After their marriage, Richard Lyman was a professor on engineering at the University of Utah. Amy Lyman took classes from the university, including English and history. In 1902, the Lymans went to New York so that Richard could begin his graduate studies at Cornell University. On their way, they went to a summer session at the University of Chicago. While in Chicago, Lyman enrolled in a class on sociology. She became involved in Settlement House programs and associated with Jane Addams. After her husband graduated from Cornell University, the couple returned to Utah.