Top Accredited Psychology Graduate Programs in Michigan [2024 Updated Guide]

Michigan offers numerous opportunities for you to get a graduate degree in psychology. On the one hand, you have your choice of dozens of schools, including those in urban areas, rural areas, large schools and small schools, and public and private schools.

On the other hand, you have your choice of a wide range of psychology graduate programs. You can get a Master of Arts or a Master of Science. You may prefer a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. program, though, especially if you want to practice psychology. There are many subfields from which to choose at Michigan colleges, too, including Developmental, Clinical, Counseling, and Industrial-Organizational psychology, to name a few.

The programs outlined below showcase the breadth and depth of your psychology education choices in Michigan.

Psychology Graduate Programs in Michigan

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering psychology graduate programs in Michigan:

  • University of Michigan – Dearborn
  • Capella University
  • Central Michigan University
  • University of Michigan
  • Michigan State University
  • Eastern Michigan University
  • Butler University

To find out how we select colleges and universities, please click here.

University of Michigan – Dearborn

Founded in 1959 after Ford Motor Company gifted 200 acres of land for development (along with $6.5 million), the University of Michigan-Dearborn is a comprehensive, four-year regional university. The school’s first class had 34 students, but today has more than 8,000 students and confers more than 2,000 degrees each year. Though most students at UM-Dearborn are undergraduates, the school offers a wide array of graduate and doctoral programs, too.

UM-Dearborn has four colleges and schools that collectively offer nearly 130 undergraduate degrees, more than 70 graduate programs and certificates, and half a dozen doctoral programs. Most courses have 30 students or less, but the student-to-faculty ratio is just 16:1.

The student body at UM-Dearborn is diverse as well – nearly half of all students are the first to attend college in their family, and nearly one-third identify as a minority.

Psychology Graduate Programs

UM-Dearborn’s Master of Science in Psychology focuses specifically on health psychology. You can choose from two tracks in this field – Health Psychology or Clinical Health Psychology.

The Health Psychology option is a two-year, 39-credit program specializing in research. You will explore many different topics in health psychology, particularly those that will help you advance research in health and behavioral medicine. Upon graduating, you will have a skill set that allows you to design psychological research to improve healthcare service delivery.

If you choose the Clinical Health Psychology track, you will need two years of full-time study to complete the 48 credits required for graduation. Rather than a research focus like the Health Psychology option, this track focuses on service delivery in clinical psychology and primary care settings. In fact, the required one-year internship takes place in a healthcare setting and prepares you for limited licensure in Michigan as a psychologist.

In both instances, a thesis is optional. If you opt out of the thesis in the Health Psychology track, you must replace it with an elective course. If you opt out of the thesis in the Clinical Health Psychology track, you must replace it with a research project.

You can apply to UM-Dearborn online. To do so, you must have a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Psychology or a closely related field and have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. This should include coursework in Statistics, Introductory Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology.

Additionally, you must provide the following:

  • Three letters of recommendation
  • A personal statement
  • Letters from academic sources (this is strongly encouraged but not required)

Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University was founded as a teacher’s college in the late 19th century. And while the school retained its focus on teacher training for some time, it is a large, comprehensive, doctoral-granting institution today. In fact, CMU is one of the biggest colleges in Michigan, with nearly 15,000 students on campus.

As a CMU student, you can explore hundreds of degree programs – 300, in fact – at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Most of these programs are available in person, but several dozen degrees from CMU are available entirely online. However, you don’t have to study online to easily access CMU courses and degrees. The school operates over two dozen learning centers across Michigan and the nation, which makes accessing its high-quality programs all the easier.

Psychology Graduate Programs

At CMU, you can get your undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology in as little as five years, thanks to the school’s ‘Accelerated Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Experimental Psychology’. This saves you a year of studies and allows you to enter the workforce or move on to a doctoral program that much more quickly.

The accelerated format allows you to take some graduate courses in psychology while you are still an undergraduate. Then, as a graduate student, you complete the remainder of the 36 credits necessary to complete the Master of Science portion of the program. This includes coursework in the following:

  • Multivariate and Correlational Methods
  • Research Design
  • Sensation and Perception
  • Advanced Developmental Psychology
  • Physiological Psychology

If experimental psychology isn’t your top choice, CMU offers many other graduate and doctoral options, including the following:

  • Clinical Psychology Ph.D.
  • Experimental Psychology M.S.
  • Applied Experimental Psychology Ph.D.
  • Industrial/Organizational Psychology M.A.
  • Industrial/Organizational Psychology Ph.D.
  • School Psychology Specialist (S.Psy.S.)
  • School Psychology Ph.D.

The graduation requirements for these programs vary widely, but generally speaking, you will need two to three years to complete the master’s degree options and five to six years to complete the doctoral and specialist options.

You can start your application online today. Applications are due by March 1st of each year. CMU requires that applicants have a 2.7 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher. Since this is an accelerated program, you don’t need to have completed your undergraduate studies to start your graduate studies. However, the graduate psychology admissions committee will consider relevant professional experience, your letters of recommendation, and your research interests in deciding on your admission.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan was founded in 1817, making it the oldest university in the state. It’s also one of the largest universities in the state, with an undergraduate enrollment of more than 32,000 students and more than 16,000 graduate students.

If you become a student at Michigan, you will attend classes on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the nation. What’s more, Michigan’s host city, Ann Arbor, is widely considered one of the best college towns in the country.

The University of Michigan is considered a Public Ivy institution – a public college with very high standards of academic rigor. Michigan has a number of programs that rank among the best in the nation, including more than 100 graduate programs in the top 10. Michigan also ranks among the top 25 national universities and is third among the top public schools in America, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Psychology Graduate Programs

The Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program from the University of Michigan readies you for conducting social science research. As such, you will gain crucial research skills, explore many different psychological perspectives, and analyze psychological data. These skills will be instrumental in allowing you to study the significance of developmental issues on human behavior.

This program requires about five years of study, during which time you will explore all aspects of the lifespan from infancy to death. This includes studying topics like:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Family and community influences on the life course
  • Longitudinal research methods
  • Development in schools
  • Research with at-risk populations

The research you conduct while in this program will be strongly interdisciplinary and cross-cultural. The benefit of this is that you gain skills necessary for understanding human development in a much broader context.

The University of Michigan offers other Ph.D. concentrations in psychology if you prefer to focus on a different area. These include Biopsychology, Clinical Science, Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience, and Social Psychology. Other options are Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies, Social Work and Psychology, Education and Psychology, or Personality and Social Contexts.

You can apply to any of these programs by completing an online application. You must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution to apply. You must also submit the following:

  • A personal statement
  • A statement of purpose
  • Transcripts from each college or university attended
  • Three letters of recommendation

Michigan State University

With more than 50,000 students, Michigan State University is one of the largest colleges in Michigan and one of the biggest in the nation. To address the needs of such a large student population, MSU has a 5,200-acre campus and offers more than 400 degrees and programs for undergraduate and graduate students. There are also more than 300 study abroad programs if you wish to get part of your education outside the U.S.

Michigan State is a well-regarded school for its academic programs. MSU ranks among the top 40 public universities in the nation and ranks 77th among America’s best colleges. U.S. News and World Report ranks no less than 39 MSU programs in the top 15, including six programs that rank first in the nation.

MSU is also a member of the prestigious American Association of Universities, a collection of 65 top-tier universities in the U.S. and Canada.

Psychology Graduate Programs

MSU’s Organizational Psychology Ph.D. program is preparatory for two specific applications of psychology – in academics or in research. This being the case, you will explore critical topics in organizational psychology and its applications in various settings. You will also gain foundational knowledge of psychology as a whole as well as quantitative research methods.

The curriculum includes multiple seminars on specific organizational psychology topics. These might include the following:

  • Statistics
  • Psychometric theory
  • Test construction
  • Communications
  • Social psychology

Most students need about five years to complete this program. This includes time to complete coursework, a thesis, and comprehensive exams. After that, you must complete and successfully defend a dissertation before getting your degree.

MSU also offers five other Ph.D. concentrations in psychology. These include:

  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Clinical Science
  • Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Ecological and Community Psychology
  • Social and Personality Psychology

The admission requirements stipulate that you have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution and that you have a 3.2 GPA or higher during the last two full years of undergraduate studies. You must major in psychology or have at least 12 credits in psychology, all with a grade of B or better. You must also provide the following documentation:

  • Satisfactory GRE scores
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • A statement of purpose or intent
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University was founded in 1849 in Ypsilanti. EMU still calls this area home, but it is a much different institution than it was when it was founded. The school’s campus has grown to 800 acres, where outdoor activities are abundant. You can hike, bike, swim, and enjoy wildlife with around 14,000 other students right from the comfort of campus!

EMU is organized into five colleges – Arts & Sciences, Education, Health & Human Services, Business, and the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. EMU offers dozens of different programs in these colleges at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Among these are four master’s degrees in psychology and a Ph.D. in psychology.

Psychology Graduate Programs

EMU’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program is a full-time, residential program accredited by the American Psychological Association. You will need about five or six years to complete the requirements for graduation, which include a broad range of courses and seminars.

For example, you might take coursework in the following:

  • Psychopathology
  • Diversity Issues in Clinical Populations
  • Social, Cognitive, and Affective Processes of Behavior
  • Clinical Organizational Management
  • Scientific and Professional Ethics

You must also complete nine hours of research and internship experiences, as well as a thesis and a dissertation. A qualifying paper, clinical supervision, and undergraduate teaching are further requirements.

EMU offers several master’s degrees if you aren’t ready for doctoral-level studies. These include Master of Science options in Clinical Behavioral, General Clinical, and General Experimental Psychology.

You can apply to this program online. You must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution to apply. You must also provide the following documentation:

  • Three 500-word essays: a personal statement, a diversity essay, and an essay outlining how you believe you fit with the program’s goals
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • A writing sample
  • A resume or curriculum vitae
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official GRE scores

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