Any recommendations for Christian colleges with strong psychology programs?

Hello! I’m a fairly recent immigrant to the United States and know little about U.S. colleges. What are some Christian colleges that are strong academically? I am especially interested in psychology. It does not matter to me if the college is Catholic or Protestant, so long as it is tolerant of other religious beliefs (I am Orthodox). Ideally I’d also like a college that is not a political bubble. It doesn’t matter to me if the college is liberal or conservative, but I would like an environment where political minorities feel comfortable respectfully expressing their views.

Thank you for your help!

The answer to your question will depend in large part on how “Christian” a campus environment your desire.

Catholic schools in the US run the gamut from secular-in-all-but name (Georgetown) to solidly “Catholic” (Notre Dame, Holy Cross) to forthrightly pious (Franciscan University of Steubenville, Thomas Aquinas College [a small, Great-Books oriented LAC located in rural SoCal]).

I would say that Notre Dame (a major research university) and Holy Cross (a fine liberal arts college known for strength in the humanities) manage to be academically strong while preserving a distinctive Catholic identity that still remains open to non-Catholic points of view.

With Protestant schools, things are a bit less clear cut. Many of the oldest and most prestigious American universities and colleges have roots in the Protestant tradition. Some of these jettisoned those religious connections long ago (e.g., Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth), while for others the break has been more recent (Duke, Emory, Wake Forest). A few universities (e.g., SMU) continue to have a nominal Protestant affiliation, but one that doesn’t really impact the ebb and flow of campus life.

Of the schools that are more overtly Christian/Protestant in orientation, some tends towards a generic social and cultural conservatism (e.g., Pepperdine), while a few attempt to offer a genuinely Christian atmosphere as an alternative to the de facto secularism of mainstream culture. The best-known of this last group is probably Wheaton College (outside of Chicago), which has long enjoyed a reputation as the intellectual flagship of evangelical Christianity in the US; others in this group would include Biola (near LA), Westmont College (also in SoCal), Gordon College (in Massachusetts), and Calvin College (in Michigan).

Were I to choose from the above schools based on your stated criteria, I would probably opt for Notre Dame (Catholic university), Holy Cross (Catholic LAC), or Wheaton (Protestant LAC), all of which are academically strong and have good track records of sending students on to graduate study in a range of fields.

There are, of course, many other options. To get a general idea of what’s on offer, you might check the Princeton Review’s list of colleges with “Most Religious Students” and look at the Niche rankings of “Best Christian Colleges in America.” You should also be aware that there are many committed Christian students at even the most secular of mainstream educational institutions. Sometimes, these students manage to build a powerful sense of community precisely because theirs is a marginalized voice on campus. In short, don’t dismiss non-religious schools from your search at the outset. Take the time to research the nature of the faith communities present on each campus.

There are a lot. Just for Catholic you have Notre Dame, Georgetown, most of the Big East Conference, etc. For Baptist there is Baylor and a lot more. A large amount of private schools in the US started with some religious affiliation. Some have kept it (Emory) others have not (Duke). It is very common for church building to be one of the main buildings on campus. Your question is really too hard to answer because it is so broad.

FYI. Normally when people say Christian Colleges, they are referring to schools that have a very strong religious component (e.g. Liberty University). From your post, it doesn’t sound like this is what you are looking for in a college.

I would add Boston College to the above excellent recommendations.

Great recommendations above. I agree on Wheaton College in Illinois (not the Wheaton College in MA, which is also a very good school, but not what you are perhaps looking for). That is the school I think about as a (Protestant) Christian school with strong academics. I don’t know about psychology specifically.

Belmont University in Nashville is another one.

There are lots of Catholic colleges/universities. You can google lists of them and rankings of them. Boston College, Georgetown, and Notre Dame are obviously well-known, highly ranked national universities. For my money, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA offers academics as strong as anywhere. It has very competitive admissions, but it is not as hyper-competitive as Georgetown and ND. But there are many, many others that you can find with a simple search. I think of Santa Clara, Saint Louis University, Seattle University, Dayton, several Loyolas (separate schools in New Orleans, Chicago, and Baltimore), Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska (a personal favorite), Fairfield (Connecticut), Fordham, and lots more.

Good luck!

Also, what about a university/college, public or private, in a community with a strong Orthodox community? I’m thinking of Williamsburg, VA. William and Mary (mid-size public university) in Williamsburg is an excellent university that would be one (of many) that sounds like it would suit you. It has a very strong local Greek Orthodox community and church (including a beautiful church building). Not sure, and doubt, you are coming from a Greek Orthodox background but using this as an example of an approach that might work for you–finding a school that is a great fit for you in a town/city with a strong Orthodox church/community.

http://www.stdemva.com

Pepperdine is known for its founding denomination ethos and is a really good school. The rest of the info provided thus far has been excellent.

What kind of budget do you have to work with? Is a christian denominational affiliation a must, or just a preference? If you can’t afford any of these private institutions, do you have a home-state public university that could work for you?

Check out Westmont’s strong psychology department: https://youtu.be/g_ESXX5S8Ps The campus is one of the most beautiful in the country. Definitely worth a visit.

Been to Georgetown lately? It’s not ‘in name only’ but a school run by Jesuits with a Jesuit mission and purpose.

Here are some others that are Christian colleges that are not evangelical but emphasize faith in the campus culture and are solid academically: St.Olaf (Lutheran) and Hope College (Reformed)

If you are willing to attend a secular college, there are many well known or elite college that are not Christian colleges, but there are many Christian organizations or clubs on these campuses that many students join. Examples of these Christian organizations are Intervarsity, Cru, Young Life, AACF, etc. Many large campuses house these organizations.

and these school have stronger psychology programs than traditional Christian colleges.

Hope College in Michigan.

Grove City College in PA!!!

My son is not majoring in psychology, but he’s extremely happy at Franciscan.