Connecticut,is home to one of the best schools in the world, but Yale University is far from the only attractive educational idea for aspiring psychologists in the Constitution State. Here are some data points about the psychology schools and colleges in Connecticut:
- According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there were 20 Connecticut institutions offering psychology degrees in 2016
- A total of four doctoral psychology programs in Connecticut have earned the twin honors of accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) and recognition by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists
- One quarter of all the psychology schools and colleges in Connecticut give students the choice to work toward their degree via online education
Another exciting statistic for Connecticut psychology students is that the state’s 2015 mean salary for clinical, counseling and school psychologists was reported as the third highest in the nation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Graduates of psychology schools and colleges in Connecticut earned an average of $89,240 in 2015, according to BLS numbers — more than $13,000 more for the year than the national average of $76,040. Here are a few BLS mean salary figures for individual metro areas within the state:
- $89,320 in New Haven
- $75,840 in Norwich-New London
- $86,910 in Danbury
- $90,250 in Hartford
- $91,960 in Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk
Psychologists in fields other than clinical, counseling or school psychology were outnumbered 10 to 1 in 2015, according to the BLS. They also earned slightly less than their counterparts, reporting yearly average pay of $82,760.
Region | Career | Total Employment | MeanAnnualWage |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | Psychologists, All Other | 80 | $107,690 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Psychologists, All Other | 70 | $77,560 |
| New Haven, CT | Marriage and Family Therapists | N/A | $44,600 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Marriage and Family Therapists | 180 | $47,150 |
| New Haven, CT | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 290 | $80,810 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 450 | $87,670 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 660 | $94,450 |
2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov.
Connecticut psychology licensing requirements
In order to become licensed to practice professionally, graduates of psychology schools and colleges in Connecticut must submit an application to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Here’s a rundown of what’s required of all serious candidates for a psychological license in Connecticut:
- Earn a doctoral degree in psychology from a program that has earned accreditation by the APA
- Complete at least one year of supervised work experience, consisting of at least 35 hours per week for no fewer than 46 weeks or a total of 1,800 documented hours in a 24-month period
- Sit for and pass the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) with a score of no less than 500
- Earn a satisfactory passing score on the Connecticut Jurisprudence Exam
- Pay the initial application fee of $565
Licensed psychologists in Connecticut must renew their licenses each year, in the month of their birth, and remit a renewal fee of $570. For information on applying as a graduate of an unaccredited program and other details of the licensing process, visit the Connecticut Department of Public Health website for more information.
Featured psychology schools in Connecticut
A few of the numerous psychology colleges in Connecticut have features that set them somewhat apart from the rest. Here’s some basic information on featured Connecticut psychology schools:
Yale University
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in clinical psychology at Yale is accredited by the APA and recognized by the National Register, but that isn’t the only reason for students to consider the Ivy League stalwart as a destination for their aspirations to the psychological profession. U.S. News & World Report ranks the New Haven school’s clinical psychology program at No. 4 nationwide and its specializations in cognitive psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology and behavioral neuroscience at Nos. 5, 3, 11 and 13 in their respective categories.
- Department: Yale University Department of Psychology
- Location: New Haven
- Online options: Formal online degrees in psychology or any discipline have yet to become part of the academic program at Yale, but the university does offer open online courses in several subjects.
University of Connecticut
Psychology degree options at the University of Connecticut are vast in number, including a list of no less than nine distinct programs for Ph.D. hopefuls. Along with APA-accredited programs in clinical and school psychology, doctoral students at the Storrs institution may choose to study behavioral neuroscience, developmental psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, language and cognition, social psychology, ecological psychology and general neurosciences. Graduate certificates in quantitative research methods, health psychology and occupational health psychology are also available.
- Department: University of Connecticut Department of Psychological Sciences
- Location: Storrs
- Online options: UConn offers several graduate degrees and certificates via distance education, but psychology degrees at the university remain classroom-based.
University of New Haven
Although it doesn’t offer any doctoral programs, the University of New Haven has a robust graduate and undergraduate psychology program for students whose academic goals are suited to its mission. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) program in psychology comes in three distinct concentrations — general psychology, forensic psychology and community-clinical psychology — and graduate students can choose to focus their efforts on a Master of Arts (MA) degree in community psychology or industrial/organizational psychology.
- Department: University of New Haven Department of Psychology
- Location: New Haven
- Online options: UNH does offer one of the nation’s 20 best online criminal justice programs, according to U.S. News, but no psychology degrees are offered online as of Fall 2016.
University of Hartford
U.S. News ranks the clinical psychology graduate programs at the University of Hartford at No. 143 among the best in the country, and the Hartford institution’s Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program in clinical psychology is accredited by the APA and recognized by the National Register. Undergraduate students can choose between a standard BA program in psychology and an accelerated organizational psychology program that also leads to a Master of Science (MS) degree after your BA coursework is completed. Other programs include an MA in clinical psychology, a standalone MS in organizational psychology and a MS in school psychology that’s recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
- Department: University of Hartford Psychology Department
- Location: Hartford
- Online options: Students at the University of Hartford can enroll in the Master of Science in Organizational Psychology program as a fully online degree.