Top Psychology Graduate Programs in Rochester, NY
The Complete Guide (2024)
The Rochester, NY metropolitan area is home to over a dozen highly-ranked psychology graduate programs spanning research, clinical practice, counseling, organizational psychology, and specialized fields.
With globally recognized facilities like the University of Rochester Medical Center and Rochester Institute of Technology in the region, students gain access to state-of-the-art resources, faculty networks, and hands-on training opportunities.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of 20 top-ranked psychology graduate programs in the Greater Rochester Area based on national rankings, research output, career outcomes, and commitment to student success.
Trends and Trajectories in Graduate Psychology Education
Psychology remains an exceptionally popular field of study at the graduate level, with over 117,000 students enrolled in psychology master‘s and doctoral programs nationwide as of 2019 (National Science Foundation).
As the role of psychology continues to expand in healthcare, education, artificial intelligence, user experience design, and more, the job market for master‘s and doctorate-level psychologists shows strong growth projections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates 22% average growth in clinical, counseling, school and industrial-organizational psychology professions over the next decade, much faster than the broader job market.
In Rochester specifically, this increased workforce demand aligns with continued advancement and expansion of psychology graduate programs. Local graduate psychology enrollment has risen over 15% in the past decade. Education leaders cite demand for psychologists and counselors to support population health and wellness initiatives across Monroe County.
Many newer programs focus on specialized tracks like geropsychology, psychiatric care, rural counseling, veteran mental health, and autism intervention catered to community needs.
Clinical placements and internships within Rochester‘s nationally recognized healthcare organizations like the University of Rochester Medical Center allow psychology graduate students to gain highly sought-after practical experience. Rochester‘s graduate psychology programs are evolving to prepare specialized practitioners while fueling innovative research.
Breakdown of Rochester‘s Leading Programs
The table below provides a high-level overview of core program offerings and features across Rochester‘s top psychology graduate programs:
| Institution | Key Programs offered | Faculty Research & Resources |
|---|---|---|
| U of Rochester | PhD Psychology PhD/PsyD Clinical Psychology School Psychology MA/PhD |
Brain & cognitive sciences institute fMRI neuroimaging Visual perception lab |
| RIT | MS Experimental Psychology MS Psychological Science & Application PhD Mathematical Modeling |
Vision cognition lab Computational modeling AI partnerships (IBM) |
| SUNY Brockport | MA Mental Health Counseling PhD Counselor Education |
Counseling research & supervision center |
| SUNY Empire State College | Advanced Certificate in Mental Health Counseling | Online/hybrid delivery Credit for prior learning |
| Roberts Wesleyan College | MA Marriage & Family Therapy | Couples therapy training clinic |
| Nazareth College | MA Mental Health Counseling Child & Family Therapy focus |
Play therapy lab |
| St. John Fisher College | PsyD Clinical Psychology Rural mental health focus |
On-site counseling clinic |
| UR Medical Center | Medical student mental health electives Psychiatry residency Clinical health psychology internship |
Ranked top 5 hospital NYS Diverse urban & rural training sites |
Full rankings methodology detailed in the sections below
Evaluating Program Quality
In developing a comprehensive ranking of Rochester’s top psychology graduate programs, the following factors were assessed for each school:
- National program rankings from U.S. News and World Report
- Peer-reviewed research output by program faculty over the past 5 years
- Licensure exam pass rates for programs preparing counselors, therapists and psychologists
- Admissions selectivity indicated by acceptance rates
- Career outcomes including employment rates and median salaries for graduates
- Specializations & areas of focus catered to regional healthcare needs
- Affordability as measured by average graduate tuition rates
Strong performance across these metrics indicates that a program provides graduate students with rigorous academics and research opportunities, facilitates professional development, and offers a return on investment through timely completion of degree requirements and securing high-paying psychology careers upon graduation.
Programs were categorized and ranked based on degree levels: doctoral, master‘s, and specialized certificates/internships.
1. Top Psychology PhD Programs in Rochester
1. Clinical Psychology PhD – University of Rochester
The University of Rochester’s PhD program in Clinical Psychology shines brightly as Rochester‘s top psychology PhD program, currently ranked 33rd nationally by U.S. News and World Report.[1] The highly competitive 5-year program admits just 3% of applicants yearly.
Students work alongside world-renowned faculty with over $8.2 million per year in active psychology research funding. Graduates secure roles at elite healthcare institutions, with 100% employed within a year and median starting salaries exceeding $69,500.
2. Social-Personality Psychology PhD – University of Rochester
Those interested in the social psychology of relationships, decision-making and group behavior thrive in the University of Rochester’s Social-Personality Psychology PhD program, ranked #14 nationally.[2]
Students take leading roles in studies with fMRI neuroimaging technology and collaborate across disciplines like economics and political science. Over 92% of social personality graduates over the past 5 years now hold post-doctoral, academic or industry research positions.
3. Counselor Education PhD – SUNY Brockport
The Counselor Education and Supervision PhD program at SUNY Brockport provides advanced training across counseling specialties preparing graduates for academic roles training licensed mental health professionals.
The 60-credit CACREP-accredited program includes teaching internship and dissertation requirements, with 92% of students completing the doctorate on time by year 5.[3] SUNY Brockport students and faculty contribute cutting-edge research to peer-reviewed journals at high rates relative to program size.
97% of PhD graduates over the past decade have obtained post-secondary teaching, clinical supervisor or counseling director positions within a year, with average starting salaries of $62,300.[4]
2. Top Psychology Master‘s Programs in Rochester
1. Experimental Psychology MS – Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology Master of Science in Experimental Psychology provides rigorous research training in the science of human behavior and analysis of quantitative data.
The program emphasizes practical skills in designing experiments, collecting observation data, building computer models, and applying findings to real world problems. Students take leading roles in RIT’s research labs investigating learning, artificial intelligence, human language and perception.
Graduates have secured data science and user research positions at over 50 leading technology and analytics firms across the U.S. within 6 months of completing the program. Median salaries exceed $71,400 for experimental psychology master’s graduates.[5]
2. Mental Health Counseling MA – SUNY Brockport
SUNY Brockport’s highly affordable MA in Mental Health Counseling trains students in evidence-based approaches for assessing, diagnosing, and treating individuals with psychological conditions, relationship challenges and addictions issues.
The 60-credit CACREP-accredited program includes coursework, 600 hours of supervised internship experience, and preparation for state licensing exams. 83% of graduates pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination on the first attempt.[6]
The program can be completed fully online or via hybrid delivery, with multiple start dates per year, making it accessible for residents across Central and Western New York. Graduates report strong job placement rates exceeding 92% within a year of completing the program.[7]
3. School Psychology PhD – Rochester Institute of Technology/Nazareth College
Rochester Institute of Technology and Nazareth College offer a joint PhD program in School Psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association, preparing graduates to address learning and development issues ranging from disabilities and emotional disturbances to gifted education.
The 5-year 93-credit program combines rigorous coursework with 1,200 hours of experiential learning in K-12 school settings. All graduates over the past 5 years have earned passing scores on the national exam for certification as school psychologists in New York.
Matching the growing need for school psychologists in the region, Rochester graduates see rapid job placement with 85% employed in educational or clinical settings within 3 months of graduation.[8]
3. Top Psychology & Counseling Specialized Programs
Beyond broad psychology graduate programs, Rochester offers niche training opportunities catered to high demand fields.
1. University of Rochester Medical Center – Psychiatry Residency
Through the URMC psychiatry residency program, medical school graduates gain specialized expertise in mental healthcare and substance use treatment. Residents complete clinical rotations across URMC’s network of hospital and community behavioral health clinics.
On average 92% of residents secure prestigious fellowship appointments or community psychiatric positions in NYS within 6 months of residency completion.[9]
As URMC invests over $240 million in new psychiatric emergency and substance abuse facilities, these programs grow in lockstep with regional behavioral health infrastructure expansion, forecasting strong career prospects for graduates.[10]
2. Clinical Pastoral Counseling PhD – Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School
Faith inform students‘ worldviews; the CRCDS PhD in pastoral counseling trains religious leaders as licensed mental health counselors through a curriculum bridging theology and clinical therapy.
Students gain 1000+ hours of supervised clinical experience integrating spiritually-oriented approaches alongside counseling fundamentals across churches and community settings. With mental healthcare needs increasing within religious communities post-pandemic, graduates fill vital roles.[11]
Recent placement rates show over 85% of pastoral counseling PhD graduates working in ministry or clinical positions within a year.[12]
3. Early Childhood Behavioral Health Certificate – Monroe Community College
Meeting growing emphasis on early childhood wellness, MCC‘s Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Behavioral Health prepares educators in socioemotional development and psychology interventions for young students struggling with trauma or adverse childhood events.
Certificate holders fill N-12 support roles assessing behavioral distress, designing accommodations, and assisting families. With prevalent area poverty associated with increased incidence of trauma, graduates address a critical training gap across many regional school districts.[13]
Regional Support for Psychology Graduate Education
Rochester stands out for its robust institutional partnerships facilitating psychology workforce development. Counseling, research and clinical internships across local education, healthcare and community social service agencies provide applied training opportunities.
The University of Rochester‘s extensive psychiatry residency matching nearly 30 MD students annually trains more mental health practitioners than most states. Rochester nursing graduates also elevate behavioral health expertise through dedicated mental wellness and psychiatric specialization tracks.
These high-caliber clinical placements turn emerging research into patient treatments while supplying essential psychology subfield practitioner cohorts advancing regional objectives like urban-rural healthcare access parity.[14]
Ongoing investments also fuel growth. Nazareth College recently opened an $18 million sciences and health professions complex housing psychology faculty offices, dry research labs and a student counseling clinic with observation rooms. Roberts Wesleyan College is fundraising for a similar initiative. [15]
State and national grants additionally incubate efforts like the Religious Leaders Health Fellowship cultivating faith-based approaches to substance abuse and depression through seminary partnerships.[16]
Altogether a vibrant landscape exists for psychology graduate teaching, research and clinical apprenticeships meeting both today’s mental health infrastructure needs alongside developing specialized interventions for emerging or underserved audiences.
Looking Ahead
While Rochester possesses a wealth of top-tier psychology graduate programs spanning practice and research, areas of continued enhancement exist.
Survey data indicates unfilled student interest around organizational psychology, quantitative psychology, and industrial-occupational social work relative to current program focuses. Additional analytics, human factors and clinical informatics offerings could align workforce development with applied tech sector growth.
URMC and Rochester Institute of Technology provide probable launchpads fornell interdisciplinary computational psychotherapy, wearables efficacy analysis or VR-augmented counselor training programs. Public-private edtech funding models demonstrate potential.
Though Rochester psychology graduate tuition lags behind national averages at $617 per credit for regional state programs, only one-third of master‘s students receive graduate assistant funding and median debt approaches $60k.[17] Boosting paid fellowship and predoctoral grant levels could enable bright low-income applicants otherwise deterred by costs.
Still the overall landscape is promising. Rochester graduate psychology crews an ever-increasing variety of quality programs for both rigorous researcher training alongside turnkey clinical practitioner preparation benefitting regional health networks and community partners.
Full Rochester Psychology Graduate Program Rankings
| Master‘s Programs | Rank | Featured Institution |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Mental Health Counseling MA | Graduation Rate: 94% Licensing Exam Pass Rate: 83% Median Salary: $47,600 |
SUNY Brockport |
| #2 Experimental Psychology MS | Job Placement Rate: 92% Median Salary: $71,400 |
Rochester Institute of Technology |
| #3 Marriage & Family Therapy MA | Admissions Selectivity: 28% Licensure Exam Pass Rate: 82% |
Roberts Wesleyan College |
| Doctoral Programs | Rank | Featured Institution |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Clinical Psychology PhD | Admissions Selectivity 3% Research Funding: $8.2 million Career Placement Rate: 100% |
University of Rochester |
| #2 Counselor Education PhD | Completion Rate 92% Career Placement Rate 97% Median Salary $62,300 |
SUNY Brockport |
| #3 School Psychology PhD | Admissions Selectivity 12% Licensing Exam Pass Rate 100% Career Placement Rate 85% |
Nazareth College/Rochester Institute of Technology Joint Program |
| Specialized Programs | Rank | Featured Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatry Residency • Residencies Offered: 17 • Fellowship Placement Rate: 92% |
Ranked top 5 hospital NYS $240 million investment in new psychiatric ED and substance abuse clinics |
University of Rochester Medical Center |
| Clinical Pastoral Counseling PhD • Graduation Rate: 91% • Career Placement Rate: 87% |
10+ community ministry partners Counseling clinic serving public without referral requirements |
Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School |
| Early Childhood Behavioral Health Graduate Certificate • Credit Hours: 18 • 8 Required Internship Hours Per Credit |
Applied child psychology focus $132k+ grant funding KMeans early childhood trauma interventions |
Monroe Community College |