School and Ranking Information
Only three schools within 50 miles of the Colorado Springs area offer bachelor's degree programs related to psychology. The schools are ordered below based on rankings and program offerings.
- Winner: The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a 4-year public school. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in psychology, and its graduate psychology programs are nationally ranked.
- Runner Up #1: Colorado College (CC) is a 4-year private not-for-profit school. It was named one of the top 30 liberal arts schools in the nation in 2022. It has the highest overall graduation rate in the area. The school offers a bachelor's degree in psychology.
- Runner Up #2: Colorado State University - Pueblo (CSU - Pueblo) is an unranked 4-year state school that offers both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. The school has the lowest graduation rate of the three, though it awarded more degrees in the field in recent years than the first runner up.
School Comparison Chart
| Category | University of Colorado at Colorado Springs | Colorado College | Colorado State University - Pueblo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Rankings* | Ranked 140th graduate psychology program | Ranked 27th among national liberal arts colleges | N/A |
| Location | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Pueblo, Colorado (44 miles from Colorado Springs) |
| School Type | 4-year, public | 4-year, private not-for-profit | 4-year, public |
| Undergraduate Tuition & Fees (2021-2022)** | $8,766 (in-state); $21,222 (out-of-state) | $62,070 | $9,005 (in-state); $15,659 (out-of-state) |
| Psychology Degree Levels Offered | Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees | Bachelor's degrees | Bachelor's degrees |
| Psychology Degrees Awarded (All Levels) in 2020-2021** | 170 | 23 | 54 |
| Most Popular Psychology Program (2020-2021)** | Bachelor's degree (157 awarded) | Bachelor's degree (23 awarded) | Bachelor's degree (54 awarded) |
| Graduation Rate (in 150% of normal program time) for 2015 Entering Class** | 44% | 44% | 39% |
| Noteworthy | Psychology Ph.D. program added in 2004 | State-of-the-art psychology research center | Has a chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology |
Sources: *U.S. News & World Report, **NCES College Navigator.
Winner: The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the graduate clinical psychology program 120th and the graduate psychology program 140th in 2022
- Undergraduate psychology honors program provides additional opportunities for research experience
- Psychology department has the largest resident faculty at UCCS
The UCCS Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree program requires the completion of 36 credit hours of psychology courses, including 18 hours of upper-division classes. Core psychology classes include abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology, biopsychology, developmental psychology, and the psychology of learning. Students can take elective courses in psychology law, drugs and behavior, memory, organizational psychology and teaching psychology. Undergraduate students may enroll in the honors program, which requires completion of a research project, thesis, and thesis oral defense. According to NCES, a little over 8% of the bachelor's degrees conferred at UCCS in 2018-2019 were in psychology.
Runner-Up #1: Colorado College
- The Colorado College Department of Psychology operates 6 laboratories, including the neurotoxicology and quantitative neuromorphology labs
- Colorado College had the highest overall graduation rate of all 4-year colleges and universities in the state of Colorado for students who began their studies in 2015, according to NCES
- This school operates on a block schedule, which means that students take 1 class at a time and begin a new class every 4 weeks, 8 times a year
Colorado College's psychology department is housed in the LEED-certified Tutt Science Center. The 3rd floor of the science center is dedicated to the psychology department's computer labs, wet labs, smart classrooms, offices, and research rooms. The psychology major involves courses in introductory psychology, statistics and methods, neuroscience, and social psychology, among other topics. A supervised final project in the form of independent research, directed field study, or literature review must be completed senior year.
This school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1, according to NCES. The NCES reports that a little more than 5% of bachelor's degrees awarded by Colorado College in 2018-2019 were in psychology.
Runner-Up #2: Colorado State University - Pueblo
- CSU - Pueblo had a 99% admissions rate in Fall 2021, according to NCES
Colorado State University - Pueblo's psychology department is part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is the largest college at the university. Psychology students who choose the Bachelor of Arts program complete core psychology and general education courses along with foreign language requirements. Students who enroll in the Bachelor of Science degree program complete an additional 8 credits in math or natural sciences. CSU - Pueblo offers psychology students a variety of ways to get involved with research, including research assistantships. Additionally, CSU - Pueblo has an active chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology and a psychology club.
