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2024 Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California

34 Colleges in California
1,181 Doctor's Degrees
$63,888 Avg Early-Career Salary
a doctor's degree in psychology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #6 out of 36 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 34 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,181 doctor's degrees in psychology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Psychology School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California The psychology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for psychology students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Psychology Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.


 

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Psychology in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in psychology.

10 Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Psychology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in psychology. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles

2
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology crest
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Palo Alto University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in psychology. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Palo Alto.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Palo Alto University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in psychology needs to look into Fielding Graduate University. Fielding is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Barbara.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Fielding Graduate University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a good option for students interested in a doctor's degree in psychology. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of Southern California

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Berkeley

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Diego, Alliant is a private for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Alliant International University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Claremont, Claremont Graduate University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Claremont Graduate University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Irvine

10
The Wright Institute crest
The Wright Institute
Berkeley, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

The Wright Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in psychology from The Wright Institute

Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Psychology Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 27 73
Oregon 27 112
Nevada 25 41
Hawaii 23 26
Alaska 10 11

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Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 808
General Psychology 188
Other Psychology 106
Child Development & Psychology 79

Notes and References

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