Top Psychology Schools for 2017

So you want to earn your degree in psychology at the best psychology school in the nation? We'll here you are! A list of the top ranked psychology programs by U.S. News & World Report. Each program listed below is ranked according to several criteria.

However, we suggest that you don't get too caught up in rankings. Not only are the top ranked programs listed on this page very competitive (i.e. Yale only admits 15 grads students a year) but rankings are not an absolute indication of quality of education. We'd even venture to say that the best psychology school for you probably isn't even listed on this page. When evaluating psychology programs, we recommend that you carefully consider various factors, including cost, placement rate, location, specialties and program reputation. There are very good undergraduate and graduate psychology programs in just about every state in the nation.

Rank	School Name	Description
	Stanford University	Stanford University is a world-renown higher education and research institution and has the No.1 ranked psychology program in the nation. The psychology program at Stanford University is internationally and universally recognized as the one of the best, if not the best, in the world. It has been consistently ranked among the top ten psychology programs in the nation for over a decade.
	University of California--Berkeley	The University of California--Berkeley offers a world class psychology education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Students seeking a psychology degree at University of California--Berkeley can specialize in one of five areas of research. The undergraduate program offers an introduction to psychology concepts and research methods. The graduate program prepares students for careers in academic and applied research.
	University of California--Los Angeles	The psychology program at University of California--Los Angeles (UCLA) offers one of the largest and most diverse psychology programs in the nation. The program includes over 200 PhD students, 80 facutly, 35 postdoctoral trainees, 90 researchers and 40 administrative staff. The school offers a unique honors program and a Psychology Research Opportunities Programs initiative for undergraduate psychology students.
	Harvard University	Since the late 1800's, Harvard University has been a pioneer in the field and discpline of psychology. The father of modern psychology, William James, was responsible for the development of Harvards first psychology program which remains to this day. For over a century, Harvard's psychology program has been ranked among the best of the best. Harvard's graduate psychology program was ranked No.1 in the nation in Faculty Sholarly Productivity by the Chronicles of Higher Education.
	University of Michigan--Ann Arbor	The graduate psychology program at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor tied with Harvard for 4th place on the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best psychology schools in the United States for 2015. The faculty at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is one of the reasons the university's psychology programs is ranked as one of the best. The program's faculty are recognized worldwide for being pioneers in the field of psychology.
	Yale University	Yale University and its academic programs consistently rank among the top ten in the nation--and its psychology program is no exception. The graduate and undergraduate psychology programs at Yale University are consistenly ranked among the top 10 programs in the nation by just about very major college ranking association. Getting into Yale's graduate psychology program is difficult. Each year only new Ph.D. students are admitted.
	Princeton University	For over a century, the Princeton University Department of Psychology has been one of the most recognized psychology departments in the country. This is due in large part to the world class psychology faculty that call Princeton home. Many of its faculty and researchers have made revolutionary discoveries in psychology and neuroscience. The school has one of the best neuroscience programs in the nation.
	University of Illinois--Urban-Champaign	The psychology department at University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign has consistently been ranked among the top five Educational Psychology programs in the U.S. for the U.S. News & World Report. It offers a stimulating, research-oriented graduate psychology program as well as top notch undergraduate psychology program. The graduate school admitts about 70 new graduate psychology students each year.
	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	When people think of the Massachsuetts Institute of Technology (MIT) they think technology. What a lot of folks don't know is that MIT is also home to one of the best psychology programs in then nation--ranked right along side Stanford University and the Univerity of Texas-Austin. The psychology department at MIT is especially well known for its graduate programs in behavioral neuroscience and cognitive psychology.
	University of Minnesota--Twin Cities	The University of Minnesota--Twin Cities is home to a nationally renown psychology school. The Department of Educational Psychology at University of Minnesota provides undergraduate and graduate training in the cognitive, social and emotional learning processes that underlie human development and behavior. Psychology faculty and students are actively involved as leaders and consultants in local, national and international communities.
	University of Wisconsin--Madison	Once again the University of Wisconsin--Madison Department of Educational Psychology finds itself among the top 10 psychology programs in nation and the School of Education was ranked No.1 among public higher education institutions. University of Wisconsin--Madison offers graduate psychology programs in Human Development, Learning Sciences, Quantitative Methods and School Psychology. It also offers an undergraduate certificate program in psychology.
	University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill	The University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) graduate psychology program recently ranked No.1 in NSF survey for federal research and development funding. It's also among the top 20 psychology programs in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The psychology program at UNC-CH is designed to prepare students to become success researchers, teachers, practitioners and leaders within the community. Training is offered in Cognitive Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Quantitative Psychology.
	University of Pennsylvania	The University of Pennsylvania is a top 20 ranked psychology schools that offers both undergraduate and graduate level training in psychology. Students enrolled in the undergraduate psychology program are required to declare an area of focus by their sophomore year and all students are required to participate in a research project. The graduate psychology program at University of Pennsylvania emphasizes scholarship and research.
	Columbia University	Like Harvard and a few other higher education institutions, Columbia University offers a world class psychology program that dates back to 1890. It is one of the oldest and most influencial psychology departments in America. The program continues to be ranked among the top in the nation due in large part to exceptional faculty and researchers who have received many top honors and awards in their specialties.
	Cornell University	Cornell University has a long history of academic excellence and achievement in the field of psychology. Its psychology department is consistently ranked among the top 20 in the nation and its faculty are recognized as some of the best educators, scholars, practitioners and researchers within the field of psychology. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate level programs in psychology.
	Northwestern University	Not surprisingly, and once again the psychology program at Northwestern University's College of Arts & Sciences is among the top 20 psychology programs in the nation. Founded in 1909, the program is also one of the oldest and respected psychology programs. The psychology department offers an undergraduate major in psychology, an undergraduate minor and a graduate program in psychology. Areas of focus include Clinical Psychology, Behavior and Cognition, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, and Personality and Health.
	University of California--San Diego	The University of California San Diego (UCSD) has one of the top ranked psychology schools in the nation. The UCSD Cognitive Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Institutional Research Productivity were ranked No.3, No.1 and No.4 in the nation, respectively, by U.S. News & World Report. The psychology program was also ranked No.6 in the nation for Federal Research Funding and No.1 in the nation for Positive Social Impact.
	University of Texas--Austin	The University of Texas--Austin offers a world class psychology program designed to prepare students for careers in research, teaching and applied practice. The program covers eight areas of study which include Clinical Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Individual Difference and Evolutionary Psychology, Social & Personality, and Perception, Brain and Behavior. Both undergraduate and graduate level training in psychology is offered.
	University of Washington	The University of Washington has consistently been ranked among the top psychology schools in the nation year after year. In 2012, the school's clinical psychology program was ranked No.12 in the nation and more recently the school's general psychology program was ranked among the top 20 in the nation. The department of psychology at University of Washington offers both undergraduate and graduate training programs in psychology.
	Washington University in St. Louis	Slipping in at No.20 the Washington University in St. Louis school of psychology barely made the U.S. News & World Report list of top psychology programs in the United States. No.20 isn't that bad considering that the school beat out over 500 other accredited psychology schools for the position. Washington University in St. Louis offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in psychology for aspiring scholars, research and practitioners.

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