Building on a richly influential history, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is at the forefront of modern research and teaching.

The University of Iowa helped establish psychology as a core academic discipline—and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is still leading the field. Our innovative undergraduate teaching has made us the most popular major on campus. Our graduate programs provide extraordinary scholarly research opportunities. And our cutting-edge research advances essential scientific knowledge about the brain and human behavior.

What you'll experience at Iowa

As a psychology major, you’ll learn the science behind human personality, thought, behavior, and sensation—and how to use what you’ve learned in professional settings. Our students go on to careers ranging from laboratory science to marketing, management, social services, and other people-centered fields. You can combine majors, minors, and certificates to create an individualized academic path that will make your resume stand out, and we provide a solid foundation for graduate school.

As a graduate or postdoctoral student, you will be immersed from the outset in an advanced lab, conducting important scientific research with your faculty mentor. The training you receive will put you on the path to research-based careers in colleges, universities, government agencies, or commercial companies.

We’re strongly committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and teaching environment. We hope you’ll make Iowa your academic home.

#1

Most popular major on campus

95%

Job or graduate school placement
within 6 months of graduation

2

PhD graduates ranked among the top 5
20th-century psychologists by the APA