Image by Greg Dunn and Brian Edwards
Image by Greg Dunn and Brian Edwards

Promoting Healthy Minds and Society through Psychological Science

The Psychology Department discovers the fundamental principles underlying human behavior and how one can change behavior in ways that enhance our lives and society. Our undergraduate and graduate instructional programs train science-minded students to enter the workforce, and to create new leadership for a better world.

VISIT DEPARTMENT WEBSITE

1,162

Undergraduate majors

EDUCATION

Undergraduate Program

Psychology is among the top departments in undergraduate teaching at the UW. In 2022-2023, the department had over 13,000 course enrollments and continues to be a leading department offering faculty-supervised undergraduate research. Our students also gain hands-on experience via undergraduate teaching opportunities and a variety of volunteer and internship positions.

The department offers both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees to satisfy a wide range of student interests. The B.S. program provides greater emphasis on laboratory research and statistics, and as such provides a foundational core for students interested in pursuing careers in research or other fields requiring more laboratory and quantitative training. In 2022-2023, there were 1,000 students enrolled in experiential learning opportunities to further their educational experience through research, fieldwork and peer teaching. The B.A. program provides greater emphasis on applications of general scientific knowledge in psychology and as such provides a foundational core for students interested in a range of careers requiring broad understanding of psychological theories and their application.

Our courses are also popular with non-majors: in 2022-2023, over 2,300 students were enrolled in Psych 101 (Introduction to Psychology). Psych 210 (Diversity of Human Sexuality) is the largest class on campus, offering comprehensive, sex positive, sex education to over 4,000 UW undergraduates a year. Special programs and services for undergraduates include our departmental Honors Program, Writing Center, Statistics and Methods Lab, Undergraduate Study Center, the Psychology Student Mentoring Program, and advising support.

Graduate Program

Our graduate program offers not only traditional doctoral education and research training in various subfields of Psychology, but it also emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to most effectively address society’s high priority and pressing challenges. Advanced data science, diversity science specialization, and a quantitative minor are also available to students. Our Ph.D. graduates go on to postdoctoral positions in academia, faculty positions, industry, business, law, medicine, and clinical work. The department’s Clinical Psychology Graduate Training Program has been ranked in the top ten programs in the nation for the past ten years, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Master Program

The department’s Master of Arts degree in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology, based in a bioecological model of child development, provides students with a background in biological, interpersonal, and contextual processes that contribute to child psychopathology. Students are also trained in evidence-based treatments for use with children and families. In addition, they participate in an ongoing clinical practicum placement for the development of clinical skills while they are completing course requirements.

Photo by Colette Cosner
Photo by Colette Cosner

Students

Spring 2023

  • 1,162 Undergraduate majors
  • 32 Master of Arts students (Autumn 2023)
  • 99 Doctoral students

Degrees Awarded

Autumn 2022- Summer 2023

  • 518 Bachelor degrees
  • 15 Master of Science degrees
  • 27 Master of Arts degrees
  • 17 PhD degrees

Undergraduate Honors

2022-2023

  • 1 Husky 100 honoree
  • 3 Mary Gates Scholars
  • 2 Guthrie Writing Prize winners
  • 1 Aric Chandler Scholarship recipient
  • 13 Ruth H. Hagenstein awardees
  • 9 James Steele Scholars
  • 19 Honors theses presented

Graduate Student Honors

2022-2023

  • 1 American Psychology Foundation Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology Graduate Research Scholarship
  • 1 Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
  • 1 Mental Health Matters Scholarship (Seattle Seahawks x Cigna)
  • 11 National Research Service Awards
  • 1 National Science and Engineering Council of Canada Postgraduate Scholarship
  • 3 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships
  • 1 National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Graduate Research Award
  • 70 Journal articles published

FACULTY

Fall 2023

  • 22 Professors
  • 2 Research Professors
  • 4 Teaching Professors
  • 6 Associate Professors
  • 2 Research Associate Professors
  • 4 Teaching Associate Professors
  • 1 Clinical Associate Professor
  • 12 Assistant Professors
  • 2 Teaching Assistant Professors
  • 33 Emeritus Faculty
  • 39 Adjunct and Affiliate Faculty
  • 84 Clinical Faculty​

Faculty Awards & Honors

2021-2023

  • 1 Landolt Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award, Honorable Mention, University of Washington, 2023
  • 1 Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP) Diversity Science Award recipient, 2022
  • 1 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Implementation and Dissemination Science Special Interest Group Career Award
  • 1 Lifetime Achievement Award, Addictive Behaviors Special Interest Group, Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies
  • 1 Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science
  • 1 Elected Member: National Academy of Education, 2023
  • 1 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship award – faculty advisor, 2021
  • 1 Fellow, International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), 2022
  • 1 Davida Teller Distinguished Faculty Award in Psychology, 2021
  • 1 Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Fellow, 2023
  • 1 Society of Experimental Social Psychology Fellow (2016-present)
  • 1 Best of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (BADI) Award, Princeton University, 2022
  • 1 Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Early Career Achievement in STEM Award, 2022
  • 1 SAGE Emerging Scholar Award. Society of Personality and Social Psychology 2021
  • 1 Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research Asian American Psychological Association, 2021
  • 1 Emerging Professional Contributions to Service Award, Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (APA Division 45), 2022
  • 1 Grass Fellow, 2022
  • 1 Allen Institute Next Generation Leader, 2021-2024
  • 1 National Postdoc Association IMPACT Fellow, 2021-2022
  • 1 MBL Whitman Award for Collaborative Research, 2021

RESEARCH

The success of our research programs places Psychology Department research among the top three departments in the College of Arts & Sciences in terms of grant and contract awards (over $14 million annually). Current research initiatives seek to:

Optimize human potential by increasing one’s resilience: in young children and adults, to address mental health disparities, and to aid those who are most vulnerable.

Understand behavior through brain science by discovering how neural networks in our brains are impacted by our behaviors, and how our behaviors impact brain function to bias communication, learning, memory, perceptions, and emotional stability.

Promote social equality by understanding how prejudice and bias develop and can be changed, discovering new approaches that reveal implicit bias and disparities, and solving social justice issues.

Major Research and Graduate Training Areas

  • Adult Clinical
  • Child Clinical
  • Cognition and Perception
  • Developmental
  • Neural Systems and Behavior
  • Quantitative
  • Social and Personality

COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND OUTREACH

The Psychology Department is committed to closing the gap between our research discoveries and their impact on society. Our award-winning graduate training clinic and faculty-directed research clinics and centers use evidence-based research to create innovative therapies and behavioral interventions that promote mental health and improve lives, and that increase the mental health workforce.

We also collaborate with community partners to translate research findings into practices that improve the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children, individuals, and communities. Psychology faculty members also provide workshops and information sessions in schools, companies, and community organizations. We offer community events, including sharing the work of our faculty and other experts from around the world through our annual Allen L. Edwards Public Lecture Series. Through these pathways, we aim to make lasting, positive societal changes that can be shared across the globe.

SUPPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Philanthropic support of the Psychology Department plays a significant role in advancing our mission to promote healthy minds and society through psychological science. By making a gift, you can help promote world-class research, attract and retain the best faculty and students, and train the next generation of leaders in psychology. Visit psych.uw.edu/give to learn more.

CONTACT

Department of Psychology
Box 351525
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 543-2640
psych.uw.edu

last update: December 2023