Have you ever witnessed peculiar behavior and wondered what set it off? Or, are you afraid of the dark or have any other phobia you want to know more about? If your answer to one or both the questions is affirmative, then there is a solid chance that you’re the kind that would love psychology.
Not only does psychology help you analyze and understand people around you, it also helps you understand yourself better – a process which can be both fun and fascinating. By helping you become more self-aware, psychology offers interesting insights which one can use to become a better person.
Besides, psychology empowers you by helping you appreciate all stages of human development by giving you a closer look at life and everything else that comes along.
Studying psychology can also help develop critical thinking skills, which are quite essential when it comes to research.
These are just a few reasons why you should consider studying psychology. And if you do, here are some popular universities that offer great courses in psychology.
Established in the late 1800’s, Harvard’s psychology department is housed in the main campus based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
While Harvard offers various bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees, the research focus in psychology is mainly on developmental psychology, clinical science, and social psychology among other things.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1540
Acceptance rate: 6%
Tuition and fees: $43,938
Average grant aid amount: $38,627
Average loan aid amount: $5,080
Founded in 1892, Stanford University’s psychology department is located on the Main Quad of the Stanford campus and offers undergraduate and graduate programs.
The research focus is mainly on affective science, neuroscience, and cognitive, developmental, and social psychology.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1520
Acceptance rate: 5.1%
Tuition and fees: $45,195
Average grant aid amount: $38,662
Average loan aid amount: $6,095
Established in the early 1800’s, Yale’s psychology department is based out of New Haven, Connecticut.
The university offers several research opportunities across neuroscience, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology.
Average SAT score: 1540
Acceptance rate: 6.3%
Tuition and fees: $45,800
Average grant aid amount: $42,303
Average loan aid amount: $4,923
Set up in 1764, Princeton’s psychology department is housed in the main campus based out of Princeton, New Jersey.
The graduate program offers specialization in diverse areas like behavioral economics, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, the psychology of inequality, social neuroscience, etc.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1540
Acceptance rate: 7.4%
Tuition and fees: $41,820
Average grant aid amount: $38,704
Average loan aid amount: $ 5,019
Originally founded as the Laboratory of Psychology in 1893, University of Chicago’s psychology department has been a leading center for psychology studies and research for over 100 years.
The department offers specialization in subjects such as cognition, developmental psychology, integrative neuroscience, and social psychology.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1540
Acceptance rate: 8.8%
Tuition and fees: $49,380
Average grant aid amount: $ $29,503
Average loan aid amount: $ 6,022
In 1922, Berkeley’s Department of Psychology was established as a separate unit, evolving from the Department of Philosophy.
Students can choose from different specialization areas of psychology such as behavioral and systems neuroscience, clinical science, cognition, cognitive neuroscience, development, social, and personality.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1440
Acceptance rate: 16%
Tuition and fees: $35,850
Average grant aid amount: $16,425
Average loan aid amount: $5,589
Although Columbia University’s psychology department traces its root back to 1867, a professorship in psychology was only created in 1891.
Columbia University offers research opportunities for students in neuroscience and behavior, and has a history of excellence in psychology research.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1520
Acceptance rate: 6.9%
Tuition and fees: $51,008
Average grant aid amount: $34,435
Average loan aid amount: $11,442
Though psychology has been at the University of Pennsylvania since 1887, a dedicated department for psychology was started only in 1960.
The department offers specialization in subjects such as cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, developmental psychology among others.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1510
Acceptance rate: 10.4%
Tuition and fees: $47,668
Average grant aid amount: $34,211
Average loan aid amount: $6,965
Psychology was taught as Mental Philosophy, till the early 1900s, as a part of the philosophy curriculum. It was only in 1909 an independent department was formed to focus on key study areas in philosophy.
Key focus areas of the psychology department at Northwestern University are clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, brain, behavior and cognition, personality and health, and social psychology.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1510
Acceptance rate: 13.1%
Tuition and fees: $47,251
Average grant aid amount: $31,377
Average loan aid amount: $5,688
The psychology department at the University of Minnesota has a formidable reputation in the field of psychology research.
Key research areas at the University of Minnesota are: biological psychopathology, counseling psychology, industrial organizational psychology, personality and behavior genetics, psychometric methods, etc.
Quick stats:
Average SAT score: 1360
Acceptance rate: 45.4%
Tuition and fees: $ $22,210
Average grant aid amount: $7,511
Average loan aid amount: $6,684
While studying psychology prepares you for a career across fields like education, sports, healthcare, management, etc., it’s important to remember that psychology is more than just a career option. It is a scientific study carried out to analyze and address human behavior, and that, is what makes it all interesting.