If you have a passion and heart for helping people with mental, emotional, behavioral, and similar problems, pursue a career as a professional psychologist! Make it possible by enrolling in one of the best Doctor of Psychology graduate schools in the country.
But before you start, you must first dig for essential information about psychology as you might need to make a life-changing decision.
Quick audio summary:
METHODOLOGY
The Doctor of Psychology graduate schools featured here have been selected based on the following criteria:
- The university has obtained regional and American Psychological Association (APA)/Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accreditation.
- Has a selective admission process.
- Known for academic excellence, research opportunities, and high academic standards
- Offers various student support services, from library resources and research facilities to financial aid.
For more information, please see our Methodology link.
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20 BEST DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE SCHOOLS
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
UCLA’s research-focused Ph.D. in Psychology is a six-year program designed for highly intelligent students and those with research experience. It offers various focus areas, such as Social Psychology, Quantitative Psychology, Learning and Behavior, and more.
| Acceptance Rate: | 9% |
| Graduation Rate: | 92% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
Ph.D. in Psychology
UCLA’s doctorate degree in Psychology trains outstanding independent researchers with a broad empirical knowledge of Psychology. The program has five training units:
- Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience
- Clinical Science
- Cognition
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental
- Social-Personality Psychology
Each student will choose one or more faculty members with whom they would like to work. You will be deeply involved in challenging yet exciting careers in the academe, healthcare, and government.
| Acceptance Rate: | 12% |
| Graduation Rate: | 94% |
| Program Duration: | 6 years |
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
This doctorate in Psychology is also a research-based program that provides students with substantial theoretical, computational, and empirical knowledge and equips them with practical experience and direct, unmediated knowledge of conducting a psychological investigation. Graduate students annually create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and meet with their advisor to reflect on their goals and create an action plan.
| Acceptance Rate: | 4% |
| Graduation Rate: | 95% |
| Program Duration: | 6 years |
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Harvard’s research-based Psychology doctorate known for producing clinical psychologists with impeccable research skills and solid scientific knowledge of psychopathology. It has four research areas:
- Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (CBB)
- Clinical Science/ Experimental Psychopathology
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
The Harvard Ph.D. in Psychology covers two tracks: Clinical Science and Common Curriculum.
| Acceptance Rate: | 4% |
| Graduation Rate: | 98% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
The Psychology Ph.D. at UM offers six focus areas:
- BioPsychology
- Clinical Science
- Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Personality and Social Contexts
- Social Psychology
This program provides students with excellent research, apprenticeship, and teaching opportunities and prefers applicants with undergraduate credits in experimental Psychology and statistical methods.
| Acceptance Rate: | 18% |
| Graduation Rate: | 94% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
Yale University
New Haven, CT
Yale University’s PhD in Psychology is notable for its high standards of education and selection of student applicants. The program is organized into five areas of focus:
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Social/Personality Psychology
Moreover, students can also combine their Psychology doctoral experience with Education, Social Work, or Women’s and Gender Studies programs.
| Acceptance Rate: | 5% |
| Graduation Rate: | 98% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
The PhD in Psychology at Princeton allows students to obtain an MA in Psychology degree as an incidental degree towards a Ph.D. It offers various emphases like Behavioral Economics, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, and more.
As a Ph.D. in Psychology student, you will be obligated to work with a faculty member to complete a research project related to your area of interest.
| Acceptance Rate: | 4% |
| Graduation Rate: | 98% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
This Psychology program is focused deeply on research and offers various seminars, student-teacher interactions, and brainstorming opportunities throughout the program. It is not divided into subfields, and students admitted into the program are grouped as one whole section.
| Acceptance Rate: | 6% |
| Graduation Rate: | 96% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
UNC-CH’s Ph.D. in Psychology has six sub-fields:
- Behavioral and Integrative Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Quantitative Psychology
- Social Psychology
Accredited by the APA and PCAS, this program intends to equip students with the knowledge, judgment, and skills in research, teaching, and providing professional services to the community.
| Acceptance Rate: | 17% |
| Graduation Rate: | 91% |
| Program Duration: | 6 years |
The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Champaign, IL
Illinois offers nine sub-fields within its doctorate program in Psychology, including Cognitive Neuroscience, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and Clinical/Community Psychology. The program is focused on independent research, education, and collaboration.
The university also operates a state-of-the-art psychological services center and neuropsychological assessment center.
| Acceptance Rate: | 44% |
| Graduation Rate: | 85% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
WUSTL offers quality graduate and postdoctoral Psychology education, allowing students to explore multiple disciplines and learn from respected faculty experts. The research-based Psychology doctorate at WUSTL is organized into four areas of specialization:
- Aging and Development
- Behavior, Brain, and Cognition
- Clinical Science, and
- Social-Personality Psychology
| Acceptance Rate: | 12% |
| Graduation Rate: | 94% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
Columbia University
New York, NY
The Ph.D. in Psychology at Columbia University is designed to develop its students into proficient scholars, teachers, and researchers in Cognition, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Social-Personality Psychology. Students commence their research work right during their first year. Students are allowed to explore their interests under the guidance of authorized faculty advisors.
| Acceptance Rate: | 4% |
| Graduation Rate: | 97% |
| Program Duration: | 6 years |
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
Northwestern’s Psychology doctorate trains students to become leaders in scientific Psychology. It offers various area of interests:
- Brain, Behavior, & Cognition
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Personality, Development, and Health, and
- Social Psychology
Notably, the university provides full funding for all Ph.D. students for five years.
| Acceptance Rate: | 7% |
| Graduation Rate: | 97% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
The University of Texas Austin
Austin, TX
The Ph.D. at UTexas serves as a training ground where students receive their specialization in various fields, including:
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognition, Brain, and Behavior
- Developmental Psychology
- Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology
- Perception, Brain, and Behavior, and
- Social Psychology
Students in clinical Psychology can complete the program in six years,while those in non-clinical fields can complete the program in four to five years.
| Acceptance Rate: | 29% |
| Graduation Rate: | 75% |
| Program Duration: | 5-6 years |
University of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology
UCSD’s doctorate in Psychology equips students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to research in Experimental Psychology. UCSD emphasizes interdisciplinary research for Experimental Psychology success, offering subfields such as:
- Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Sensation & Perception
- Social Psychology
| Acceptance Rate: | 25% |
| Graduation Rate: | 88% |
| Program Duration: | 5-6 years |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
This Psychology doctorate is well-equipped with auditory, visual, perception, and other equipment to enhance your studies in Psychology. The program offers a comprehensive Psychology education, focusing on distinct subfields and requiring students to choose their specialization area, utilizing advanced equipment for enhanced learning.
- Biology of Brain Behavior
- Perception
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive and Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Social and Personality Psychology
| Acceptance Rate: | 43% |
| Graduation Rate: | 89% |
| Program Duration: | 5 years |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Ph.D. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences
MIT’s brain and cognitive sciences, a very unique Psychology doctorate with a mission is to reverse engineer the brain to understand the mind, is known to produce some of the brightest brain scientists in the world. Students can choose one of the focus areas:
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Neuroscience
Each year, the university admits 20 new students from more than 700 applicants to the program.
| Acceptance Rate: | 4% |
| Graduation Rate: | 95% |
| Program Duration: | 5-6 years |
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
UMN’s Ph.D. in Psychology equips students with high levels of expertise in research, data analysis, and the interpretation of existing theories in Psychology. It offers a wide range of psychological perspectives, including seven areas of specializations. The university offers full financial support for Ph.D. students, including tuition, stipend, and health insurance, and allows them to earn a master’s degree.
| Acceptance Rate: | 77% |
| Graduation Rate: | 84% |
| Program Duration: | 5-6years |
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
UW’s Ph.D. in Psychology is among the most flexible doctoral programs with various focus areas, such as Animal Behavior, Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology, and more. The University of Washington’s graduate program does not offer a standalone Master’s degree program, but students can earn a master’s degree while pursuing a Ph.D.
| Acceptance Rate: | 43% |
| Graduation Rate: | 84% |
| Program Duration: | 5-7years |
Cornell University
New York
This Psychology Ph.D. is mainly for those who want to focus on one of the following areas:
- Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience
- Perception, Cognition, and Development
- Social/Personality Psychology
The program is designed to produce outstanding scholars, researchers, and educators who will take the lead in shaping the future of Psychology.
| Acceptance Rate: | 10% |
| Graduation Rate: | 87% |
| Program Duration: | 5-6 years |
Frequently asked questions
What is Psychology?
Psychology studies the mind and behavior, uncovering mysteries about perception, personality, emotions, unconsciousness, and relationships. Its principles overlap with Philosophy, Chemistry, Physics, Sociology, Anthropology, and Biology.
Psychologists are clinical professionals who study and analyze individuals’ behavior, cognition, interactions, and emotions in social settings. As experts who treat distressed patients through counseling or psychotherapy, psychologists address the crucial needs of individuals while earning top dollar.
How many branches of Psychology are there? What are they?
There is no exact way to quantify the branches of Psychology, as many of them are classified as subfields and specialalizations. However, the following are the most commonly known branches of Psychology used in applications benefiting society.
- Experimental Psychology is a laboratory-based branch that deals with the essential human and animal faculties, such as perception, sensation, learning, conditioning, and motor behaviors.
- Clinical Psychology is dedicated to providing comprehensive and sometimes continuous behavioral and mental health care, training, education, or supervision to individuals or groups of individuals.
- Counseling addresses the concerns of individuals who are struggling with social, emotional, family, work, and similar problems. It is used to assess individuals experiencing mental and emotional affliction.
- Industrial and Organizational Psychology focuses on the study of human behavior in the workplace or organization to analyze and assess work or organizational problems.
- Forensic Psychology applies Psychology in the justice system. It refers to the application of the psychologist’s clinical expertise in the legal field.
What are the factors for choosing the right Doctor of Psychology school?
Doctorate programs in Psychology prepare you for success, but not every program is a good fit! Look at these factors for Psychology program suitabillity that you need to consider.
1. Specialization
Choose a graduate school that offers your desired area of specialization, as not all Psychology branches are available at the same institution.
The most common areas of focus offered in Doctor of Psychology graduate schools include Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Industrial-organizational Psychology, and Marriage and Family therapy.
2. Location
Numerous Psychology doctorate programs are available, but the school’s location significantly impacts both students and professionals.
These are some of the elements that you need to assess regarding a school’s location:
- The need to relocate and its related costs
- The school’s distance from your home or place of work
- Availability of public transport
3. Training Model
The training models in the doctorate in Psychology program are:
- Researcher-scientist model for students aspiring to pursue a career in research or academia, focusing on conducting original research under the guidance of a mentor.
- Scientist-practitioner model that combines of clinical training and mentored research, making it ideal for careers in program design and clinical research.
- Scholar-practitioner model that is tailored for Psychology students who want to focus more on clinical practice and less on research.
4. Accreditation
Choose an accredited program for quality education, licensing, financial aid eligibility, and acceptable transferable credits from one school, ensuring compliance with Department of Education standards.
5. Faculty
Meeting with faculty can help determine comfort level and adaptability to their personalities and teaching styles, ensuring your interests and goals align with theirs.
6. Working Conditions
Doctoral programs often offer teaching or research assistant positions, making students feel like employees. It’s crucial to understand the responsibilities and benefits associated with this role.
7. Student Success Rate
A good doctor of Psychology program should have an equally good track record of student success. It should produce competent professionals who can contribute to the field.
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