Getting a degree in Psychology will familiarize you with the functioning of the brain, and will help you understand a range of behavioral as well as cognitive disorders.If you see yourself working in this field in the future, then you should read this article to learn about the Top 10 schools for psychologists in the U.S in 2020. This ranking has been extracted from QS Top Universities Ranking for Psychology programs for 2020.

1 – Harvard University

Harvard University has been ranked as the top psychology school in the US, according to the 2020 QS World University Rankings. The university offers the following specializations:

  • Undergraduate Concentration in Psychology – Undergraduate students can choose from the following tracks: General track, Mind, Brain, and Behavior track, Social and Cognitive Neurosciences track, and Secondary Field in Psychology.
  • Master of Liberal Arts in Psychology – This program helps students gain an understanding of research designs, human behavior and social science research. Students are required to study 12 courses and have to complete 48 credits.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology – Doctoral students can choose from two tracks – the Common Curriculum track that covers perception, behavioral neuroscience and social psychology etc. The second option is the Clinical Science track.

 

2 – Stanford University

QS World University Rankings have ranked Stanford University at #2 in its 2020’s list of top psychology schools. The university’s Psychology Department was founded in 1892, and since then it has trained thousands of students. Today, the university offers the following programs:

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Psychology – Program participants have to complete at least 60 units of coursework and are required to study a range of modules such as Introduction to Brain and Behavior, Perception, Learning and Memory, Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognition and the Brain.
  • Master of Arts (M.A) in Psychology – In order to complete the degree, students have to complete at least 45 units of psychology related courses. The curriculum covers modules related to Foundations of Cognition, Affective Neuroscience, and Emotion.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology – This program takes around five years to complete and prepares students for teaching and research. During the first four years, student have to complete 135 units of research units and coursework. They spend the fifth year working on their dissertation. Students have to study the following core courses: Social Psychology, Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Science and Affective Science. These must be passed with a minimum B- grade.

 

3 – University of California – Berkeley

The University of California – Berkeley is one of the top ranked schools for psychology in the country. It offers the following programs:

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Psychology – Psychology is a capped major at the university. This means that the university cannot admit every student in this program since there is a high demand for it. The curriculum helps students build a sound foundation of psychology principles.
  • Master of Arts (M.A) in Psychology – A terminal master’s program is not offered by the school’s psychology department. However, those enrolled in the doctoral program can choose to pursue an M.A degree en route to the doctoral degree.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology – This advanced degree helps develop an understanding of the major issues in contemporary psychology. A number of concentrations are offered to students – these include Social-Personality Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognition, Clinical Science, and Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience.

4 – University of California – Los Angeles

UCLA offers the following specializations:

  • Undergraduate Level – Students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Psychology, a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology (B.S), or a Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Cognitive Science.
  • Graduate level – The university offers a Ph.D. program (please note that there is no separate Psy.D. or an M.A. program being offered). The doctoral program focuses on areas like Learning and Behavior, Health Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience.

 

5 – Yale University

Yale offers the following degrees:

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S) / Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Psychology – For both these degrees, students have to complete twelve courses beyond the pre-requisites.
  • Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program – This program has been accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) and the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA).

 

6 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the leading center for research in the areas of cognitive processes, the neural systems and the brain. It offers:

  • Undergraduate programs in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Computation and Cognition.
  • A 5-6 year long Ph.D. program that prepares students to pursue careers in different industries, teaching or research. The doctoral program is conceptually organized around four main areas which include Cognitive Science, Systems Neuroscience, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience and Computation.

 

7 – University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan offers the following specializations:

  • Undergraduate Degree – Psychology students at the undergraduate level can specialize in a range of areas like Biopsychology, Clinical Psychology and Developmental Psychology, etc.
  • Master’s Degree – Students can pursue a Master of Science (M.S) or a Master of Art (M.A) in Counselling, Master’s in Psychology and Master of Social Work.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology – Ph.D. students can choose from the following concentrations: Biopsychology, Social Psychology, Personality & Social Contexts, Clinical Science, Developmental Psychology and Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience.
  • Doctorate of Psychology Degree (Psy.D.) – This is a relatively new program which is targeted at those individuals who are more interested in the practice of psychology.

 

8 – New York University

The New York University offers the following programs:

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Applied Psychology – This degree helps students gain an understanding of different subfields of psychology such as Counselling, Community and Developmental psychology.
  • Master of Arts (M.A) in Psychology – The M.A program exposes the students to a variety of modules such as Affective Neuroscience, Foundations of Psychopathology, Child Development, Theories of Personality and Psychology of Social Behavior.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology – The doctoral program offers specializations in Counseling Psychology, Social Psychology and Psychology and Social Intervention.

 

9 – Columbia University

The Columbia University offers the following programs:

  • Undergraduate Program – The university offers a psychology major at the undergraduate level. As part of the program, students study interesting topics such as The Science of Psychology, Perception & Cognition and Neuroscience.
  • Graduate Program – The graduate program in psychology focuses on training the Ph.D. students in areas of cognition and social-personality psychology, perception and behavioral neuroscience. Please note that this program does not offer training in industrial, counselling, school, or clinical psychology.

 

10 – University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania offers the following programs:

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Psychology – The curriculum covers topics related to Brain and Behavior, Physiology of Motivated Behaviors and Cognitive Neuroscience.
  • Master of Applied Positive Psychology – This course introduces students to topics like Positive Psychology, Foundations of Positive Intervention, Perspectives on Well-Being and Positive Education.