Social Psychology Degrees

What is Social Psychology? Social psychology, or social-personality psychology, is the study of how individuals and groups interact. It’s an interdisciplinary field that integrates psychology and sociology, but most social psychologists are trained within psychology. Thus they tend to use individuals as the unit of analysis and attempt to explain how individual psychology is influenced by others or by the idea of others. Those who are trained in sociology focus more on group behavior and social structures such as class, gender, and race. Some representative topics of interest in social psychology include:

  • aggression
  • altruism
  • attitudes
  • conformity
  • group dynamics
  • influence
  • social identity
  • socialization

What jobs are available in social psychology? Graduate programs prepare students to engage in research, consultation, and teaching in business, community organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, and research and policy institutes. Most social psychologists work as professors and/or researchers, and most graduate programs are heavily research-oriented. What degree is needed to work in social psychology? A social psychologist may find work with a master’s degree, but they’ll have many more opportunities with a doctorate. The Ph.D. is the only doctoral degree available in social psychology; the Psy.D., which in other fields involves less of a research emphasis, is not an option. Ph.D. programs require four or five years of study and are research-intensive. Which schools offer training in social psychology? A sampling of graduate programs in the United States is provided below. A list of links to schools in the US and other English-speaking countries is maintained by socialpsychology.org.

  • Columbia University’s Teachers College trains doctoral students through its Social-Organizational Psychology program. The interdisciplinary program can be tailored to a student’s particular interests.
  • Miami University in Oxford, Ohio offers a doctoral program in social psychology. The faculty have a wide range of research interests including topics such as psychology of women, sports fan psychology, and stereotyping.
  • Michigan State University prepares doctoral students in social psychology. The small department maintains a small student/professor ratio.
  • New York University offers doctoral training in social psychology. Faculty members are known for their research in the areas of: social cognition and attitudes; motivation, emotion, and self-regulation; relationships, personality, and social development; and groups, organizations, and societies.
  • The University of Houston‘s doctoral program in social psychology is currently centered on health behavior and close relationships.
  • The University of Iowa awards both terminal masters and Ph.D.s in personality and social psychology.
  • The University of Vermont offers a graduate program that’s designed for people interested in research, teaching, or applied careers in developmental psychology and/or social psychology. The M.A. and Ph.D. are offered.

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