Top 10 universities in the US for psychology degrees
Scroll down for the full list of best universities for psychology in the US
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 requite students to undertake a large independent research project.
Below are the best universities in the US for psychology degrees.
Best universities in the world for psychology degrees
Best universities for psychology degrees in Canada
Best universities for psychology degrees in Australia
Best universities for psychology degrees in the UK
- Psychology is one of the most popular majors at The University of Chicago.
- Students can choose from five major areas: biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, and sensation and perception.
Undergraduate programmes combine taught courses and research opportunities.
The doctoral programme typically covers eight subject areas as well as a trial research project.
Students can also participate in “Psi Chi”, the local unit of the National Honor Society in Psychology. Members can attend events such as Lab Night, where researchers describe their latest projects.
- 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.
What can you do with a psychology degree?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 2022
Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2022 results
US Psychology Rank 2022 |
WUR Psychology Rank 2022 |
University |
State |
1 |
2 |
Stanford University |
California |
2 |
3 |
Princeton University |
New Jersey |
3 |
4 |
Harvard University |
Massachusetts |
4 |
5 |
University of California, Berkeley |
California |
5 |
7 |
The University of Chicago |
Illinois |
6 |
8 |
Yale University |
Connecticut |
7 |
9 |
University of Pennsylvania |
Pennsylvania |
8 |
10 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor |
Michigan |
9 |
11 |
University of California, Los Angeles |
California |
10 |
=13 |
New York University |
New York |
11 |
15 |
Northwestern University |
Illinois |
12 |
16 |
Columbia University |
New York |
13 |
20 |
Cornell University |
New York |
14 |
21 |
Duke University |
North Carolina |
=15 |
=22 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
Pennsylvania |
=15 |
=22 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Wisconsin |
17 |
=25 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Illinois |
18 |
28 |
Johns Hopkins University |
Maryland |
19 |
30 |
University of Texas at Austin |
Texas |
20 |
31 |
University of Washington |
Washington |
21 |
32 |
University of California, San Diego |
California |
22 |
33 |
University of California, Irvine |
California |
23 |
34 |
University of California, Davis |
California |
24 |
=36 |
University of Virginia (Main campus) |
Virginia |
25 |
38 |
University of Minnesota |
Minnesota |
26 |
=39 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
North Carolina |
27 |
=39 |
Ohio State University (Main campus) |
Ohio |
28 |
42 |
Vanderbilt University |
Tennessee |
29 |
48 |
University of Rochester |
New York |
30 |
51 |
Boston University |
Massachusetts |
31 |
52 |
Arizona State University (Tempe) |
Arizona |
32 |
=53 |
Penn State (Main campus) |
Pennsylvania |
33 |
55 |
Michigan State University |
Michigan |
34 |
=59 |
Indiana University |
Indiana |
35 |
=67 |
Brown University |
Rhode Island |
36 |
69 |
Washington University in St Louis |
Missouri |
37 |
72 |
Dartmouth College |
New Hampshire |
38 |
75 |
University of Southern California |
California |
39 |
=78 |
University of California, Santa Barbara |
California |
40 |
80 |
Emory University |
Georgia |
41 |
81 |
University of Maryland, College Park |
Maryland |
42 |
90 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
Georgia |
43 |
92 |
University of Colorado Boulder |
Colorado |
=44 |
101–125 |
University of Connecticut |
Connecticut |
=44 |
101–125 |
University of Oregon |
Oregon |
=44 |
101–125 |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus |
Pennsylvania |
=44 |
101–125 |
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey |
New Jersey |
=48 |
126–150 |
University of Arizona |
Arizona |
=48 |
126–150 |
University of California, Santa Cruz |
California |
=48 |
126–150 |
Florida State University |
Florida |
=48 |
126–150 |
University of Illinois at Chicago |
Illinois |
=48 |
126–150 |
Stony Brook University |
New York |
=54 |
151–175 |
University of Florida |
Florida |
=54 |
151–175 |
George Mason University |
Virginia |
=54 |
151–175 |
University of Georgia |
Georgia |
=54 |
151–175 |
University of Iowa |
Iowa |
=54 |
151–175 |
University of Miami |
Florida |
=54 |
151–175 |
Mizzou - University of Missouri |
Missouri |
=54 |
151–175 |
The New School |
New York |
=54 |
151–175 |
University of Notre Dame |
Indiana |
=54 |
151–175 |
Temple University |
Pennsylvania |
=62 |
176–200 |
University of California, Riverside |
California |
=62 |
176–200 |
University of Delaware |
Delaware |
=62 |
176–200 |
Iowa State University |
Iowa |
=62 |
176–200 |
University of Massachusetts |
Massachusetts |
=62 |
176–200 |
Northeastern University |
Illinois |
=67 |
201–250 |
Baylor University |
Texas |
=67 |
201–250 |
Boston College |
Massachusetts |
=67 |
201–250 |
University at Buffalo |
New York |
=67 |
201–250 |
University of California, Merced |
California |
=67 |
201–250 |
University of Central Florida |
Florida |
=67 |
201–250 |
University of Denver |
Colorado |
=67 |
201–250 |
Drexel University |
Pennsylvania |
=67 |
201–250 |
University of Kansas |
Kansas |
=67 |
201–250 |
Lehigh University |
Pennsylvania |
=67 |
201–250 |
North Carolina State University |
North Carolina |
=67 |
201–250 |
Rice University |
Texas |
=67 |
201–250 |
University of Utah |
Utah |
=79 |
251–300 |
Clark University |
Massachusetts |
=79 |
251–300 |
Florida International University |
Florida |
=79 |
251–300 |
George Washington University |
Washington |
=79 |
251–300 |
Illinois Institute of Technology |
Illinois |
=79 |
251–300 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
North Carolina |
=79 |
251–300 |
University of Toledo |
Ohio |
=79 |
251–300 |
Tufts University |
Massachusetts |
=79 |
251–300 |
Tulane University |
Louisiana |
=79 |
251–300 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
Virginia |
=88 |
301–400 |
Auburn University |
Alabama |
=88 |
301–400 |
Bowling Green State University |
Ohio |
=88 |
301–400 |
Brandeis University |
Massachusetts |
=88 |
301–400 |
Case Western Reserve University |
Ohio |
=88 |
301–400 |
Chapman University |
California |
=88 |
301–400 |
Clemson University |
South Carolina |
=88 |
301–400 |
Colorado State University, Fort Collins |
Colorado |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Houston |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Kentucky |
Kentucky |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Memphis |
Tennessee |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
Nebraska |
=88 |
301–400 |
Rowan University |
New Jersey |
=88 |
301–400 |
SUNY University at Albany |
New York |
=88 |
301–400 |
San Diego State University |
California |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of South Florida |
Florida |
=88 |
301–400 |
Texas A&M University |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Texas at Dallas |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Texas at El Paso |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
Wake Forest University |
North Carolina |
=88 |
301–400 |
Washington State University |
Washington |
=88 |
301–400 |
William & Mary |
Virginia |
=88 |
301–400 |
The University of Alabama |
Alabama |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus |
Colorado |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa |
Hawai'i |
=88 |
301–400 |
Hofstra University |
New York |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Missouri-St Louis |
Missouri |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Nevada |
=88 |
301–400 |
Old Dominion University |
Virginia |
=88 |
301–400 |
Portland State University |
Ohio |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Rhode Island |
Rhode Island |
=88 |
301–400 |
Saint Louis University |
Missouri |
=88 |
301–400 |
San Jose State University |
California |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia |
South Carolina |
=88 |
301–400 |
Syracuse University |
New York |
=88 |
301–400 |
University of Texas at Arlington |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
Texas Tech University |
Texas |
=88 |
301–400 |
Wayne State University |
Michigan |
=125 |
401–500 |
University of Arkansas |
Arkansas |
=125 |
401–500 |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
Colorado |
=125 |
401–500 |
Florida Atlantic University |
Florida |
=125 |
401–500 |
Florida Institute of Technology |
Florida |
=125 |
401–500 |
Georgia State University |
Georgia |
=125 |
401–500 |
Kansas State University |
Kansas |
=125 |
401–500 |
Kent State University |
Ohio |
=125 |
401–500 |
Louisiana State University |
Louisiana |
=125 |
401–500 |
Marquette University |
Wisconsin |
=125 |
401–500 |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
Maryland |
=125 |
401–500 |
Montana State University |
Montana |
=125 |
401–500 |
New Mexico State University (Main campus) |
New Mexico |
=125 |
401–500 |
Northern Illinois University |
Illinois |
=125 |
401–500 |
Oakland University |
Michigan |
=125 |
401–500 |
Ohio University (Main campus) |
Ohio |
=125 |
401–500 |
Oklahoma State University |
Oklahoma |
=125 |
401–500 |
SUNY Binghamton University |
New York |
=125 |
401–500 |
The University of Texas at San Antonio |
Texas |
=125 |
401–500 |
Texas State University |
Texas |
=125 |
401–500 |
Western Michigan University |
Michigan |
=125 |
401–500 |
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee |
Wisconsin |
=146 |
501+ |
American University |
Washington |
=146 |
501+ |
Georgia Southern University |
Georgia |
=146 |
501+ |
Mississippi State University |
Mississippi |
=146 |
501+ |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
North Carolina |
=146 |
501+ |
University of North Carolina Wilmington |
North Carolina |
=146 |
501+ |
Northern Arizona University |
Arizona |
=146 |
501+ |
Nova Southeastern University |
Florida |
=146 |
501+ |
University of South Dakota |
South Dakota |
=146 |
501+ |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
Tennessee |
=146 |
501+ |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Texas |
=146 |
501+ |
Western Kentucky University |
Kentucky |
=146 |
501+ |
University of Wyoming |
Wyoming |