2024 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools
If you pursue a doctor's degree in
clinical, counseling & applied psychology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #8 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 214 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,156 doctor's degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology School for Your Doctor's Degree
The clinical psychology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality clinical psychology program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on clinical, counseling & applied psychology students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for clinical, counseling & applied psychology to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized clinical, counseling & applied psychology related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students working on their doctor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology in the United States
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
It's difficult to beat The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Soon after graduating, clinical psychology doctorate recipients usually make an average of $60,806 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
After graduation, clinical psychology doctorate recipients typically make an average of $60,806 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of Washington, The Chicago School Washington DC Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Soon after graduation, clinical psychology doctorate recipients typically make an average of $60,806 in their early careers.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC
Columbia University in the City of New York is a great option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York
William James College is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Newton.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career income of $58,059.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from William James College
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Palo Alto.
After graduating, clinical psychology doctorate recipients usually earn around $61,567 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Palo Alto University
Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Harvard University
Fielding is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Santa Barbara.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Fielding Graduate University make $3,210 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fielding Graduate University
Located in the city of Chicago, Adler is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make an average of $61,722 for their early career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Adler University
Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Chicago
Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn around $62,156 for their early career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from University of Denver receive an earnings boost of around $4,138 above the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Denver
Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University
Located in the large city of San Diego, Alliant is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Alliant International University make $2,488 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Alliant International University
Located in the large suburb of Forest Grove, Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Pacific University make $4,626 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pacific University
Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Vanderbilt University
Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
After graduation, clinical psychology doctorate recipients typically make around $59,864 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Chicago
The Wright Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Berkeley.
Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their doctor's degree from The Wright Institute make $2,297 more than the average clinical psychology graduate.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Wright Institute
Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public university with a very large student population.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology program at Arizona State University - Skysong make $23,151 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Arizona State University - Skysong
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career wages of $63,789.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Georgia
GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.
Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their doctor's degree from George Washington University make $4,078 more than the typical clinical psychology student.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from George Washington University
The Chicago School Irvine Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine
Located in the city of Pasadena, Fuller is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Fuller Theological Seminary earn a boost of approximately $8,744 above the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary
Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate graduates who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn an average of $58,702 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fordham University
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