<p>My son is probably going to be a Psychology major. I haven't run across a school yet, no matter how small, that didn't offer a Psych major. Can anyone offer any guidance on how to compare departments? We're looking at faily small schools and none are included in any of the major national rankings. </p>
<p>We've made note of the number of faculty members, whether they are full time or adjunct, what degrees they hold, what degrees the school offers, how many different psych classes are offered. Some web sites will provide info on what their department stresses, others don't. </p>
<p>Any other ideas on what to look for or what questions to ask during visits? Perhaps rate of admission to grad school?</p>
<p>how many students go on to grad school?
what kind of jobs psych majors get after graduation?
research opportunities available to undergrads (essential for grad school admissions)?</p>
<p>also see if the department has courses in different subspecialities of psych- clinical, cognitive, experimental, social, etc. for grad school you will want to have exposure to many different areas.</p>
<p>Psych is such a popular major, ANY school will have a good program. </p>
<p>I think it'll really come down to fit with your son. </p>
<p>If you're looking at Texas schools and others in the area, TCU and Tulsa are both supposed to have really happy students, which is a good starting point.</p>
<p>I don't know that I'd agree that any program would be good. I was a special ed major at a large State U and took a lot of Psych classes....seemed like each teacher was worse than the next.</p>
<p>Of course, I'm leery of very small schools with very few faculty members in the major. Our neighbor went to a very small LAC where there was only one faculty member in her major....she loved the school but disliked the faculty member, so she left.</p>
<p>I guess after a student is admitted and they are trying to narrow the choice down to the final one, they can make a few additional visits and try to meet the faculty.</p>
<p>Some LACs for Psychology from Rugg's Recommendations:
Allegheny
AmherstBarnard
Bates
Bryn Mawr
Bucknell
Claremont McKenna
Colby
Connecticut C
Drew
Furman
Gettysburg
Grinnell
Gustavus Adolphus
Haverford
Kenyon
Lafayette
Macalester
Mount Holyoke
Coll of NJ
Occidental
Pitzer
Reed
Rhodes
Simmona
Smith
St Mary's C of MD
St Olaf
Swarthmore
Union
Vassar
Wabash
Wesleyan
Whitman
Willamette</p>
<p>Gourman Report Psychology ranking undergrad:
Stanford
Yale
U penn
U Michigan AA
U Minnesota
UC Berkeley
Harvard
U Illinois UC
U Chicago
Columbia
UC San Diego
UCLA
Indiana U Bloomington
U Colorado Boulder
Carnegie Mellon
U Wisconsin Madison
MIT
Princeton
U Washington
U Oregon
Cornell
U Texas Austin
UNC Chapel Hill
Brown
Northwestern
SUNY Stony Brook
Johns Hopkins
Duke
Penn State UP
NYU</p>
<p>Here is a list of top national universities sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates who majored in psychology. From IPEDS 2004 data.</p>
<p>university, SAT 75th percentile, total bachelors graduates, number of psychology bachelors graduates, proportion of psychology graduates</p>
<p>CLARK UNIVERSITY 1305 449 84 0.19
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES 1410 7026 917 0.13
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER 1410 1174 142 0.12
COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY 1440 1418 153 0.11
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE 1310 4633 516 0.11
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-ANN ARBOR 1390 5923 632 0.11
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST LOUIS 1520 1634 186 0.11
EMORY UNIVERSITY 1460 1480 148 0.1
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1500 1999 198 0.1
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEW BRUNSWICK 1310 5734 595 0.1
SUNY AT BINGHAMTON 1340 2285 233 0.1
THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE 1240 4035 388 0.1
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA CRUZ 1280 3053 301 0.1
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH-MAIN CAMPUS 1330 3861 394 0.1
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY 1350 575 60 0.1
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY 1440 816 72 0.09
DUKE UNIVERSITY 1530 1539 143 0.09
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY 1310 800 68 0.09
SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY 1300 1397 131 0.09
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA 1300 4564 389 0.09
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 1410 1000 94 0.09
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 1390 3991 306 0.08
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 1370 1993 155 0.08
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 1470 1336 107 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS 1280 5608 476 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-RIVERSIDE 1200 2893 244 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO 1360 4131 338 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 1530 1014 78 0.08
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER 1280 5196 421 0.08
YALE UNIVERSITY 1560 1339 110 0.08
BROWN UNIVERSITY 1520 1490 101 0.07
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY 1420 790 57 0.07
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE 1550 1064 78 0.07
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY 1290 1604 107 0.07
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY 1470 1670 119 0.07
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1320 1614 118 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 1270 3673 274 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 1410 6763 495 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 1240 4015 283 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI 1350 2155 144 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-TWIN CITIES 1280 6049 427 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA-MAIN CAMPUS 1430 3207 223 0.07
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON-SEATTLE CAMPUS 1310 7194 516 0.07
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 1440 1514 101 0.07
BOSTON COLLEGE 1410 2223 137 0.06
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 1580 1797 116 0.06
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY 1380 1123 67 0.06
MIAMI UNIVERSITY-OXFORD 1320 3784 216 0.06
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY 1560 1114 64 0.06
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 1320 2798 163 0.06
TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 1435 1452 93 0.06
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE 1280 3392 208 0.06
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER 1230 931 53 0.06
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME 1470 2052 130 0.06
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY 1290 2296 104 0.05
INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON 1220 6172 307 0.05
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY 1490 1288 61 0.05
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1240 7783 363 0.05
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1410 4492 231 0.05
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1280 8288 432 0.05
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY-MAIN CAMPUS 1290 9134 473 0.05
STANFORD UNIVERSITY 1550 1713 79 0.05
TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY 1300 7914 404 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1360 8574 460 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA 1320 5769 300 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND-COLLEGE PARK 1370 5959 282 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 1280 4086 219 0.05
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 1390 6336 313 0.05</p>
<p>Here is a list of top national liberal arts colleges sorted by the proportion of bachelors graduates in psychology. From IPEDS 2004.</p>
<p>ST MARY'S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND 396 90 0.23
GOUCHER COLLEGE 272 51 0.19
SPELMAN COLLEGE 533 88 0.17
WELLS COLLEGE 91 14 0.15
HENDRIX COLLEGE 230 32 0.14
CENTRE COLLEGE 258 36 0.14
DREW UNIVERSITY 359 51 0.14
UNION COLLEGE 132 19 0.14
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE 204 26 0.13
OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 377 50 0.13
OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE 459 58 0.13
ST LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY 499 64 0.13
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS 675 88 0.13
WHEATON COLLEGE 356 47 0.13
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE 285 35 0.12
DAVIDSON COLLEGE 426 50 0.12
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE 553 66 0.12
MILLSAPS COLLEGE 225 27 0.12
WABASH COLLEGE 181 22 0.12
BARNARD COLLEGE 600 72 0.12
DENISON UNIVERSITY 514 57 0.11
BATES COLLEGE 450 49 0.11
HANOVER COLLEGE 217 24 0.11
MACALESTER COLLEGE 428 47 0.11
KNOX COLLEGE 265 27 0.1
REED COLLEGE 310 32 0.1
COLLEGE OF WOOSTER 391 39 0.1
HAVERFORD COLLEGE 323 31 0.1
AUSTIN COLLEGE 310 31 0.1
ALBION COLLEGE 309 31 0.1
MUHLENBERG COLLEGE 595 59 0.1
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY 189 19 0.1
UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND 579 56 0.1
CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE 288 28 0.1
HOBART WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES 446 44 0.1
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 722 73 0.1
VASSAR COLLEGE 614 62 0.1
RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE 235 24 0.1
WOFFORD COLLEGE 247 21 0.09
ALLEGHENY COLLEGE 455 40 0.09
URSINUS COLLEGE 361 33 0.09
POMONA COLLEGE 394 34 0.09
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 452 41 0.09
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 311 29 0.09
WILLIAMS COLLEGE 531 49 0.09
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE 703 62 0.09
COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT 475 45 0.09
KENYON COLLEGE 399 36 0.09
BELOIT COLLEGE 261 24 0.09
SMITH COLLEGE 688 61 0.09
WELLESLEY COLLEGE 603 52 0.09
SCRIPPS COLLEGE 172 15 0.09
MILLS COLLEGE 194 17 0.09
PITZER COLLEGE 207 18 0.09
SKIDMORE COLLEGE 597 53 0.09</p>
<p>Thanks for all the lists, but my son is looking to be no further than about 4 hours from home. Here are the schools we plan to visit:
Austin College
Baylor (probably way too large for him)
Oklahoma City University
Rice
St. Edwards
Southwestern
Trinity
University of Tulsa</p>
<p>I'm mostly looking for ways to compare the Psychology departments among schools. Sounds like we need to read up on the various areas of emphasis (e.g. behavioral, educational, etc.) so we can figure out whether what the school stresses is something in which my son would be interested.</p>
<p>Do the faculty publish?
Do they have course offerings in his area of interest?
Can undergrads get involved in research?
Are there opportunities for gaining experience working in the helping professions?
Does the psych department teach their own statistics and research methods courses?
How large is the department? How many majors?
Do faculty take students with them to conferences?
Is there a graduate program in psych?
Do graduates get into grad schools?
Is there a research emphasis in the content courses?
How large are the intro psych courses?</p>
<p>Question about whether the faculty publishes....why should an undergraduate care? Because it means they are doing meaningful research that could involve students? </p>
<p>I've always wondered if that criteria (of which many schools are so proud) really matters to the students. Many of my law profs published a lot...can't see that it positively impacted the quality of my education. A few had written the definitive treatise in their field, and were pretty poor teachers.</p>
<p>Huskem can probably answer this better than I can. In psych, you need to go on to grad school. You need good exposure to research methods and statistics.</p>
<p>I think it is hard to find work in psych without a PhD unless you go into School Psych, Social Work MSW, psychiatric nurse practioner MSN, or Counseling MS. Even in those fields, it helps to have knowledge of research methods and stats.</p>
<p>With a PhD in Clinical you have a good career working with the mentally ill but you have to jump through the research and statistics hoops. With a PhD in other areas, you have to become a college professor, do research, and publish.</p>
<p>So, it helps to have professors who know how to successfully publish and/or who have a clinical practice.</p>
<p>Another consideration for your son would be to study or concentrate in something with/within psychology that will make him stand out within this popular major. For instance, take courses that will form a neuroscience major, if offered, or concentrate in quantitative/computer methods. This would put him in a better position for a job or grad school.</p>
<p>If your son is interested in graduate school, he might want to consider the undergrad schools that provide good preparation. Here are the top 50 by percentage of future PhD production (considering total undergrads, not psych undergrads, which might be a better measure, but is unavailable). There is a lot of overlap with the previously posted lists. First posted by interesteddad.</p>
<p>Number of PhDs per 1000 graduates </p>
<p>Academic field: Psychology </p>
<p>PhDs and Doctoral Degrees:
ten years (1994 to 2003) from NSF database </p>
<p>Number of Undergraduates:
ten years (1989 to 1998) from IPEDS database<br>
Formula:
Total PhDs divided by Total Grads, multiplied by 1000<br>
Note: Does not include colleges with less than 1000 graduates over the ten year period </p>
<p>1 Pomona College 21
2 Swarthmore College 19
3 Barnard College 19
4 Vassar College 19
5 Bryn Mawr College 17
6 Wesleyan University 16
7 Pitzer College 16
8 Brandeis University 16
9 Wellesley College 15
10 Grinnell College 15
11 Spelman College 14
12 Williams College 14
13 Clark University 14
14 Haverford College 14
15 Brown University 14
16 Smith College 14
17 Kalamazoo College 13
18 Oberlin College 13
19 Scripps College 13
20 Yale University 13
21 Duke University 13
22 Carleton College 13
23 Drew University 13
24 Rhodes College 12
25 Hendrix College 12
26 Tufts University 12
27 Antioch University, All Campuses 12
28 Davidson College 12
29 Sarah Lawrence College 12
30 University of Chicago 12
31 Hamilton College 12
32 University of Rochester 11
33 Amherst College 11
34 Trinity University 11
35 Southwestern University 11
36 Austin College 11
37 Bennington College 11
38 Reed College 11
39 Emory University 11
40 Union College (Schenectady, NY) 11
41 Denison University 10
42 St John's College (both campus) 10
43 Kenyon College 10
44 Mount Holyoke College 10
45 Bates College 10
46 Occidental College 10
47 Franklin and Marshall College 10
48 Stanford University 10
49 Cornell University, All Campuses 10
50 Knox College 10
51 Allegheny College 10</p>
<p>Referring to this thread again. My son has now had three interviews with Psych departments, so now we're able to compare among them. I've written down more questions for the next round of visits. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Hi missy: One thing that others did not mention: Some psych departments predominantly focus on the scientific bases of psychology; others on the social aspects....Your son may want to determine not only which school focus on what, but also what his interests are.......He may be able to assess this on his own be looking at what overall depts psychology is in or which requirements it fulfills at the colleges he is looking at (for example, if it is in the science dept, you have your answer)</p>