Best Graduate Schools for Psychology – Princeton University

When you are choosing which graduate school to attend for your PhD in the field of psychology, you are surely looking for the schools that only accept the best of the best. Faculty must be award-winning in their specific areas of study, and students must be excited about receiving high-quality training that they will later use for careers in academic, government, private, and research institutions. If these are the specifications you’re looking for to earn your PhD in psychology, then Princeton University is a great place to pursue PhD studies.

Princeton is a well-known university, the fourth oldest in the country. When you log into the Department of Psychology website, you will see a logo that says “Stretch your mind.” And obviously, this is exactly what psychology PhD programs aim to do. As a result of the excellence in student training, Princeton is currently ranked #8 in US News and World Reports’ rankings of the best doctoral programs in psychology. There are several broad areas of concentration in which you can earn your PhD in psychology:

* Neuroscience

* Cognitive psychology

* Personality and social psychology

Like many other top-tier psychology doctoral programs, there are joint programs in dual areas of specialization. Princeton’s joint program is in Psychology and Social Policy and features interdisciplinary training in causes, consequences, and remedies for inequality in the United States and abroad.

Although a bachelor’s degree in psychology is a plus, it is not a requirement for admission to Princeton’s graduate psychology program. Some students come to this program with a background in science or math, which can be a really beneficial experience for certain areas, like neuroscience or cognitive psychology. Submitting GRE test scores is required, although the GRE psychology subject test is not.

There are more than 30 full-time professors in each of the areas of psychology. For prospective students, it’s a good idea to determine if the faculty’s research interests are similar to your own, as this will certainly figure prominently in the admissions process. Also be prepared to submit excellent graduate letters of recommendation and academic transcripts from your undergraduate college or university. Universities with a top doctoral program, such as Princeton, focus primarily on the amount of research experience an incoming graduate student has had in their field of interest, their leadership abilities, and a clear demonstration of unique ideas and fresh thinking. . The ability to think critically is also a necessary quality to succeed at Princeton. These ideas are worth communicating in your graduate personal statement.

Graduating with a Ph.D. from Princeton University is certainly highly desirable if your plans are to establish a career as a university professor or top-tier research in your area of ​​interest. There are many other highly rewarding careers that can be launched by earning the distinction of a Ph.D. from Princeton. However, the first step in your journey is to submit an attractive graduate application package to get into the psychology doctoral program in the first place.