Psychology offers six areas of concentration (known as area groups): biological, clinical, cognitive and cognitive neuroscience, developmental, perception, and social and personality.
Although there is a good deal of collaboration and interaction across groups, each area of concentration has its own requirements for graduate study and students are typically admitted into one of these areas of concentration.
1. Biology of Brain and Behavior
The biological psychology area encompasses the subdisciplines of behavioral neuroscience and animal behavior. Students sponsored by faculty in this area are trained in theory and methods required for understanding the biological bases of behavior. The doctoral track in behavioral neuroscience provides research training in specific methods and techniques needed to assess brain and peripheral physiological mechanisms.
2. Clinical Psychology
The training model of doctoral program in clinical psychology is that of a scientist–practitioner. Based on the program’s endorsement of a scientist–practitioner model, the educational plan focuses on two major and interrelated goals that integrate science and practice:
(a) To produce graduates who have the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience to create and disseminate new knowledge about the processes and mechanisms underlying psychopathology; and
(b) To produce graduates who have the requisite knowledge and skills for entry into the practice of professional clinical psychology and who understand and appreciate the importance of an empirical basis to clinical practice.
3. Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience
The study of cognition and perception has undergone explosive growth during the past decade with exciting developments in psychology and related fields and with new techniques for studying mind and brain. The cognitive and perceptual sciences (CPS) area group provides a unique and stimulating graduate school experience for students interested in an interdisciplinary approach to cognition and perception.
Faculty members combine expertise in cognition and perception with a broad arsenal of methods including experimental, developmental, computational, and biological approaches. This breadth in methodologies is paralleled by breadth across disciplines of communicative disorders, educational psychology, and neuroscience.
4. Developmental Psychology
Research in the developmental area group focuses on the interrelationships of biological, environmental, and behavioral processes throughout the life span, and on the mechanisms and processes of change. The program emphasizes interdisciplinary studies, and allows graduate students flexibility in designing a program of study consonant with their goals and interests.
One central part of the developmental program is a weekly lunch meeting, in which students and faculty present ongoing research and discuss current topics in the field. Students in the program focus on cognitive, emotional, language, perceptual, personality, social development, or relations between these areas.
5. Social and Personality Psychology
The program is designed to train students for research on the cutting edge of the fields of social and personality psychology. The curriculum consists of a series of courses and seminars designed to provide students with a thorough introduction to the fields of social and personality psychology.
This coursework is complemented by courses that provide the methodological and statistical skills necessary for several kinds of research. The primary emphasis is on experimental laboratory research, but training is also provided in field research, longitudinal studies, observational methods, and archival research.
Universities Offering Fully Funded PhD Programs in Psychology
1. Fully Funded PhD in Psychology at Rutgers University
Summary of PhD Program:
Rutgers University based in Piscataway, New Jersey offers a fully funded PhD in Psychology along with a Masters of Science (M.S.) degree. All PhD in Psychology candidates take part in scientific investigation and discoveries. Students choose one of the following four areas of specialization when they first enroll in the program: cognitive psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, and behavioral and systems neuroscience. For as long as they maintain good standing, all accepted Ph.D. students are assured full funding for 5 years (4 years for those with a Master’s degree). Tuition and a wage or stipend for 10 months are covered by financial help. Additionally, summer financing is offered.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
2. Fully Funded PhD in Psychology at University of Maryland
Summary of PhD Program:
The College Park, Maryland-based University of Maryland provides a fully funded PhD in psychology program. Clinical (CLIN), Cognitive and Neural Systems (CNS), Counseling (COUN), Developmental (DEV), and Social, Decision, and Organizational Science (SDOS) are the specialization areas that admit students. The Department requires each PhD candidate to be knowledgeable in psychology and a specialist in their chosen topic. For the first five years, all accepted Ph.D. students get financial aid in the form of a fellowship or graduate assistantship, which covers tuition reimbursement up to 10 credits per semester.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
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3. Fully Funded PhD in Psychology at Harvard University
Summary of PhD Program:
The PhD in Psychology program at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is fully funded. Students participating in the PhD program may choose between the Common Curriculum, which covers Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (CBB), or the Clinical Science route. All accepted PhD candidates get fellowship packages that include up to six years of tuition assistance, three years of 10-month financial assistance, four research fellowships over the summers, and the assurance of a teaching fellowship for the third and fourth years.
Application Deadline: Dec 15, 2023
4. Fully Funded PhD in Psychology at Northwestern University
Summary of PhD Program:
The PhD in Psychology program at Evanston, Illinois-based Northwestern University is fully funded. Clinical psychology, personality, development, and health psychology, cognitive psychology, brain, behavior, and cognition (BBC), and social psychology are the five specialties they offer Ph.D. degrees in. In our program, graduate students receive thorough instruction in methodology, statistics, and a wide range of topics in psychology and the behavioral sciences. All accepted Ph.D. candidates receive full funding for 5 academic years and 4 summers, which covers tuition and a stipend.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
5. Fully Funded PhD in Psychology at Columbia University
Summary of PhD Program:
A five-year, fully funded PhD in Psychology is offered by Columbia University, New York, NY. This program provides an opportunity for in-depth research while also being designed to give a wide foundation in psychology. Three fundamental subfields of psychology—cognition, psychobiology and neuroscience, and personality and social psychology—offer advanced courses. Less than 10 full-time students are admitted each year by the department, which is rather tiny. If they keep up their academic status, every student accepted into the five-year program receives a fellowship that covers their tuition, health and insurance costs, and an annual stipend through the fifth year.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
6. Fully Funded PhD in Social Psychology at New York University
Summary of PhD Program:
New York University (NYU) based in New York, NY offers a five-year guaranteed fully funded PhD in Social Psychology. The Ph.D. program provides instruction in psychological theories, tenets, and investigation techniques pertinent to comprehending behavior in individuals, groups, and organizations. Through the NYUAD Global Ph.D. Fellowship or the Henry M. MacCracken Program, all students admitted into our graduate program get full funding. A full-tuition scholarship, comprehensive health insurance, and a stipend are frequently included in the prize package.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
7. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Liverpool
Summary of PhD Program:
A fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology is available from the University of Liverpool, which is located in Liverpool, UK. The three-year, full-time PhD program is entirely financed by the NHS. The trainees work for the Mersey Care NHS Trust and are enrolled as postgraduate students in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Applications for the program are only accepted from people who are currently nationals of the UK, EU Member States, or EEA States. The starting wage for Ph.D. students is £32,306.
Application Deadline: Rolling Deadline
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8. Fully Funded PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology at Fordham University
Summary of PhD Program:
Fordham University, based in New York City, NY offers a fully funded PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology (ADP). The applied developmental psychology PhD program at Fordham is strongly committed to social justice and focuses on human development throughout the lifespan. solid grounding in research techniques and developmental theories. There are three different concentrations available. Almost all PhD candidates receive financial aid during their whole time in graduate school. In terms of financial help, a full tuition waiver plus a stipend for employment are typical. Research, instruction, administrative assistance, or a combination of these can all be covered by assistantships.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
9. Fully Funded PhD in School Psychology at Tulane University
Summary of PhD Program:
An fully funded PhD in School Psychology is offered by Tulane University, which is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Ph.D. program in psychology is intended to provide instruction in a significant area of psychological study, expertise in quantitative and design techniques, and a variety of research opportunities. Students either study a branch of psychological science or school psychology. Most new students have access to full-time teaching assistantships for the first five years of their studies. A teaching assistantship position comes with a little pay and free tuition. For nine months, the stipends are $20,544.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
10. Fully Funded PhD in School Psychology at University of Northern Colorado
Summary of PhD Program:
A PhD in School Psychology is fully funded at the Greeley, Colorado-based University of Northern Colorado. The PhD program’s objective is to train professionals in the field of school psychology who can apply psychological and educational concepts to enhance the psychosocial settings of kids and their families through careers in research and practice. Each entering PhD student can often receive a full- or part-time graduate assistantship from the School Psychology. Students receive a stipend and tuition is waived in exchange for helping faculty with their research. The availability of teaching assistantships for advanced PhD students is restricted.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
11. Fully Funded PhD in School Psychology at Michigan State University
Summary of PhD Program:
A PhD in School Psychology is offered with full funding by the East Lansing, Michigan-based Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education at Michigan State University. The school psychology program at Michigan State University trains future school psychologists to collaborate with parents, educators, kids, and youth to advance people’s learning and development, especially in relation to education. When a doctoral student applies for admission, financing is taken into consideration. Over a four-year period, the fellowship packages are valued roughly $100,000 in tuition, stipend, assistantships, and insurance.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
12. Fully Funded PhD in School Psychology at University of Florida
Summary of PhD Program:
Located in Gainesville, Florida, the University of Florida offers a fully funded PhD in school psychology. The PhD degree is attained by 122 graduate credit hours of doctoral coursework in the SPP, which also includes a year-long internship, preliminary research experience, and dissertation. Psychological services are provided in educational institutions and other contexts where services are delivered by graduates of this program. Fellowships and scholarships, assistantships (research and teaching), and associated jobs on- and off-campus are the three primary ways that SPP students might get money. Almost all students who apply for financial aid receive assistance of some kind, most frequently in the form of a graduate assistant.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
13. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Yale University
Summary of PhD Program:
A fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology is available from New Haven, Connecticut’s Yale University. The discipline of Clinical Psychology is devoted to clinical science research and training. Students who want to start an independent, systematic program of clinical science research and who are likely to become leaders in the field of psychopathology research and treatment might consider the program. Tuition and a stipend (including summer assistance) are provided for up to five years to graduate students enrolled in the PhD program who are in good standing. Fellowships offered by university funds are the most common type of aid.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
14. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Southern Mississippi
Summary of PhD Program:
A fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology is available from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based University of Southern Mississippi. A scientist-practitioner approach, evidence-based, generalist research, and clinical training with specializations in clinical child and adult psychology are all offered through the Clinical Psychology PhD program at USM. A competitive graduate stipend that covers both in-state and out-of-state tuition is often provided to students. For paid community externship placements as well as teaching or research assistantships, stipends are given. For their stipends and tuition waivers, students are required to put in 20 hours per week of work.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
15. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University
Summary of PhD Program:
Clinical psychology PhDs are fully funded at New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Rutgers University. The greatest degree of instruction is available to students interested in doing psychological research and/or offering therapeutic services as a working health-service psychologist through the therapeutic Psychology PhD program. All accepted candidates for the clinical psychology PhD program are given a 5-year financial guarantee, so long as they remain in good standing. Teaching or grant funds are available as additional summer funding options. Different forms of funding are available.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
16. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University
Summary of PhD Program:
The PhD in clinical psychology program at Chicago, Illinois-based Northwestern University is fully funded. The general objective of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, which is based on a scientist-practitioner model, is to graduate academic psychologists who are competent, moral, and effective in the science and practice of clinical psychology. The combination of science and clinical practice is a focus of our program. All candidates accepted into the Clinical Psychology PhD program will be given a Research Assistant Scholarship or comparable award, which includes five years of health insurance, a monthly salary, and full tuition reimbursement.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
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17. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Louisiana State University
Summary of PhD Program:
The PhD in Clinical Psychology program at Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s Louisiana State University is fully funded. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on the integration of clinical psychology’s theoretical and practical components. Clinical research, providing evidence-based clinical services, assessing clinical research from a scientific standpoint, utilizing pertinent empirical findings and principles in the development and/or application of clinical procedures, and combining basic and applied clinical psychology into an appropriate framework are the main areas of training. Graduate assistantship recipients receive a stipend ($15,050/year) in addition to a full tuition remission.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
18. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Fordham University
Summary of PhD Program:
Fordham University based in New York, NY offers fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. Fordham University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program (CPDP) has a successful track record of preparing students for careers in clinical psychology leadership, practice, research, and teaching. In their program, they use the Boulder Scientist-Practitioner training paradigm. Incoming students have recently received 100% financial help, which includes 4 years of tuition forgiveness plus a stipend for each academic year.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
19. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at Arizona State University
Summary of PhD Program:
Located in Tempe, Arizona, Arizona State University (ASU) offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Psychology. Clinical psychology has a variety of training paradigms (Scientist-Practitioner, Practitioner-Scholar, Clinical Science), and these models represent the relative importance of clinical training and research. The most research-focused training model is adopted by ASU’s Clinical Psychology Program, which follows it. For full-time PhD students with graduate teaching or research assistantships of 20 hours per week at ASU, the psychology department normally covers the cost of tuition. The pre-masters doctoral stipend at the Department of Psychology is $18,564 for a nine-month period.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
20. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Vermont
Summary of PhD Program:
The PhD in Clinical Psychology is fully funded at the University of Vermont, which is located in Burlington, Vermont. The American Psychological Association-accredited Clinical Psychology Program aims to produce capable psychologists who can work in clinical, academic, and/or research settings. This program is mentor-based, therefore incoming Ph.D. candidates must apply to collaborate with a particular faculty research mentor. Since the start of the Ph.D. program in 1965, the Department of Psychological Science has successfully funded all of its qualified full-time graduate students for at least five years.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
21. Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research at University of Minnesota
Summary of PhD Program:
PhD programs in clinical science and psychopathology research are fully funded at the University of Minnesota, which is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the top clinical psychology programs in the world for many years is the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research (CSPR) program. In-depth training in psychopathology research is combined with a strong foundation in clinical assessment and intervention as applied practice in this program. For all candidates accepted into the PhD program, the Department of Psychology promises five years of fully funded financial support, subject to good performance and degree progress. Full-time tuition, health insurance, and a stipend are all provided as financial assistance.
Application Deadline: Dec 01, 2023
22. Vanderbilt University Fully Funded PhD in Clinical Science
Summary of PhD Program:
Vanderbilt University based in Nashville, Tennessee offers a fully funded PhD in Clinical Science. The major objective of the Clinical Science Program in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt University is to teach clinical scientists in accordance with the clinical scientist model of training. A standard set of curriculum, research, and clinical training is completed by all students. Funding is provided to all accepted PhD candidates for up to five years of study. Full tuition, a monthly stipend that is highly competitive with programs of a similar caliber across the nation, and a health insurance plan are all included in the financial package.
