Best Psychology Programs in Washington, DC for 2027

Howard sets a high bar early: Foundations of Psychological Science, Research Design and Analysis, and Statistics I with its lab each need a B at minimum, and Statistics II follows. You then pick four of six core domain courses, covering abnormal, cognitive, developmental, neuropsychology, social and personality psychology, with no grade under a C. Electives come from clusters, with at least one required from a cluster on the Black experience, cross-cultural psychology, gender, or race and racism, and one from areas like clinical, health or educational psychology. Practicum, internship and independent research are optional, and a capstone senior seminar and a new-student orientation complete the program.

Gateway Courses

PSYC 001, 002 and 003 each with a B or better, then Statistics II.

Core Domains

Four of: Abnormal, Cognitive, Developmental, Neuropsychology, Social, Personality Psychology.

Required Elective Clusters

One on the Black experience, culture, gender or race, and one on clinical, health, learning or educational topics.

Experiential Options

Practicum, internship and independent research study courses.

Program Sources: Howard University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026

The psychology major at Georgetown is 31 credits, and you start by attending a declaration session where the director of undergraduate studies explains requirements and advises you one-on-one. The department points to a strong research methods and statistics background, built around PSYC 2000, for anyone eyeing graduate school, and encourages pairing the major with a minor such as biology, philosophy, cognitive science or computer science. Students can seek research assistantships in faculty labs. Majors holding a 3.5 GPA plus a faculty mentor can apply to the honors program, a senior-year thesis and poster symposium that is recorded on the transcript as Honors Psychology Major Complete.

Major Size

31 credits; the minor is 18 credits.

Declaring

Attend a declaration session, then get email approval from the director of undergraduate studies.

Honors Program

Needs a 3.5 GPA, completed Research Methods and Statistics, and a faculty mentor; ends with a thesis and poster.

Research Involvement

Research assistantships in faculty labs, plus a Psi Chi chapter.

Program Sources: Undergraduate Program | Department of Psychology | Georgetown UniversityHonors Program | Department of Psychology | Georgetown University

At GW, psychology is called Psychological and Brain Sciences and comes as a BA or a STEM-based BS. Both require Research Methods and a statistics course, and both end with an advanced research lab you choose from sensation and perception, cognitive neuroscience, clinical/community, applied social or developmental psychology. The BA adds survey courses in abnormal, social, developmental, cognitive and biological psychology with room for four free electives. The BS swaps in introductory biology, biostatistics, a Python programming course and two gateway courses, aimed at students headed for medical school, law school or a PhD. Declare with an advisor who works in your interest area.

BA Core

General Psychology, Research Methods, Statistics in Social Science and survey courses in four subfields.

BS Add-Ons

Two introductory biology courses, Statistics for the Biological Sciences and a Python programming course.

Research Lab

One 4-credit advanced lab, from cognitive neuroscience to developmental psychology.

Electives

BA majors take four psychology courses at the 2000 level or above.

Program Sources: BS in Psychological & Brain Sciences | Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences | Columbian College of Arts & SciencesBA in Psychological & Brain Sciences | Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences | Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Formal admission to the major takes departmental approval, and then it's 41 credit hours, each graded C or above, with 18 or more at the 300 level. Quantitative Methods and the introductory course are required, along with four credits of statistics and a research methods course. After that you take one course per area across five areas, including biopsychology, learning and cognition, society and psychology, and health and development. A capstone can be an internship capstone, a controversial issues seminar or an honors capstone, and you add two experiential credits, such as community service-learning or an internship. Strong students can apply in spring of sophomore year to the Honors in Psychology program.

Admission to Major

Formal admission requires department approval; 41 credits with C or better.

Quantitative Courses

Quantitative Methods, a four-credit statistics course and a research methods course.

Capstone Choices

Controversial Issues in Psychology, Psychological Internship Capstone or Honors Capstone.

Honors

12 credits of honors coursework with a 3.67 major GPA by the end of junior year.

Program Sources: Program: Psychology (BA) - American UniversityProgram: Honors in Psychology - American University

Catholic University offers a BA in psychology and a BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and the BS is the research-heavy one: 13 psychology courses, General Research Methods and Introductory Statistics with labs as prerequisites to Senior Seminar, three credits of research, and three cognitive or brain courses at the 300 level. Research apprenticeship (PSY 493) puts you in a faculty lab for four to five hours a week, and seniors at 3.70 or higher can write a year-long thesis. Off-campus placements include NIH, Children's National Medical Center, the Washington VA and the FBI. Third-year students at a 3.5 GPA or higher can apply for the five-year BA or BS plus MA in general psychology.

BS Requirements

13 psychology courses, Introductory Statistics, General Research Methods and three credits of research.

Research Apprenticeship

PSY 493, a 1-credit course assisting a faculty member 4 to 5 hours weekly.

Senior Thesis

PSY 496, a year-long project for seniors with a 3.70 GPA and research experience.

Five-Year Master's

BA or BS plus MA in general psychology for third-year students with a 3.5 GPA.

Program Sources: Psychological and Brain Sciences BS - Department of Psychology - Catholic University of America, Washington, DC | CUAResearch and Internship Opportunities - Department of Psychology - Catholic University of America, Washington, DC | CUA

UDC keeps psychology classes to about 25 to 30 students and builds the last year around your own research. The 120-credit degree includes 43 credits in the major, and seniors join experimental activities and a capstone seminar that requires an independent research project. Outside class, the program runs psychology clinics, five-minute elevator speech practices, research forums and senior thesis defenses prepared for possible conferences. You can join the Psi Chi chapter for independent research under faculty direction and conference travel, or the student circle of the Association of Black Psychologists. Over half of recent graduates have gone on to counseling, rehabilitation, social work, developmental or clinical psychology programs.

Credits

120 credit hours, with 43 credits in the major plus electives and degree requirements in other units.

Senior Year

Experimental activities and a capstone seminar with an independent research project.

Student Organizations

Psychology Club, Psi Chi chapter and a Student Circle of the Association of Black Psychologists.

Graduate Paths

Counseling, rehabilitation, social work, developmental and clinical psychology.

Program Sources: Bachelor of Science in Psychology | UDC | University of the District of ColumbiaBachelor of Science in Psychology | UDC | University of the District of Columbia

At Trinity you choose a cluster as well as a major: after 30 credits of required courses, you complete 15 credits in a general, developmental or forensic psychology cluster. The required courses include two research methods courses, Experimental Psychology and Applied Psychology, plus two statistics courses (Introduction to Statistics and Statistical Inference), an ethics course, a biology course, plus Senior Seminar. The forensic cluster pairs Forensic Psychology with Introduction to Criminal Justice, while the developmental cluster centers child psychology and adolescence or aging. Psychology majors can also apply to the dual degree that starts a master's in counseling while you finish the bachelor's.

Required Courses

30 credits including Research Methods I and II, two statistics courses, ethics, biology and Senior Seminar.

Clusters

General, developmental or forensic psychology, 15 credits each.

Forensic Cluster

Forensic Psychology, Introduction to Criminal Justice and electives like Aggression and Violence.

Dual Degree

Select students can start the M.A. in Counseling during the BA in Psychology.

Program Sources: Psychology (B.A.) – CAS | 2026-2027 Academic Catalog

To declare psychology at Gallaudet you need a 2.5 GPA and at least a C in the introductory course, and you hold a 2.5 in major courses afterward. The required core mixes Human Biology, Lifespan Development, Psychology and Deaf People, Abnormal Psychology, Cognition or Social Psychology, and a two-part Research Design and Analysis sequence. Then comes a Pre-Internship Seminar, an Internship, and a Senior Capstone on current issues. Fifteen more credits of electives let you add areas such as health, sport, school or multicultural psychology, neuropsychology or psycholinguistics. Honors students complete honors projects, a senior seminar and an independent research project.

Declaring the Major

2.5 overall GPA and a C or better in PSY 101; 2.5 GPA maintained in major courses.

Research Sequence

PSY 341 and PSY 342 Research Design and Analysis I and II.

Internship Path

Pre-Internship Seminar, then Internship I with 3 to 6 credits.

Honors in Psychology

Junior standing, 3.3 overall GPA and 3.5 in psychology; honors courses, senior seminar and research project.

Program Sources: 2026-2027 Undergraduate Academic Catalog | Gallaudet University

Howard's Graduate School houses its psychology doctorates as specializations, so the first choice is your area: clinical (adult or child track), neuropsychology, social, developmental or personality. Each page describes an APA-accredited PhD. Clinical students begin with a school-based assessment placement, add psychotherapy practicum in year two, and complete externships in years three and four, focused on social determinants of health in underserved communities. Neuropsychology has strengths in brain and physical health related to racial and ethnic health disparities. Applicants name faculty they want to work with in their statement, and the Nov. 15 early deadline is needed to be considered for Competitive Assistantships.

Specializations

Clinical, Neuropsychology, Social, Developmental and Personality Psychology.

Clinical Training Path

Year one assessment placement, year two psychotherapy practicum, years three and four externships.

Clinical Tracks

Adult or child clinical track within the clinical program.

Funding Deadline

Early deadline of November 15 needed for the Graduate School's Competitive Assistantships.

Program Sources: Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.) | Howard University ProgramsNeuropsychology (Ph.D.) | Howard University Programs

Georgetown's psychology PhD is a fully funded, five-year, full-time research program with two concentrations: Human Development and Public Policy, or Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience. Public policy students take core courses at the McCourt School of Public Policy, while neuroscience students take them in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at the School of Medicine, and both groups also take psychology department courses. You choose a primary mentor on entry and work toward rigorous research milestones. Dual degrees are offered with the Master of Public Policy and with Cognitive Science. The department doesn't offer clinical or counseling psychology degrees, and there's no separate master's program.

Concentrations

Human Development and Public Policy (HDPP) or Lifespan Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN).

Core Course Homes

McCourt School of Public Policy for HDPP; Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience for LCN.

Dual Degrees

Psychology PhD with MPP for HDPP, or with Cognitive Science for LCN.

Format and Funding

Fully funded five-year, full-time program built around independent research.

Program Sources: Ph.D. Program | Department of Psychology | Georgetown University