List of Universities Offering Doctorates in Psychology

Stanford University

• Stanford University offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in psychology in one of five study areas: cognitive, developmental, social psychology, affective science and neuroscience. No programs in clinical, industrial, counseling, organizations or parapsychology are offered. Ph.D. students are expected to spend at least half their time in research from the beginning of the first year of graduate study through completion of the Ph.D. program. During the first two years of the program, students complete courses in statistics, neuroscience, foundations of cognition, developmental psychology, social psychology and personality. During the third and succeeding years, students form a dissertation committee and establish a timeline for a dissertation project. Satisfactory completion of the dissertation is a requirement for program completion. The student must pass a university oral exam on the topic of the dissertation. Additionally, each Ph.D. candidate is required to teach at least five psychology courses during their graduate study. According to the National Research Council and a 2009 U.S. News & World Report ranking, Stanford’s School of Psychology is the best in the nation.

  Stanford University
  450 Serra Mall
  Stanford, CA 94305
  650-725-2400
  stanford.edu

University of Minnesota

• The Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota focuses first on the training of researchers and teachers in psychology and then on the training of specialists in the field. Specializations are available in the sub-fields of school psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, clinical science and psychopathology research, biological psychopathology, quantitative and psychometric methods, cognitive and biological psychology, personality and behavior genetics and social psychology. Ph.D. students are required to complete 12 to 15 credits in a supporting program and plan, execute and report on substantial research. A completed thesis and an oral exam to defend it are required for completion of the program. The graduate program at the University of Minnesota was ranked No. 8 (tied with Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison) by U.S. News & World Report in 2009.

  University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
  Psychology Department
  75 East River Rd.
  Minneapolis, MN 55455
  612-625-2818
  umn.edu

Carnegie Mellon University

• Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Psychology is considered an innovator in cognitive science, cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. The graduate program includes social and personality psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and health psychology. Many of the world’s leading researchers in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology and social-personality psychology serve on the faculty, according to the university website. The goal of the doctoral program is to develop research scientists who will advance basic knowledge. Carnegie Mellon has a tradition of interdisciplinary research; doctoral students are encouraged to engage in research with individuals from other departments. U.S. News and World Report ranked Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Psychology in the top 20 in the nation in 2009.

  Carnegie Mellon University
  Department of Psychology
  Baker Hall 342c
  Pittsburgh, PA 15213
  412-268-2781
  cmu.edu