Saybrook University

What is the history of Saybrook University?

Saybrook University began in 1971 as the Humanistic Psychology Institute. Its early work centered on humanistic psychology, an approach concerned with people's experiences, development, and capacity for change.

The institution later became Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center before adopting the Saybrook University name. Its development from a specialized psychology school into a graduate university helps explain its current mix of psychology, counseling, health, leadership, and social-change programs. Prospective students should evaluate the program they intend to enter rather than assume that Saybrook operates like a conventional undergraduate university.

What are the faculties and departments at Saybrook University?

Saybrook University is a graduate-focused institution whose programs concentrate on the social sciences and integrative health. Its academic offerings include advanced study in psychology, counseling, mind-body medicine, and integrative and functional nutrition.

Credentials and requirements differ substantially by program. A research-oriented psychology doctorate, for example, serves a different purpose from a counseling degree designed around supervised clinical training. Applicants should use the current academic catalog to compare required courses, research expectations, clinical placements, and any in-person components. For a program connected to a licensed profession, the exact degree and curriculum matter more than the university's general academic focus.

What is the location of Saybrook University?

Saybrook University is based in Pasadena, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Students should not assume, however, that a Pasadena address means daily attendance at a traditional campus: the university's graduate programs can combine online study with scheduled in-person activities.

Pasadena's regional transportation connections may be useful for students attending required meetings or traveling to placements. The more consequential location question is program-specific: how often must a student travel, where can supervised work be completed, and what will transportation and lodging cost? Those answers can differ for a local student and one living elsewhere in the country.

What is the mission and vision of Saybrook University?

Saybrook University's stated educational purpose is rooted in humanistic inquiry and the study of people in social and cultural context. Its academic emphasis connects individual well-being with broader questions about communities and social change.

That philosophy is relevant to the university's interdisciplinary programs, but a mission statement is not evidence of a particular student outcome. Applicants can assess how the stated approach appears in a program's course descriptions, research methods, faculty interests, and clinical training requirements. Saybrook's philosophical orientation should also be distinguished from a religious affiliation; the two are not the same thing.