The top 50 universities for psychology: Educational and future career trends for students

The object of this study is a comparative analysis of the world's leading universities in order to identify the main trends in the development of psychological science and practices, educational trends and future career opportunities in the field of psychology. The initial information used was taken from the specialized international website QS World University Rankings (by subject "Life Sciences & Medicine subjects: Psychology"). Additionally, a comparative analysis was conducted based on information provided by universities from their official websites in the area of "Psychology". Results and discussion. In current world rankings, the top ten universities consist of universities in the United States and Great Britain. The advantage of the Anglo-Saxon model of education in the world market in modern psychology is presented. The features of educational programs in universities that have successfully implemented psychological programs are: 1) in the uniqueness and originality of psychology programs, which with significant advances set trends in psychological science and practice are implemented by the top ten ranking universities. 2) The fact that in top universities, psychology is studied in separate and specific facilities of psychology that have a number of resources within the framework of the University 3.0 concept. 3) In the department of psychology, students are trained in scientific laboratories, which directly connect science, education and practice. 4) The top 50 universities actively offer ways of employment and promotion to young professionals, especially in the field of scientific careers. Conclusion. The authors suggest that Russian universities can develop in two directions with a focus on top universities: 1) to support the already existing world trends shared by 50 top universities in the subject of "Psychology"; 2) to offer new directions through the development of their own unique products, which are strong in traditional Russian scientific and educational sphere (psychophysiology, IT-psychology, psychology of morality and spirituality, psychology of security). © 2018.