psychology, focusing on six areas: behavioural neuroscience; cognition; development; clinical science; cognitive neuroscience and social-personality psychology.
Undergraduates can study either a major or a minor in psychology. There is a wide range of co-curricular activities for undergraduates, such as research, internships and field study.
The UC Berkeley Psychology Clinic has served the public of the Bay Area for more than 50 years and provides training to psychology students to help them prepare for their professional future.
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3. Harvard University
Psychology is one of the most popular courses among Harvard University undergraduates, and the subject can be studied alongside a range of other disciplines.
The undergraduate major in psychology at Harvard offers courses from introductory level to more advanced as students progress through their degree.
Students are given flexibility in their learning through a number of tracks, such as the general cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology track or the cognitive science track.
The graduate programme in psychology at Harvard covers four major research areas: cognition, brain and behaviour; developmental psychology; social psychology and clinical science.
2. Princeton University
Princeton University is a member of the Ivy League and its psychology department, was established more than a century ago.
Princeton undergraduates can study the psychology major as part of the Bachelor of Arts programme.
As well as learning about the psychology of language, movement and social interaction, students will learn basic statistical methods. They will also undertake courses in neuroscience.
At the graduate level, students can undertake the Doctor of Philosophy with psychology as their specialism.
The department is closely affiliated with the Center for the Study of Brain, Mind and Behaviour (CSBMB), which conducts research on the neural underpinnings of psychological function. The CSBMB houses facilities for the study of brain function, including a research-dedicated, high-field fMRI scanner, an EEG laboratory, an eye-tracking laboratory and high-performance computing facilities for data analysis and computational modelling.
1. Stanford University
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford University was founded in 1885 by Jane and Leland Stanford.
The psychology department was one of the first to be established at the institution.
Psychology courses at Stanford are split into five major areas: affective science, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology and social psychology. Students can choose courses from any of these departments.
Undergraduates can take the psychology major or minor programme as part of a Bachelor of Arts degree. They will study a range of topics, including abnormal psychology, cultural psychology and clinical psychology. Undergraduates also have the opportunity to conduct independent research for course credit.
Graduate courses are available through Stanford’s extended doctorate in psychology programme, where no master’s degree is required.
Among the department’s famous work is the Stanford prison experiment of the 1970s, which investigated the effects of perceived power on people’s conduct. The Stanford marshmallow experiment looked at delayed gratification in children and was completed in the same decade.
Top universities in the US for psychology degrees 2024
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