Best Psychology Programs in Illinois for 2027

Eleven department courses and five related units make up the psychology major at Northwestern, and the distribution rules shape which eight electives you pick. After Introduction to Psychology, Statistical Methods and Research Methods, at least two of the eight must be personality, clinical or social psychology, at least two cognitive psychology or neuroscience, one cross-cutting, and one upper-level research course, with at least three at the 300 level. The related courses call for two quantitative courses, either two 200-level math courses or one plus an advanced statistics course, and three more units from math, statistics, cognitive science, programming or natural science. Honors candidates apply in spring of junior year and complete a thesis sequence. There is one undergraduate major, with PhD training in five areas alongside it.

Department Courses

11 units, including three core courses and eight additional courses.

Core Courses

PSYCH 110 Introduction, PSYCH 201 Statistical Methods and PSYCH 301 Research Methods.

Distribution

Personality, clinical or social; cognitive or neuroscience; cross-cutting; and upper-level research.

Related Units

Five, including two quantitative courses.

Honors

Application in spring of junior year; thesis through PSYCH 398.

Program Sources: Psychology Major | Northwestern University Academic Catalog

A senior seminar closes out the psychology major at Illinois State, but you can swap it for a pair of courses taken with the same faculty member or for an honors thesis presented at the honors symposium. The 57-hour major has two statistics courses, Reasoning in Psychology Using Statistics and Statistics for the Social Sciences, plus Research Methods with a lab section, and content courses in lifespan development, social psychology, personality, cognition and learning, and physiological psychology. You also take a math elective, a philosophy course, two 300-level psychology electives and two lab science courses. The BA adds the world language graduation requirement, and the BS adds a science, mathematics and technology requirement. The department runs a Research Apprenticeship Program, an Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship Program and an Internship Program.

Major Hours

57 minimum required hours.

Statistics and Methods

PSY 138, PSY 340 and PSY 231 with a PSY 331A lab.

Senior Seminar Options

PSY 392, paired courses with one faculty member, or an honors thesis.

BA Requirement

World language graduation requirement.

BS Requirement

Science, Mathematics and Technology graduation requirement.

Program Sources: PSYBA Program | Illinois State University CatalogPSYBS Program | Illinois State University CatalogPsychology Major | Illinois State University

Psychology at UIC comes as a BS in Psychology or a BA in Applied Psychology, and both share the same research core of Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Research in Psychology and Statistical Methods in Behavioral Science. The BS then asks for one Cognition and the Brain course, two Psychology in Society courses, a depth course and a research application or laboratory skills course in areas such as Laboratory in Cognitive Neuroscience, Laboratory in Social Psychology or Laboratory in Clinical Psychology. The BA replaces that lab with a six-hour Field Work in Applied Psychology course and an applied skills course such as Positive Psychology, Psychology of Interviewing, Psychological Interventions or Psychology of Groups. Each degree totals 33 hours, and the BS lab course or the BA field work course satisfies the college writing-in-the-discipline requirement.

Degrees

BS with a Major in Psychology and BA with a Major in Applied Psychology.

Shared Core

PSCH 100, PSCH 242 and PSCH 343, four credits each.

BS Lab Requirement

One research application or laboratory skills course.

BA Field Work

PSCH 385 Field Work in Applied Psychology, six credits.

Total Hours

33 hours for each degree.

Program Sources: BS with a Major in Psychology | UIC CatalogBA with a Major in Applied Psychology | UIC Catalog

Five pillars hold up Loyola's psychology BS, and you take one course from each: biological, cognitive, developmental, mental health and social psychology. Alongside them you complete General Psychology, a career development seminar, Statistics, Research Methods and a diversity and inclusion course, then an advanced lab such as Lab in Cognitive Neuroscience, Lab in Developmental Psychology or Laboratory-Social Psychology. A capstone comes from an internship, a teaching internship, independent research or honors research. The degree totals 14 psychology courses plus two ancillary quantitative courses from math, computing, data science and statistics, and the honors version adds a fifteenth course. The department suggests pairing the BS with the Neuroscience major or with the five-year BSW/MSW program in Social Work.

Degree Size

14 psychology courses plus two quantitative courses, 46 hours.

Research Courses

PSYC 304 Statistics and PSYC 306 Research Methods.

Pillars

Biological, cognitive, developmental, mental health and social.

Capstone Options

Internship, teaching internship, independent research or honors research.

Pairings

Neuroscience major or the five-year BSW/MSW in Social Work.

Program Sources: Psychology (BS) | Loyola University Chicago Catalog

A 34-hour psychology major at Bradley asks you to cover two sides of the field before you specialize. After Principles of Psychology, Brain and Behavior, Quantitative Methods and a four-credit Research Methods course, you take nine hours from two categories and need at least one course from each. Category A holds Developmental, Personality, Social and Abnormal Psychology, and Category B holds Psychology of Learning, Cognitive Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Sensation and Perception. One advanced elective can be Honors Research, Clinical Psychology, Psychology of Addiction, History of Psychology or another upper-level course, and nine more elective hours include practicum placements at the Child Study Center or a community agency. A senior exit exam in your last semester closes out the degree, and a Neuroscience minor pairs with the major.

Major Hours

34 credit hours.

Required Courses

PSY 101, 201, 205 and 206.

Core Distribution

Nine hours across Category A and Category B, with at least one course in each.

Practicum Options

Undergraduate Practicum at the Child Study Center or a community agency.

Senior Exit Exam

Taken within the final semester at Bradley.

Program Sources: Psychology (BA or BS) | Bradley University CatalogPsychology Department | Bradley University

Course requirements inside the department are the same for NIU's BA and BS, so the choice comes down to what you take outside it. The 35 hours in psychology include University Experience in Psychology, Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods and Advanced Research Methods, one four-credit research laboratory, and 21 hours of electives with at least 15 at the 300 to 400 level. Lab options range from Perception and Animal Cognition to Neuropsychology, Psychopathology and Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The BA asks for two years of college-level foreign language and a basic statistics course. The BS asks for a 12 to 16 credit laboratory science, mathematics and computational skills sequence. An honors program and a certificate in adolescence are also available.

Department Hours

35 hours in psychology.

Research Sequence

PSYC 305 Research Methods, PSYC 306 Advanced Research Methods and one research laboratory.

BA Requirement

Foreign language through two years plus a basic statistics course.

BS Requirement

Laboratory science, math and computational skills sequence, 12 to 16 credits.

Electives

21 hours, at least 15 at the 300 to 400 level.

Program Sources: Program: Psychology (B.A. or B.S.) - Northern Illinois UniversityMajor | Department of Psychology | Northern Illinois University

Four PhD programs sit inside UIC psychology: Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Community and Applied Developmental Psychology, Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited) and Social and Personality. Whichever you join, you begin with a first-year research apprenticeship and a year of statistics coursework, submit a master's thesis by the end of year two, and pass qualifying examinations to reach candidacy by the end of year three. The department does not require the GRE and does not offer a standalone master's degree. Brain and Cognitive Sciences combines behavioral neuroscience, cognitive science and clinical cognitive neuroscience, and the Quantitative Core faculty offer a required methods sequence and an optional quantitative minor that students can add to any program.

PhD Programs

Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Community and Applied Developmental, Clinical, and Social and Personality.

First Year

Research apprenticeship and a year of statistics coursework.

Milestones

Master's thesis by end of year two; candidacy by end of year three.

GRE

Not required.

Optional Minor

Quantitative minor, or another minor chosen with an advisor.

Program Sources: Graduate Studies | Psychology | University of Illinois Chicago

Southern Illinois offers doctoral concentrations in applied psychology, behavioral analysis and therapy, brain and cognitive sciences, clinical psychology, and counseling psychology. Students normally complete a master’s thesis during the first two years before continuing doctoral research. Concentrations have distinct applied components: the applied psychology option, for example, includes statistics, program evaluation, and sustained participation in Applied Research Consultants. Thesis and dissertation committees include a psychology faculty member from outside the student’s area, bringing another specialization into the research review.

Applied Psychology Preparation

Statistics, program evaluation, and Applied Research Consultants participation begin before doctoral admission.

Research Committees

A psychology faculty member outside the student’s area serves on each committee.

Program Sources: Psychology PhD

Six areas of study carry the psychology PhD at NIU: Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Neuroscience and Behavior, School, and Social/Industrial-Organizational. All six place emphasis on research, teaching and practical experience. The degree is 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's, at least 75 of them in psychology and at least 18 of those in dissertation credit, and a master's degree in psychology with an acceptable research thesis is built in. Before candidacy you show proficiency in research tools and pass a written candidacy examination in your area. Clinical and school psychology students complete a year of internship. Applicants submit a statement of preparation, a CV and three letters of recommendation, and candidates who pass the initial review are invited to a required interview.

Areas

Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Neuroscience and Behavior, School, and Social/Industrial-Organizational.

Credit Requirement

90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's, including 18 or more of dissertation.

Master's Thesis

Required along the way, with a 3.20 GPA in graduate psychology courses.

Candidacy

Research tool proficiency and a written candidacy examination.

Internship

One year for clinical and school psychology students.

Program Sources: Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Northern Illinois University

The psychology doctorate at Illinois Tech is an APA-accredited clinical program built on the Boulder scientist-practitioner model, with cognitive-behavioral theory and a biopsychosocial view of mental health. Plan on 96 credit hours over roughly six years of full-time study on the Mies Campus, with daytime and early evening classes. You get both a research mentor and a clinical mentor, work with faculty on active projects, and spend a full year as a clinician in a Chicago community placement. An option exists to specialize in Rehabilitation Counseling Education. Incoming first-year students can take an assistantship testing children applying to Chicago Public Schools' selective enrollment program, and other funding comes from research and teaching assistantships. Cohorts are small, four to six students a year.

Program Length

96 credit hours over about six years, full time.

Training Model

Boulder scientist-practitioner model with cognitive-behavioral theory.

Clinical Practicum

One full year in a community setting in Chicago.

Specialization

Optional Rehabilitation Counseling Education track.

Funding

Research and teaching assistantships, or instructor of record roles.

Program Sources: Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.) | Illinois Institute of Technology