Psychology and Counseling Programs at Brown University
Brown University appears on our list of 10 Tuition-Free Colleges Where You Can Earn Your Psychology Degree.
Brown University offers bachelor and graduate degree programs in both counseling and psychology. Undergrads who want to study psychology have the option of earning an art or a science degree. They will take research classes such as Quantitative Methods before taking any of the advanced psychology courses that include a lab component. Psychology majors must also do a capstone, but the university lets them choose between doing an independent research project or taking a seminar class.
The university also offers doctoral programs in psychology that provide all accepted students with a maximum of five years of funding. Students can choose the general psychology program or a concentration in cognitive sciences or linguistics. During the first year, students must take three required classes and do an independent research project. They will also work as teaching assistants for four semesters and help psychology professors teach undergraduate psychology classes. Some of the other requirements of the program include a comprehensive exam and a dissertation. To get credit for their dissertations, students must submit a proposal and do an oral defense of their work.
The university also offers a graduate program in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences (BSHS) through its School of Public Health. This program includes some counseling courses and prepares students for working with patients who suffer from health problems. It features eight courses, including two electives and five core BSHS classes. Students also take a thesis prep course that helps them prepare for their thesis work and learn about the research methods they should use. The university only allows students to graduate once they complete and submit a thesis.
About Brown University
Brown University is one of the handful of schools designated as an Ivy League school. Established in 1764 as Rhode Island College, it opened at a time when there weren’t many opportunities for higher education in the country. Though some of the names attached to the college at the time had connections to local churches, the university has no religious affiliation today. The name Brown University pays homage to the Brown Family who helped the college move to its current location in the late 1700s.
Many know the university for the open curriculum that it adopted. This curriculum includes some requirements such as the modes of thought courses that students take as freshmen and a lack of general education courses. Both Times and Forbes rank Brown within the top 10 of American colleges. U.S. News and World Report and QS rank it within the top 100 of all schools in the world. Brown also ranks on the USNWR lists of the best programs in chemistry, engineering, psychology, political science, earth sciences, and history.
Brown University Accreditation Details
The APA granted Brown accreditation for its advanced psychology programs and for the fieldwork that students do in those programs. It also has accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), which is why the university can offer so many different types of financial aid. This type of accreditation also lets students successfully transfer credits earned at Brown to other colleges and to transfer credits to a Brown program.
Brown University Application Requirements
As Brown is an Ivy League school, it has strict application requirements and a selective admissions policy. Fewer than 10% of the undergrads who apply to Brown will receive an acceptance letter. Those accepted have an average weighted GPA of 4.09 and an SAT score of 1488. To apply, students must submit a test score, transcript and application and pay the application fee. They can also ask the university for an application fee waiver. Brown also asks that students write an essay to explain why the university should choose them.
Brown does not require a test score from any student applying to a doctoral program. It does ask for a completed application sent in by December 1 and an essay. Students should create a statement of purpose that outlines the professors they want to work within the program, the psychology experience that they have and how their undergraduate work will assist them at the graduate level.
Future students should also submit official transcripts from all schools attended and three letters of recommendation. A $75 application fee is also due when a student submits an application, but the university offers waivers for those who cannot afford this fee. The BSHS program has a deadline of March 31 and includes the same requirements as well as a GRE score. Students who successfully completed a medical school program do not need to submit a test score.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Students in the undergraduate psychology program at Brown University pay more than $54,000 a year in tuition. Fees add more than $1,200 to their annual costs, and students also pay more than $14,000 a year for room and board. Those students can use the FAFSA and get financial aid for the school year. In addition to government aid, Brown also offers institutional aid in the form of work programs and scholarships. Students who show more need on the FAFSA can work for the university. Those who meet merit requirements such as scoring in the top 10% of SAT or ACT takers can get scholarships that include full tuition scholarships.
The Brown Promise is an initiative put into place in 2018 that seeks to meet 100% of students’ demonstrated need through scholarships and campus employment only, regardless of family income. Prior to the inception of this needs-based program, only students with a combined family income of less than $100,000 received this benefit.
Doctoral students pay at least $57,000 a year to attend Brown University, which includes both fees and tuition. Those who need health insurance can acquire coverage from the university for $3,800 a year. The university also charges a separate health fee of $942 per year, which allows students to see doctors and counselors working for the university. Brown offers BSHS majors a scholarship that covers 25% of their tuition and allows students to apply for teaching and research positions. Those positions cover much of their remaining tuition costs and give them a stipend.
Students in a doctoral program get funding from the university that can cover all their costs for a total of five years. Most students work as research or teaching assistants and as proctors. They can also get fellowships. Many of these programs cover their tuition and fees and include a stipend. Students at the graduate and doctoral levels will need to apply for funding through Brown University when they apply to one of its psychology programs.
