Best Psychology Programs in Michigan for 2027

Psychology majors at MSU choose between a BA and a BS, and the department points the BA toward social sciences, counseling, education, law and business, and the BS toward research, healthcare and neuroscience. The psychology coursework is the same for both: 31 or more credits starting with Introductory Psychology, Data Analysis in Psychological Research and Design and Measurement in Psychological Research. You add one brain fundamentals course, Cognitive Psychology or Brain and Behavior, two sub-discipline courses from Social, Personality, Developmental, Industrial and Organizational, Community and Psychological Disorders, a Tier II writing course and at least nine credits of electives. The BS also requires College Algebra and calculus and allows an alternative science track, while the BA asks for College Algebra plus one more math or statistics course.

Major Credits

At least 31 credits in psychology.

Research Core

PSY 295 Data Analysis and PSY 395 Design and Measurement in Psychological Research.

Brain Fundamentals

PSY 200 Cognitive Psychology or PSY 209 Brain and Behavior.

BS Math

College Algebra and calculus (MTH 124 or 132).

BA Math

College Algebra plus one additional math or statistics course.

Program Sources: Degree Requirements | MSU Department of Psychology

Thirteen psychology courses, 39 credits, make up Grand Valley's major, and five of them are fixed: Introductory Psychology, Research Methods, Psychology Research and Data Applications, Advanced Research in Psychology and an Advanced General capstone. The rest come from six categories where you choose one course each: biological, developmental, personality and clinical, social context, cognitive and integrative. Two more electives can be anything from Health Psychology and Behavior Modification to Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder or a practicum. The BA requires proficiency through the third semester of a foreign language, and the BS adds Introductory Applied Statistics. No more than two 200-level courses count toward the major.

Major Size

13 psychology courses, 39 credits.

Required Courses

PSY 101, 300, 350, 400 and the 492 capstone.

Category Courses

One each from biological, developmental, personality and clinical, social context, cognitive and integrative.

BA Requirement

Third-semester foreign language proficiency.

BS Requirement

STA 215 Introductory Applied Statistics.

Program Sources: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Psychology | GVSU Catalog

Three versions of the psychology major are available at Central Michigan: a flexible 30-credit general major, or a 36-credit major with a concentration in mental health or in business. All three share Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods, Applications of Research Methods and Introductory Psychological Statistics, and you need a C or better in the statistics and research methods courses. The general major adds 18 hours of electives. The mental health concentration adds Abnormal Psychology, Psychological Testing and Clinical Interviewing and Counseling, and the business concentration adds Social Psychology, Psychology of Work and Psychology of Advertising. Each concentration then has two elective blocks. An applied forensic studies minor and a 3+1 online route for Delta Community College students are also available.

General Major

30 semester hours of PSY courses.

Concentrations

Mental Health and Business, each 36 credits.

Research Courses

PSY 211QR Statistics, PSY 285 Research Methods and PSY 385 Applications of Research Methods.

Mental Health Courses

Abnormal Psychology, Psychological Testing and Clinical Interviewing and Counseling.

Business Courses

Social Psychology, Psychology of Work and Psychology of Advertising.

Program Sources: Psychology Major, B.A.; B.S. | CMU BulletinsPsychology Major: Mental Health Concentration, B.A.; B.S. | CMU BulletinsPsychology Undergraduate Programs | Central Michigan University

Every psychology major at Wayne State must attend a Psychology Information Meeting and complete a short knowledge check, and the meeting comes before the first advising appointment. The major itself is 35 credits of psychology, the same for the BA and the BS. You take Introductory Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, Statistical Methods in Psychology and Laboratory in Experimental Psychology, then three foundation courses from options such as Psychology and the Workplace, Cognitive Psychology, Brain and Behavior and Abnormal Psychology, and four electives. At least 20 of the psychology credits must be earned at Wayne State. Students who plan on doctoral programs are urged to get undergraduate research experience, and a Psychology Honors Program with a senior thesis is open at a 3.3 overall and 3.5 psychology GPA.

Major Credits

At least 35 credits of psychology courses.

Core Courses

PSY 1010, 2020, 2030 and 3993.

Foundation Courses

Three of eight, including Brain and Behavior and Cognitive Psychology.

Honors

Honors Research, Directed Study and Senior Thesis; 3.3 overall and 3.5 psychology GPA.

Residency

At least 20 psychology credits earned at Wayne State.

Program Sources: Psychology (B.A.) | Wayne State University Academic CatalogPsychology (B.S.) | Wayne State University Academic Catalog

Michigan State offers six doctoral research areas, including ecological and community psychology, organizational psychology, and social and personality psychology. Faculty advisers and a graduate committee help each student set an individual course of study. Research begins early, often through a faculty project or apprenticeship that develops into a master’s thesis. Doctoral requirements include written comprehensive examinations, dissertation research, and an oral defense. The clinical science route adds an internship, while interdisciplinary options connect psychology with infant studies, neuroscience, and cognitive science.

Research Areas

Six areas including ecological/community and organizational psychology.

Individual Study Plan

Coursework developed with faculty advisers and a graduate committee.

Program Sources: Psychology PhD

Wayne State pairs a major specialization with a minor area in its 60-credit psychology doctorate. You take quantitative methods, multivariate analysis, and a breadth course outside the major; 18 credits are devoted to dissertation work. Areas include behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, developmental science, social-personality psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology. A master’s thesis or equivalent project is an early research milestone. The social-personality area, for example, uses experimental, survey, and daily assessment methods to study relationships and individual behavior.

Degree Structure

60 credits beyond the bachelor’s, including 18 dissertation credits.

Specialization Plan

A major and minor area supported by quantitative and breadth coursework.

Program Sources: Psychology PhD

Oakland's psychology PhD is 80 credits organized around three concentrations: Social-Personality Psychology, Community and Behavioral Health, and Evolutionary, Comparative, and Cognitive Psychology. Every student takes 24 credits of required courses, including two advanced methods courses, two advanced statistics courses, Instruction in Psychological Science and a master's thesis, then six concentration courses and 16 dissertation credits. The master's thesis is typically completed in the second or third year, and the committee-reviewed exam usually falls in the same window. Students who already hold a master's degree can reduce the 80 credits by up to 32 with committee approval. Admission is for fall only, applications are reviewed starting December 1, and GRE scores are part of the file.

Total Credits

80, with up to 32 waived for a prior master's degree.

Concentrations

Social-Personality; Community and Behavioral Health; Evolutionary, Comparative, and Cognitive.

Milestones

Master's thesis and committee-reviewed exam in years two or three, then dissertation.

Dissertation

16 credits of Doctoral Dissertation Research.

Admission

Fall only; review begins December 1; GRE required.

Program Sources: Psychology PhD Program Requirements | Oakland University CatalogGraduate Programs - Department of Psychology | Oakland University

Alpena offers psychology as both an Associate in Arts and an Associate in Science, and the choice depends on where you are headed. The AA is for students who plan to finish a bachelor's in psychology or a related field, and it carries a 2+2 agreement with Central Michigan University for the last two years. The AS is typically for students aimed at research or medical-related fields, so it adds General College Biology, General Chemistry and College Algebra and Analytic Trigonometry. Both require General Psychology, Statistical Methods and at least three of Developmental Psychology, Human Sexuality, Social Psychology and Abnormal Psychology, and both are 60-credit degrees built to meet the Michigan Transfer Agreement.

Degrees

Associate in Arts and Associate in Science, each with a psychology concentration.

Required Psychology

PSY 101 plus three of PSY 226, 230, 241 and 242.

Statistics

MTH 223 Statistical Methods.

AS Science Courses

General College Biology and General Chemistry, with College Algebra and Analytic Trigonometry.

Transfer Agreement

AA students can finish at Central Michigan University through a 2+2 pathway.

Program Sources: Psychology | Alpena Community CollegePsychology Concentration, Associate in Arts Degree | Alpena Community CollegePsychology Concentration, Associate in Science Degree | Alpena Community College

The Psychology AA at Lansing is written for transfer, and the course list includes what the MiTransfer Pathways for psychology, public health and social work ask for. You take Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Statistics, then choose between Psychology of Personality and Psychology of Human Sexuality and between Human Growth and Development and Child Psychology. The rest is composition, communication, the first-year experience and a social science course chosen from anthropology, political science and sociology. A note in the pathway tells you which options to pick for Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Grand Valley State, including which choices differ between their BA and BS degrees. A 2.0 in Introduction to Psychology is the milestone the college names, and the degree can be completed entirely online.

Degree

Associate of Arts, Psychology pathway.

Psychology Courses

PSYC 200, 203 and 250, plus one of 202 or 240 and one of 205 or 221.

Statistics

STAT 170 Introduction to Statistics.

Transfer Guidance

Course choices listed for Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Grand Valley State.

Michigan Transfer Agreement

Satisfied by the pathway, along with a Transfer Studies Certificate of Achievement.

Program Sources: Psychology A.A. Pathway | Lansing Community CollegePsychology Program | Lansing Community College

Social Psychology and Abnormal Psychology are the two required psychology courses beyond General Psychology in Southwestern Michigan College's Psychology AA. Beyond them, you complete 20 or more credits from a list that mixes psychology, education, sociology and social work, from Child Psychology, Organizational Psychology and Psychology of Adjustment to Marriage and Family, Social Problems and Introduction to Social Welfare. The degree also includes Statistics, Educational Exploration and Planning, Life Wellness and the general education and Michigan Transfer Agreement courses in communication, natural science, humanities and sociology. The total is 61 to 63 credits. Students taking the degree online follow a fixed list of electives instead of choosing freely.

Program Total

61 to 63 credits.

Required Psychology

PSYC 101 General Psychology, PSYC 180 Social Psychology and PSYC 260 Abnormal Psychology.

Statistics

MATH 150 Statistics.

Elective Block

At least 20 credits from psychology, education, sociology and social work courses.

Online Electives

EDUC 215, PSYC 102, 205, 215, 296 and SOCI 203 and 240.

Program Sources: Program: Psychology, A.A. - Southwestern Michigan College