Studying psychology can both open many doors, and it can also fulfill a basic human need—understanding others.
Psychology is one of the most popular majors at virtually every university. Thousands of students find themselves fascinated by the study of psychology, for reasons beyond its applications in the workforce. You may be fascinated by human behavior and want to understand the mechanisms behind it. Nevertheless, psychology is increasingly becoming a high-demand profession as our societal focus has veered more towards mental health.
People go into studying psychology for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you are interested in studying the human mind itself. Or perhaps you have a specific career plan in mind, such as a therapist, an educational psychologist, a clinical psychologist, or a neuropsychologist. You may be interested in conducting research studies, or you may be more inclined towards the neurological aspects of psychology.
Regardless of your specific interests, the best way to start off your psychology career is with a bachelor’s degree. The state of Florida boasts many impressive schools that will equip you with a world-class psychology education that will help you reach your potential.
Here are some, but not all, of the best Floridian schools for psychology.
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida is a public university located in Orange County, and is less than a 20 minute drive away from downtown Orlando. It has the highest student enrollment of any college in Florida, with 68,000 students calling UCF home. UCF has an acceptance rate of 41%, meaning it is moderately selective.
UCF has the largest psychology department of any college in the western hemisphere. In the year 2020, over 4,500 students at UCF had declared psychology as their major. Students have the opportunity to receive their psychology degree in-person or entirely online.
UCF’s psychology program is especially noted for its sheer number of different tracks. These can suit virtually any niche of psychology that you want to go into. These include:
- Clinical psychology
- Experimental psychology
- General psychology
- Human factors psychology
- Industrial/organizational psychology
- Neuroscience
University of Florida
The University of Florida is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida—in the north-central part of the state, about 90 minutes outside of Jacksonville. It is very selective with an acceptance rate of 23%. Around 61,000 students attend UF.
UF’s psychology program emphasizes both the liberal arts and scientific components of a psych degree. The breadth of their education prepares students to work in business, education, and mental health.
The specializations available at UF include:
- General psychology
- Behavioral and cognitive neuroscience
- Behavior analysis
Students are also given many extracurricular work opportunities. These include research, individual work, teaching, internships, and student theses.
Florida International University
Florida International University is a public university located in University Park, Florida, half an hour from downtown Miami. It is slightly selective with an acceptance rate of 64%. There are 55,000 students currently enrolled at the university, including 3,500 international students.
FIU’s psychology program is recognized nationwide for its top-notch faculty, curricula, student engagement, and research. FIU psychology students often pursue careers in academia, research, public policy, and clinical practice. FIU also boasts a strong alumni network which is frequently in contact with current students via guest lectures.
There are a variety of options for psychology majors. Students looking to receive a bachelor of arts (BA) in psychology have many options for tracks through the major.
- Applied behavior analysis track
- Industrial-organizational psychology track
- Combinated BA/Master of Public Administration track
- Online BA in psychology
FIU also offers a bachelor of science (BS) in behavioral neuroscience.
Florida State University
Florida State University is a public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, in the state’s panhandle. It is very selective with an acceptance rate of 25%. FSU has a student population of just under 45,000, with 75% being undergraduates and 27% being graduate students.
FSU’s psychology program is largely based on the scientific aspects of psychology. FSU does not have different tracks available for psychology majors, meanings students instead customize their schedules based on their own interests.
Courses range across many subjects, including social psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and clinical psychology. Some of these courses include laboratory components. Biology and statistics courses are also required for the psychology major.
FSU also offers a behavioral neuroscience major.
University of South Florida - Main Campus
The University of South Florida is a public university whose main campus is located in Tampa, Florida. It is selective with an acceptance rate of 44%. There are just under 50,000 students enrolled at USF, 38,000 of whom are undergraduates.
USF has over 2,000 undergraduates majoring in psychology. USF, like other colleges, strongly recommends psychology majors to consider pursuing graduate studies after they receive their BA, which will then allow them to pursue a wide variety of careers such as counseling, law, and medicine.
USF’s psychology BA program offers a general psychology degree as well as two concentrations. These are:
- Psychology BA with advanced research experience in psychology concentration
- Psychology BA with diversity concentration
Along with their coursework, students may choose to enroll in a directed study course, an honors thesis, or a community internship.
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private university located in Miami, Florida. It is very selective with an acceptance rate of only 19%. It is smaller than the universities preceding it on this list, but still boasts a large population of 17,000 students.
The University of Miami offers both a BA and BS in psychology, as well as a BS in neuroscience—an interdisciplinary program that combines the psychology, biology, and medicine schools at UMiami.
Both BA and BS psychology students at UMiami can create an honors thesis. This usually consists of a large research project spanning over the course of two semesters. Students are recommended to have a year of research experience with a faculty mentor prior to starting their thesis.
Florida Institute of Technology
The Florida Institute of Technology is a private university in Melbourne, Florida on the Atlantic coast, about 1 hour away from Orlando. It is slightly selective with an acceptance rate of 64%. Florida Tech is on the smaller side, with a student population of 3,300 students.
Florida Tech has a wide breadth of available tracks for psychology students. First, it allows students to choose from many psychology programs:
- Applied psychology, AA (online)
- Applied psychology, BA (online)
- Forensic psychology, BA
- Psychology, BA
- Psychology, BS
Beyond these programs, students majoring in psychology as a BA or BS program have a wide variety of concentrations open to them.
For BA and BS students, the options available are:
- Animal behavior
- Clinical psychology
- Industrial/organizational psychology
- Social/cultural psychology
In addition to these, BS students are able to concentrate on neuropsychology.
Florida Tech also offers students opportunities for practical research at a variety of clinics.
University of South Florida - St. Petersburg Campus
University of South Florida, St. Petersburg is a public university located in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is very selective with an acceptance rate of 27%, and has a relatively small population of just under 5,000 students.
Psychology students at the St. Petersburg campus have access to the same concentrations available at USF’s main campus in Tampa. These are:
- Advanced Research Experience in Psychology
- Diversity
In addition to these concentrations, the St. Petersburg campus gives students access to many opportunities for research. This includes the Family Study Center and five research labs, including the Motivated Attention and Perception Lab and the Parent-Adolescent Relationships Lab.
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University is a private university in Fort Lauderdale-Davie, Florida, located half an hour from downtown Miami. It is not very selective and has an acceptance rate of 76%. Nova Southeastern University has a population of about 22,000 students, although only around 7,000 are undergraduates.
Nova Southeastern University offers a BS in neuroscience and a BS in psychology.
NSU particularly emphasizes a student’s ability to gain research experience. During a student’s very first year at NSU, they are given opportunities to work with faculty in order to generate research and present their findings at conferences.
NSU offers opportunities for work experience in clinical settings. These include practicums and internships, which each give students credits that can be put towards their degree.
Your future in psychology
Psychology is an exciting area of research to be entering. The cultural fascination with the human mind has never been greater. As more industries seek out psychological professionals to aid the world’s growing mental health crisis, a degree in psychology can prove a vital tool.
However, with a major such as psychology, it’s important to be aware that it is very difficult to find a job without a graduate degree. In the grand scheme of things, your undergraduate degree in psychology may be just a tool to go to grad school.
Your life won’t end if you don’t get into the undergraduate university of your dreams. And, far in the future, when the time comes to apply to graduate school, you may find you have a new dream.
