Psychology Schools in New Jersey

The following guide to psychology schools in New Jersey, which includes profiles of specific undergraduate and graduate psychology programs, contains essential information to make finding a psychology program that matches your goals and needs easier. New Jersey’s colleges and universities allow students to earn a general psychology degree or to specialize in a range of areas, including human behavior and psychological services. A comparable alternative to earning a traditional degree is to earn a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in psychology from an online program.

Quick Facts

• There are 28 not-for-profit colleges and universities with psychology degree programs in New Jersey.¹
• 1 school offers an associate’s degree in psychology.¹
• 26 schools offer a bachelor’s degree in psychology.¹
• 19 schools offer a master’s or advanced degree in psychology.¹
• 3 schools ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values in 2019.²
• 1 school ranked in the Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Psychology Majors for 2018.³
• No schools ranked in PsychologyDegree411’s Top Schools with Online Psychology Programs.⁴
• 2 schools ranked in Times Higher Education’s Best Universities for Psychology 2019.⁵

For not-for-profit colleges and universities with psychology degree programs.

Top-Ranked Schools with Psychology Programs in New Jersey

Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019*

• College of New Jersey (#37)
• Ramapo College of New Jersey (#72)
• Rutgers University-New Brunswick (#34)

*Institution-wide ranking.

Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Psychology Majors for 2018

• Princeton University

Times Higher Education Best Universities for Psychology 2019

• Princeton University (#3)
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (#151-175)

Keep reading to learn more about several of the popular undergraduate and graduate psychology programs offered at some of New Jersey’s top universities.

Schools in New Jersey with Psychology Programs

Traditional Undergraduate Programs

Rutgers University

Rutgers University offers two undergraduate degrees in psychology: the major in psychology and the honors major in psychology. Psychology majors will complete a combination of general college and psychology coursework with the psychology major requiring the successful completion of 38 credits in such areas as clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral psychology. The honors psychology program accepts students with an exceptional academic track record. Honors psychology majors must complete 45 psychology credits and have the opportunity to create their own educational plan and to assist faculty with research. All honors psychology students undertake an extended research project and have the opportunity to present research findings at local and national conferences. Eligible psychology majors may want to apply for membership to Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology students.

Seton Hall University

Seton Hall University confers the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology or the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology to undergraduate students who successfully complete the four-year program. The program focuses heavily on research and is geared toward students who plan to pursue a doctoral degree. Psychology majors must complete 44 total psychology credits, including 30 required credits in such courses Biological Psychology, Motivation and Emotion, Child Psychology, Psychology of Gender, and International Psychology. Students are encouraged to complete an internship at one of nearly 200 sites with ties to the university. The Psychology Club welcomes all students to become members while academically eligible students may want to join Psi Chi.

Traditional Graduate Programs

Kean University

Kean University’s School of Psychology confers a Master of Arts (MA) in several areas: human behavior and organizational psychology, forensic psychology, marriage and family therapy, psychological services, and a professional diploma in school psychology. Most degrees require 33 credits. Graduate students who pursue the human behavior and organizational psychology track must complete 12 credits in required courses such as advanced social psychology and analysis of small group process in addition to five electives and six credits devoted to the completion of a mandatory thesis. Psychological services graduate students will take 18 credits of required courses on such topics as laboratory training in human relations, learning theory and applications, and advanced abnormal psychology. Three elective courses and six credits devoted to the mandatory thesis are also required.

Montclair State University

Graduate students at Montclair State University may pursue one of three masters degrees in psychology: the Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology, the Master of Arts (MA) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology. Students pursuing an MA in Clinical Psychology degree may opt for one of two concentrations: Latina/Latino psychology or child and adolescent psychology. Programs require between 35 and 39 credits to fulfill degree requirements with internships encouraged. Graduate students may have opportunities to assist faculty members in conducting research. Assistantships may be available to eligible students. Prospective applicants to the program must submit GRE scores. The GRE requirement is waived for those applicants who already hold a masters degree.

Online Psychology Programs

Rider University

Rider University offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Psychology that provides students with an understanding of the fundamental theories and scientific methodologies that drive the field of psychology, as well as their practical applications. Students also learn basic research skills that can be applied in careers as well as form a foundation for graduate study. Courses in the online psychology program are identical to psychology courses offered on-campus and are typically led by the same expert faculty. The curriculum offers flexibility to students interested in concentrating in specific areas of psychology through a broad array of electives. Courses available include Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis, Social Psychology, Psychology of Peace and Conflict, and Special Topics in Psychology. In total, 121 credit hours are required to earn the bachelor’s degree.

William Paterson University of New Jersey

William Paterson University of New Jersey is home to an online degree completion program that leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with tracks in Psychology and Sociology. The program can be completed fully online and is designed for adult students (25 years of age or older) who have previous college credit and military veterans. The broad curriculum prepares students for a variety of careers, including social services, human resources, and marketing, by including interdisciplinary studies across the fields of psychology, sociology, English, and others. Throughout the program, students are challenged to think critically, perform research, communicate effectively, and make intellectual connections.

EPPP Pass Rate and Accreditation Information for Psychology Programs in New Jersey

The table below is designed to help you compare not-for-profit psychology schools in New Jersey on a variety of factors. Clicking on the arrows in the top row allows you to sort the table. In addition to factors such as focus areas offered and tuition costs, accreditation is an important consideration when researching psychology programs. Depending on the type of program and the ultimate career path you are considering, accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Education Programs (CACREP), or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) can make it easier to become licensed in your desired area of practice. For more information on these accreditations, see our overview of accreditation for psychology programs. You should also ensure that the program you are considering will meet the licensure requirements in the state where you wish to practice. The Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP), a licensing exam administered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), is required in most US states in order to qualify for psychologist licensure. The EPPP results shown below are provided are for the exam period from February 1, 2015 to March 21, 2017.⁶ Only results from APA-accredited or ASPPB-designated doctoral programs with at least four test-takers during the exam period are included.⁶

Schools marked with a caret (^) in US News Best Graduate Psychology Programs ranked in a tie with other programs in their respective positions.
*See our guide to psychology program accreditation for more information on these accrediting bodies.
**The graduation rate is for first-time, full-time undergraduate degree- or certificate-seeking students who began studies in Fall 2012 and is calculated based on the percentage of students earning their degree or certificate within 150% of the normal time for program completion.¹

Schools with Psychology Degree Programs in New Jersey

Note: Student Reviews are based on the experiences of a few individuals and it is unlikely that you will have similar results. Please review the “Data, Student Reviews and Other Information” section in our Terms of Use and Disclaimers.

Saint Elizabeth University
2 Convent Rd
Morristown, NJ 07960
(973) 290-4000
https://www.steu.edu/

Student Review: “The Saint Elizabeth University Psychology program was interesting and I learned a lot. The professors were great and the school itself was a nice and warming environment. The only thing that I do not enjoy about the field of psychology itself is that with an undergraduates degree there is not much work afterward that I can find. Most organizations ask for a masters degree or higher. I chose this subject to study because I figured that it is a broad subject and many different things can be done with this degree, however, after completion, this has not been the case for me. The college did not assist much with job placement and throughout my schooling there, there were not many one-to-one meetings or help as far as guidance or support. I was interested in furthering my education however, it seemed as if i was alone in the process with many questions and concerns that were not considered. Again, the school itself has a great program and I learned many things, however, for the money spent on my education, I feel as though I could have gotten further if I went elsewhere. It seems to me that this school is more concerned with money and not so much with each students success.” – Student at Saint Elizabeth University

Essex County College
303 University Ave
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 877-3000
https://www.essex.edu/

Student Review: “Attending school at Essex County College has been one of the best experiences of my life. The psychology program they offer is amazing. Not only did I gain valuable information that would help me to have a successful career and go on to do good things in life. It helped me to grow as a person. Every single professor I have had here has been very attentive and friendly and most will go out of the way to help you out if you are having difficulty with something. They had an open-door policy and it was one of the best things about attending school there.” – Student at Essex County College

Student Review: “I really enjoy my complete experience at Essex, from the time I applied all the way through the placements tests, the financial aid process and picking my classes. Everyone here is so helpful and you really feel like they want you to succeed. And on top of all the great people I met, staff and students, I had one of the best professors ever. Psychology was a really hard subject and I passed her class with an “A”. She really wants you to understand the topics fully and doesn’t mind repeating herself over and over again. This is one of the best psychology departments around and I really felt like I had a great learning experience here.” – Student at Essex County College

Kean University
1000 Morris Ave
Union, NJ 07083
(908) 737-5326
https://www.kean.edu/

Student Review: “My experience with the biology program at Kean University was good overall. I had mostly positive experiences although there were a few aspects that I disliked. Some of the things I enjoyed about Kean were the quality and prestige of the classes, program, and school. Many of my professors were renowned and respected within their field. I also liked the quality of the labs. The equipment we used was state-of-the-art. Also, the techniques we were practicing were very complex and current. I had spoken with friends enrolled in other schools. The labs they took part in were almost always a simplified form of what I had done. I also liked the diversity of the student body. The campus itself was beautiful and well maintained. The aspects of Kean that I disliked were based on the fact that it was such a large school. One-on-one time with professors was almost impossible. I had classes with 300+ students. Also, getting guidance from counselors was very difficult and often not helpful.” -Student at Kean University

Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Rd
Glassboro, NJ 08028
(856) 256-4000
https://www.rowan.edu/

Student Review: “I really enjoyed studying Psychology at Rowan. Some professors were more difficult than others, but the majority of the work was challenging. Rowan offers a variety of courses so that students can learn about psychology from many different perspectives. Both the professors and the head of the department offered internship and research opportunities to help students get a foot in the door and work in the field. The professors were very informative, knowledgeable and helpful and it was a great experience to be able to learn from individuals who are so passionate about psychology. While the psychology program is excellent, I am not a fan of Rowan’s servers and web-based tools. Rowan runs Blackboard, and while it is a decent tool for professors and students alike, I feel that it has a lot of downtime and they change the interface too often. They recently changed servers as well and students now have to change their passwords every 120 days which I feel can be a bit of an inconvenience.” – Student at Rowan University

Rutgers University
7 College Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 445-4636
https://www.stockton.edu/

Student Review: “Rutgers University’s psychology program really prepared me for what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Going into college, I was so unsure about what route I exactly wanted to follow. I took a general psychology class, and from there I was hooked. Not only did I love the subject I was studying, but I also loved the faculty in the psychology department. I was able to do research on preschoolers, and be a TA for one of my professors. The department also offered great advising and really helped you decide which aspect of psychology you wanted to focus on – clinical, counseling, school, etc. Overall, this program prepared me for graduate-level psychology courses.” – Student at Rutgers University

Student Review: “The Rutger’s psychology program is very detailed and analytical – using research-based skill set for students to learn in the curriculum. Personally, I loved every aspect of the program. For one, every teacher has a degree related to the teaching subject. No adjuncts taught any of my classes, only professional professors in which mentorship can be sought after. All TA’s (teaching assistants), are grad students mentoring within the related field of study. Lastly, I am grateful for the various research assistant opportunities that help students like myself gain hands-on knowledge in the direct field. With similar such opportunities, students of Rutgers have a chance to add important information and experience to their CV for future use – definitely, an added benefit of attending a researched-based school. ” – Student at Rutgers University

Student Review: “Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s psychology program was not as helpful to my future as I had hoped it would be. While I was warned that pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology would be a waste of time and money, the field interested me immensely. While the diverse catalog of classes covered many subdivisions of the field, they were just too large to really connect with the professor, other students, and in most cases, the material itself. There was no room for question and answers or discussion in class, and professors offered limited office hours for out of class meetings. Assigned textbook readings and long multiple-choice exams were the norms, writing or reading scholarly papers was not generally required. And because the psychology program was so large, there was very little opportunity to apply any skills I learned in a real setting. Anything I happened to learn from classes and my one externship was completely useless in any jobs I obtained in the psychology field once I graduated. If the program was smaller and more interactive, it would be a psychology program worth the time and money.” – Student at Rutgers University

Student Review: “Enrolling in the Rutgers University psychology program was an amazing experience for me. While enrolled in the program, I made connections with professors that helped me get into a graduate program, where I eventually earned my master’s degree. The professors invited students to their home for holiday parties, where I was exposed to top professionals in the field, and given an opportunity to network. I learned more from these parties and informal exchanges with friendly professors about the true ins and outs of the profession, which I could never have learned in any purely academic setting. Also, while attending the Rutgers psychology program I was able to create and perform unique research experiments and was given access to a body of willing research participants. The program really prepared me to make money in my chosen field.” – Student at Rutgers University

The Richard Stockton College of NJ
101 Vera King Farris Dr
Galloway, NJ 08205
(609) 652-1776
https://www.stockton.edu/

Student Review: “The psychology program at Stockton is enriched with knowledgeable professors with substantial research and clinical experience. I enjoyed learning from each professor and building close personal relationships with the psychology faculty. The recently renovated psychology labs for research experiments open opportunities for those interested in studying many different areas of the field, particularly neuroscience. The unique forensic psychology track (which I was in) offers students interested in the intersection between the social sciences and law enforcement the opportunity to take criminal justice classes with licensed forensic psychologists. This is a unique feature of the program that attracts many students while exposing them to the other fields in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences.” – Student at The Richard Stockton College of NJ

Thomas Edison State College
101 W State St
Trenton, NJ 08608
(888) 442-8372
https://www.tesu.edu/

Student Review: “I went to Thomas Edison College because they were the least expensive of my choices. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. Most of the learning was completely on your own with no advisement from the instructors. Instructors were slow to respond to questions (in any form, even email) and at times never responded at all. There was very little guidance from start to finish including when I wanted to get assistance with my financial aid forms and class registration. I was very disappointed in their level of instruction. Also, I found their learning materials (such as books, etc.) to be extremely high-priced compared to other colleges prices for the same material.” – Student at Thomas Edison State College

References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Kiplinger’s Best College Values: https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/index.php#Table
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 382 Colleges, 2018 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2017.
4. PsychologyDegree411 Top Schools with Online Psychology Programs: https://www.psychologydegree411.com/degrees/online/
5. Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 – Psychology: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/subject-ranking/psychology
6. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, Psychology Licensing Exam Scores by Doctoral Program: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.asppb.net/resource/resmgr/eppp_/2017_Doctoral_Report.pdf
7. College Factual, Best Colleges Offering Degrees in Psychology (Nationwide): https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/psychology/rankings/top-ranked/#
8. US News & World Report Best Graduate Psychology Programs: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/psychology-rankings