The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

At the University of Chicago, the psychology program starts from a foundation in scientific method, with the aim of sending graduates into the field ready to work. Students move through a handful of specialized courses, two rounds of statistics, and a research project they have to see through themselves. Alongside that, there's coursework covering the core areas of the discipline, so nobody leaves with gaps in the basics.

The program also runs an honors track and hosts its own chapter of Psi Chi, which opens up extra avenues for students who want them. On the teaching side, the department is staffed by faculty holding doctorates (some with dual doctorates), many of whom have published widely.

Separate from the university is The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, usually shortened to "The Chicago School." It's a graduate institution built entirely around psychology. With close to 2,000 students enrolled and roughly 1,400 alumni, it stands as the largest nonprofit graduate school in the country devoted to preparing professional psychologists. The school also belongs to the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology.

More recently, The Chicago School added an online option to the mix.

The online and blended programs are aimed at people who can't drop everything to study: those holding down full-time jobs, raising families, or both. The idea is that you can work toward a recognized credential and your own professional goals without stepping away from the life you already have.

Some of these programs run almost entirely online, with a small synchronous piece built in. That usually means a one or two hour virtual residency session each term where every student is expected to be logged on at the same time. Other programs follow a blended model, splitting the work between online study and time spent on campus. Either way, the goal is to pair the kind of training the school has long been known for with the flexibility people need now.

A few things the programs promise: a graduate degree from a licensed, established graduate college of psychology in the state; faculty who mentor from real practice rather than theory alone; and a personal student advisor assigned to you from enrollment through graduation, there to keep you on track. There's also a 24/7 help line staffed by people who handle the technology questions, plus career support meant to help you figure out where you're headed and actually put the degree to use.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.