DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Dr. Jennifer Stanley,
Chair of the Psychology Department
Welcome to the exciting world of UA Psychology
We are the Psychology Department at The University of Akron; we are a busy, active, and thriving place. We encourage anyone interested in psychology as a major, minor or for graduate studies to visit us. Our faculty are dedicated and provide high quality teaching both in the classroom and one-on-one in our research labs.
Whether you're a prospective student, current student or just checking us out, if you have any questions please email me directly at jstanley@uakron.edu.
Undergraduate program highlights
- UA’s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program is ranked No. 35 in the country in 2023 by Best Accredited Colleges. UA is one of two Ohio universities in the top 50.
- UA’s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program is ranked No. 273 as Best Undergraduate Psychology in 2024 by US News and World Report Rankings.
- You'll have opportunities to work one-on-one with a faculty member and graduate students on an independent research project.
- Take courses in advanced research design and statistics.
- Get credit and hands-on experience as part of our Field Experience Seminar.
- Students in the UA Honors College, participate in special seminars, research experiences, and many other unique and useful academic opportunities.
Graduate programs
We have three graduate programs in Psychology. Each has its own particular emphasis, but all three intersect in: joint research efforts, cross-disciplinary curriculum experiences, a unified foundational curriculum in psychology, and to create a shared psychology community.
- Industrial/Organizational Psychology program, offers doctoral and terminal master's degrees, and is one of the older and more established programs in the country. The I/O doctoral program has been rated in the top ten by most available ranking systems including those based purely on research productivity.
- Counseling Psychology doctoral program has one of the best research track records in the country and consistently has among the best pass rates on the national licensure exam (EPPP).
- The Adult Development and Aging (ADA) program focuses on emotions, behaviors, and cognitions of adults and is the only program like it in the state of Ohio.
Our graduate students come from all over the United States and internationally.
Psychology faculty
Our faculty is a strong and committed group of teachers/scholars who are passionate about their research, their students, and the educational process.
- All UA psychology faculty publish and present papers regularly and are involved in various professional organizations (e.g., APA, SIOP, GSA, APS).
- Most of our faculty review regularly for scholarly journals and many serve on editorial boards and as editors and associate editors of journals.
- Our faculty value high quality teaching in both in the classroom and one-on-one in our research labs.
Co-PI, Trauma Informed Care Planning from Summit County
Co-PI, HIV risk reduction intervention for transwomen with intimate partner victimization
Co-I, Computerized Intervention for Reducing Intimate Partner Violence for Perinatal Women Seeking Mental Health Treatment
Co-PI, High Resolution Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Cerebellum and Brainstem in Type I Chiari Malformation: Associations with Cognitive Function and Symptomatology, Conquer Chiari Foundation Grant
Recent Headlines
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How being an honors student is helping A.J. Ruffin-Stcyr inspire his passions at The University of Akron
A.J. Ruffin-Stcyr is exploring his desire to simply help others while pursuing a dual degree in psychology and child and family development. Part of his own support system on campus, helping turn that passion become a possibility, includes being a scholar in the Drs. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College.
- In episode 5 of Dialogue with the Dean, Dr. Mitchell McKinney sits down with Dr. Jenny Stanley, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology and director of the Emotions and Aging Lab. Dr. Stanley shares insights into her lab's research on emotional processing in older adults, her role in UA’s Adult Development and Aging Psychology program, and her recent work co-editing a special issue of Innovation in Aging focused on aging in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Youtube link: https://youtu.be/tZJBH2BWMDA?si=mQYkirMQbNGW2Q0-
- Shifting the spotlight to what’s good in life, featuring Dr. Ingrid Weigold
Dr. Weigold talks about the field of positive psychology and how it is starting to become more accepted as an approach to therapy that is strength-based rather than disorder-focused. Dr. Weigold teaches a class on the subject and conducts research in this area. She also uses it in therapy with clients.