Prescott, Arizona — Psychology Professor Nichole Guzzo earned her doctorate this year – and then some. Last Wednesday, the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) notified Dr. Guzzo’s dissertation chair that her thesis was selected as the Top Dissertation from Arizona’s universities in 2026.

Dr. Guzzo wrote “The Interaction between Course Duration and Discipline for Student Outcomes in Online Accelerated Courses,” as part of her doctoral studies at Grand Canyon University. It examined student outcomes in accelerated, online courses in Psychology, Math, and Biology versus traditional online learning models.

“I think mine stood out because of the complex statistical design,” she said. It comes at a time when educators are comparing the effectiveness of online and accelerated coursework versus more traditional models. “The topic is very timely in education – not just at Yavapai College but across the country.”

The chair of Yavapai College’s Social and Behavioral Sciences department, Dr. Guzzo, currently teaches Psychology, Brain and Behavior, and Research Methods courses in Prescott and Prescott Valley. She led the drive to acquire U.S. Department of Health & Human Services approval for the College’s human research protections from its Institutional Review Board, which authorizes Yavapai College to supervise research in accordance with federal regulations and ethical standards. Dr. Guzzo received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Iowa State University in 2005, and her master’s degree in psychology from the same institution in 2007.

The ASA award announcement marked a busy week for Dr. Guzzo. It came days after her dissertation chair informed her, she was selected as GCU’s top Ph.D. candidate from a field of 590 successfully defended dissertations.

Dr. Guzzo will condense her work, with dissertation chair Dr. Roselyn Polk, for publication in an academic journal. In the classroom, she plans to continue what she has built with Yavapai College and the local community. “I have been teaching at Yavapai for 19 years now and absolutely love the college and raising my family in this location.”

Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, six baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.