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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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November 7 2023
best universities in the US for psychology degrees

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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.

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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.

What can you do with a psychology degree?

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

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results 

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
11  14  New York University New York
=12  =20  Duke University North Carolina
=12  =20  Johns Hopkins University Maryland
14  24  Northwestern University Illinois
15  =25  University of Minnesota Minnesota
16  27  Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania
17  29  Cornell University New York
18  33  University of Texas at Austin Texas
19  34  University of California, Davis California
20  35  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois
21  38  University of California, Irvine California
22  =39  University of California, San Diego California
23  41  Vanderbilt University Tennessee
24  42  University of Washington Washington
25  43  University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin
26  45  University of Virginia (Main campus) Virginia
27  =46  Ohio State University (Main campus) Ohio
28  48  Brown University Rhode Island
29  49  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina
30  52  Washington University in St Louis Missouri
31  =54  Indiana University Indiana
32  57  Boston University Massachusetts
33  58  Penn State (Main campus) Pennsylvania
34  60  University of Maryland, College Park Maryland
35  67  Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana
36  =74  University of California, Santa Barbara California
37  78  University of Rochester New York
38  81  Michigan State University Michigan
39  85  University of Florida Florida
40  87  Dartmouth College New Hampshire
41  90  University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus Pennsylvania
=42  =95  University of Colorado Boulder Colorado
=42  =95  University of Iowa Iowa
44  100  University of Southern California California
=45  101–125  Arizona State University (Tempe) Arizona
=45  101–125  University of Connecticut Connecticut
=45  101–125  Emory University Georgia
=45  101–125  University of Massachusetts Massachusetts
=45  101–125  University of Notre Dame Indiana
=50  126–150  University of Arizona Arizona
=50  126–150  Florida State University Florida
=50  126–150  University of Georgia Georgia
=50  126–150  Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia
=50  126–150  Northeastern University, US Illinois
=50  126–150  Stony Brook University New York
=56  151–175  University of Denver Colorado
=56  151–175  George Washington University Washington
=56  151–175  Mizzou - University of Missouri Missouri
=56  151–175  Rutgers University – New Brunswick New Jersey
=56  151–175  Washington State University Washington
=61  176–200  Boston College Massachusetts
=61  176–200  University of California, Riverside California
=61  176–200  University of California, Santa Cruz California
=61  176–200  Drexel University Pennsylvania
=61  176–200  University of Miami Florida
=61  176–200  University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska
=61  176–200  Texas A&M University Texas
=61  176–200  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia
=69  201–250  University of Delaware Delaware
=69  201–250  Florida International University Florida
=69  201–250  George Mason University Virginia
=69  201–250  University of Illinois Chicago Illinois
=69  201–250  Iowa State University Iowa
=69  201–250  University of Kansas Kansas
=69  201–250  North Carolina State University North Carolina
=69  201–250  University of Oregon Oregon
=69  201–250  Rice University Texas
=69  201–250  University of South Florida Florida
=69  201–250  Temple University Pennsylvania
=69  201–250  Tufts University Massachusetts
=69  201–250  Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia
=82  251–300  Baylor University Texas
=82  251–300  Bowling Green State University Ohio
=82  251–300  University at Buffalo New York
=82  251–300  University of California, Merced California
=82  251–300  Case Western Reserve University Ohio
=82  251–300  Clark University Massachusetts
=82  251–300  University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Colorado
=82  251–300  Georgia State University Georgia
=82  251–300  University of Houston Texas
=82  251–300  University of Kentucky Kentucky
=82  251–300  Saint Louis University Missouri
=82  251–300  University of Toledo Ohio
=82  251–300  University of Utah Utah
=82  251–300  Wake Forest University North Carolina
=96  301–400  University of Arkansas Arkansas
=96  301–400  Auburn University Alabama
=96  301–400  Brandeis University Massachusetts
=96  301–400  University of Central Florida Florida
=96  301–400  Colorado State University, Fort Collins Colorado
=96  301–400  Florida Atlantic University Florida
=96  301–400  University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Hawai'i
=96  301–400  Kansas State University Kansas
=96  301–400  Lehigh University Pennsylvania
=96  301–400  Louisiana State University Louisiana
=96  301–400  University of Memphis Tennessee
=96  301–400  University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada
=96  301–400  The New School New York
=96  301–400  Northern Illinois University Illinois
=96  301–400  Ohio University (Main campus) Ohio
=96  301–400  Oklahoma State University Oklahoma
=96  301–400  Portland State University Ohio
=96  301–400  San Diego State University California
=96  301–400  University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina
=96  301–400  SUNY Binghamton University New York
=96  301–400  Syracuse University New York
=96  301–400  University of Texas at Arlington Texas
=96  301–400  Texas Tech University Texas
=96  301–400  Tulane University Louisiana
=96  301–400  Wayne State University Michigan
=121  401–500  University of Alabama Alabama
=121  401–500  American University Washington
=121  401–500  Central Michigan University Michigan
=121  401–500  Chapman University California
=121  401–500  Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois
=121  401–500  Marquette University Wisconsin
=121  401–500  Mississippi State University Mississippi
=121  401–500  University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina
=121  401–500  Old Dominion University Virginia
=121  401–500  University of Rhode Island Rhode Island
=121  401–500  Rochester Institute of Technology New York
=121  401–500  The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee
=121  401–500  University of Texas at Dallas Texas
=121  401–500  University of Texas at El Paso Texas
=121  401–500  The University of Texas at San Antonio Texas
=121  401–500  Texas State University Texas
=121  401–500  Western Michigan University Michigan
=121  401–500  William & Mary Virginia
=121  401–500  University of Wyoming Wyoming
=140  501–600  Adelphi University New York
=140  501–600  Florida Institute of Technology Florida
=140  501–600  Georgia Southern University Georgia
=140  501–600  University of Maryland, Baltimore County Maryland
=140  501–600  Montana State University Montana
=140  501–600  New Mexico State University (Main campus) New Mexico
=140  501–600  Nova Southeastern University Florida
=140  501–600  Oakland University Michigan
=140  501–600  Rowan University New Jersey
=140  501–600  University of South Dakota South Dakota
=140  501–600  University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Texas

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