Best Psychology Schools

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 posted by Janice Stratton

If you are looking for some of the best psychology schools, a good place to begin your research is the US News & World Report rankings. These rankings provide an excellent starting point because they offer the opportunity to judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence. The US News & World Report ranking was first published in 1983, and is based upon data that is collected from each institution, from an annual survey, or from the school’s website. The top ten best psychology schools are listed below.

Stanford University
University of California–Berkeley
Harvard University
University of California-Los Angeles
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Yale University
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
Princeton University
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Wisconsin-Madison

How are University Rankings Determined?

The best psychology schools rankings are based strictly on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to academics in each discipline. Each school offering a doctoral program was sent two surveys in which respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of the program at each institution on a 5-point scale with 5 being outstanding and 1 being marginal. The two highest and the two lowest scores for each institution were dropped, and the average score was calculated from the remaining responses.

The list of programs was supplied by The American Psychological Association and then narrowed down to ensure each school was only represented once. Programs in clinical psychology were ranked separately in the health professions section. Specialty program rankings were based solely on nominations by department heads and directors of graduate studies at peer schools. They ranked up to 10 programs in each area offering the best programs in each of those specialty areas.

University rankings are a great place to start when researching the best psychology schools. The information listed in the rankings coupled with factors you may find important, such as the feel of campus life, activities, sports, academic offerings, location, cost, and availability of financial aid, can lead you to an informed decision concerning your collegiate career.