Department of Psychology at Penn State

What Department of Psychology at Penn State does

The Department of Psychology at Penn State is an academic department within the College of the Liberal Arts at The Pennsylvania State University, headquartered at 140 Moore Building, 138 Fischer Road, University Park, PA. It offers two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Psychology), five doctoral Ph.D. program areas (Clinical Adult and Child, Cognitive, Developmental, Industrial-Organizational, and Social), and a professional Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership delivered through Penn State World Campus. The department also runs four dual-title Ph.D. tracks (Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Language Science; Social Data Analytics; Social Behavioral Neuroscience), plus a department-wide Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN). Research infrastructure includes the Brain Bus mobile EEG lab, the Center for Language Science, and the Child Study Center, with faculty research funded by NIH, CDC, DOE, and NSF.

The department generates revenue indirectly through Penn State's state appropriations and tuition allocation, supplemented by external research grants and clinical service fees from the on-campus Penn State Psychological Clinic, which is an APA-accredited, licensed outpatient clinic providing therapy, assessment, neuropsychological evaluation, school-based mental health services, and psychiatric services to Centre County residents. Clinical billing is processed through in-network insurance contracts with United Healthcare Student Resources, Community Care Behavioral Health, and Penn State University Insurance, as well as contracted referrals from Centre County's Mental Health/Intellectual Disability/Drug and Alcohol Program. The Psychological Clinic also functions as a clinical training facility for doctoral students.

Customer segments are academic and clinical: undergraduate and graduate students form the primary educational customer base, while Centre County residents form the secondary clinical patient base. Distribution is via Penn State's central enrollment system, the on-campus clinic, and the online World Campus channel. The department holds named chairs (McCourtney, Sherwin, and the inaugural Liberal Arts Teaching Professorship) and has been recognized with the APA's inaugural Award for Innovative Practices in Graduate Education for the SCAN program and a 2026 Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in anxiety/depression research.

Name

Department of Psychology at Penn State

Legal name

The Pennsylvania State University

Website

https://psych.la.psu.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Psychology at Penn State is an academic department within the College of the Liberal Arts that offers undergraduate and graduate psychology degrees, dual-title Ph.D. programs, neuroscience specialization, and licensed outpatient psychological clinic services to students and Centre County residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Psychology Department

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALAFAB

Mental Health Counseling & Psychotherapy Services

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Health, Counseling & Wellness Services

Keywords

• Psychology education
• Graduate doctoral programs
• Clinical psychology training
• Psychological clinic services
• Behavioral neuroscience research

Headquarters

HQ city

University Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University Funding: Core operations funded through Penn State University state appropriations and tuition revenue
2. Research Grants: Faculty research funded by agencies including NIH, CDC, Department of Energy, and NSF
3. Psychological Clinic Services: Licensed outpatient psychiatric clinic providing evidence-based psychological services, accepts insurance including United Healthcare, Community Care Behavioral Health, and Penn State University Insurance

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Department of Psychology at Penn State delivers higher education and clinical training through undergraduate (BA, BS), doctoral (Ph.D. across five program areas plus four dual-title degrees), and professional master's programs in psychology. It operates the Psychological Clinic, which provides evidence-based outpatient mental health services to Centre County residents while training clinical doctoral students. The department also advances psychological science through externally funded research programs, including the SCAN neuroscience specialization and affiliated centers.

Product overview

The Penn State Department of Psychology is an academic department offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in psychology. Its portfolio includes two undergraduate degrees (PSYBA and PSYBS), five doctoral program areas (Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Industrial-Organizational, Social), one professional master's program (MPS in Psychology of Leadership), a Psychological Clinic providing clinical services, and four dual-title Ph.D. programs (Psychology and WGSS, Language Science, Social Data Analytics, Social Behavioral Neuroscience). The department also offers a Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN). The programs are interconnected through shared faculty, research facilities, and the Psychological Clinic which serves as the training facility for clinical doctoral students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCAN (Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience): A department-wide effort to integrate the study of brain and behavior by infusing neuroscience throughout traditional areas of psychology, co-recipient of APA's Award for Innovative Practices in Graduate Education
• BRIDGE Diversity Alliance
• Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership
• Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Dual Degree

Products and services

• Psychology Bachelor of Arts (PSYBA)
• Psychology Bachelor of Science (PSYBS)
• Graduate Clinical Psychology (Adult and Child) Ph.D.
• Graduate Cognitive Psychology Ph.D.
• Graduate Developmental Psychology Ph.D.
• Graduate Industrial-Organizational Psychology Ph.D.
• Graduate Social Psychology Ph.D.
• Master of Professional Studies in the Psychology of Leadership
• Psychological Clinic
• Penn State Anxiety Clinic
• Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Dual-Title Ph.D.
• Psychology and Language Science Dual-Title Ph.D.
• Psychology and Social Data Analytics (SoDA) Dual-Title Ph.D.
• Psychology and Social Behavioral Neuroscience Dual-Title Ph.D.
• Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ peer-reviewed articles from single researcher's program (Elizabeth Stormshak)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre County Mental Health/Intellectual Disability/Drug and Alcohol ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Psychological Clinic operates as a contracted provider for Centre County's Mental Health/Intellectual Disability/Drug and Alcohol Program/Early Intervention Services, receiving referrals from the Base Service Unit in Bellefonte.
• BRIDGE Diversity AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA diversity action alliance of faculty and graduate students dedicated to promoting diversity within the psychology program and beyond, with committees focused on assessment, training, social activities, recruitment/retention, and communications.
• Penn State College of the Liberal Arts Alumni OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on alumni engagement activities, career conversations, and departmental advancement initiatives.
• Community Care Behavioral HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for Psychological Clinic services, enabling access for covered patients.
• United Healthcare Student ResourcescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-network insurance provider for Psychological Clinic services, enabling access for covered patients.
• Schreyer Honors CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaterno Fellows Program provides pathway for students to demonstrate potential and earn their way into Schreyer Honors College.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UCLA Department of Psychology: UCLA's psychology department is a large public R1 program with PhD areas in clinical, cognitive, developmental, social, and health psychology — comparable in scope, public-university funding model, and neuroscience integration.
• University of Virginia Department of Psychology: UVA's psychology department is a public R1 program offering PhD training across clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social areas, providing a peer comparison within the public university funding model Penn State operates under.
• Northwestern University Department of Psychology: Northwestern's psychology department offers PhD training in clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social psychology with strong neuroscience integration — directly comparable to Penn State's program mix.
• UC Berkeley Department of Psychology: UC Berkeley's psychology department offers PhD training across social, cognitive, developmental, and clinical psychology at a major public R1 — a direct structural peer to Penn State.
• University of Michigan Department of Psychology: Michigan's psychology department is a large public R1 program offering BA, BS, and PhD tracks across cognitive, clinical, developmental, social, and biopsychology — closely matching Penn State's structure and scale.
• Cornell University Department of Psychology: Cornell's psychology department offers PhD training across behavioral neuroscience, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social areas — a direct structural peer at another major R1.
• Harvard University Department of Psychology: Harvard's psychology department offers PhD programs and clinical psychology training with a strong neuroscience integration, mirroring Penn State's SCAN-style approach to brain-behavior research.
• Stanford University Department of Psychology: Stanford's psychology department is a leading R1 research department offering PhD training across clinical, cognitive, developmental, social, and neuroscience areas — directly comparable to Penn State's program areas and research portfolio.
• University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychology: Penn's psychology department is an Ivy League R1 program with PhD areas in clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social psychology — comparable in research emphasis and neuroscience integration.
• Yale University Department of Psychology: Yale's psychology department offers PhD training with strong neuroscience integration through its affiliated research centers, comparable to Penn State's SCAN and Center for Language Science model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PSUPsychology
• Facebookfacebook.com/PennStatePsychology
• Instagraminstagram.com/pennstatepsychology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/psychology-penn-state

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Department of Psychology at Penn State