The Department of Psychology was established in 1917 with Professor John Tigert being appointed the first Department Chair and Dr. Clare Brown being appointed as an assistant professor. The department has grown since then to 42 faculty members (tenure track and lecturers) with major areas of study including behavioral neuroscience and psychopharmacology, clinical psychology, cognitive and developmental studies, and social psychology.

The department’s nationally ranked clinical psychology training program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System. Currently, the department is located in Kastle Hall on the University’s main campus. There are also satellite facilities that include the Jesse G. Harris Jr. Psychological Services Center, Developmental Studies Research Center, and research space in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building and elsewhere. Several clinical faculty persons now occupy laboratory space in Breckenridge Hall. The department provides the full spectrum of psychology training to over 1,200 undergraduate majors and over 80 doctoral and post-doctoral students.