by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 96 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 4,502 doctor's degrees in clinical, counseling & applied psychology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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.
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good 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.
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.
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 schools for clinical, counseling & applied psychology students working on their doctor's degree.
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.
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 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Columbia University in the City of New York is a great option for students 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 fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Columbia University in the City of New York
It is hard to beat University of Denver if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology degree program at University of Denver make $2,237 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Denver
It is hard to beat Palo Alto University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Palo Alto.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program make an average of $71,023 in their early career salary.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Palo Alto University
Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in clinical, counseling & applied psychology. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Texas A&M University - College Station receive an earnings boost of about $2,067 over the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the large suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those clinical, counseling & applied psychology students who get their doctor's degree from Hofstra University make $21,688 more than the standard clinical psychology grad.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Hofstra University
Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the clinical psychology program earn about $71,820 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Chicago
GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from George Washington University get an earnings boost of approximately $12,147 over the typical income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from George Washington University
Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Pepperdine University earn a boost of approximately $12,081 over the average income of clinical, counseling & applied psychology graduates.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pepperdine University
Located in the midsize city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program report average early career income of $70,197.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Georgia
Located in the large city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the clinical psychology program state that they receive average early career wages of $73,724.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Fordham University
NUS Florida is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
Soon after graduation, clinical psychology doctorate recipients usually earn about $63,861 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Nova Southeastern University
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.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology degree program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles earn $6,061 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Loyola Maryland is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Loyola University Maryland
Florida Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Melbourne.
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology doctor's degree recipients from Florida Institute of Technology get an earnings boost of approximately $15,860 above the average earnings of clinical, counseling & applied psychology majors.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Florida Institute of Technology
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 get $8,701 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Pacific University
Auburn is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Auburn.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Auburn University
LIU Post is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookville.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from LIU Post
Located in the city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Doctorate recipients from the clinical, counseling & applied psychology major at Western Michigan University make $9,379 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from Western Michigan University
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in clinical, counseling & applied psychology from University of Wisconsin - Madison
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Yeshiva University | New York, NY |
| 21 | St John’s University - New York | Queens, NY |
| 22 | La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 23 | National University | San Diego, CA |
| 24 | University of Hartford | West Hartford, CT |
| 25 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 26 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus | Teaneck, NJ |
| 27 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
| 28 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 29 | Ball State University | Muncie, IN |
| 30 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, ND |
| 31 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| 32 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
View the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 24 majors within the Psychology area of study, Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical Psychology | 2,470 |
| Counseling Psychology | 667 |
| School Psychology | 345 |
| Educational Psychology | 330 |
| Industrial & Organizational Psychology | 214 |
| Applied Behavior Analysis | 174 |
| Other Psychology & Counseling | 61 |
| Applied Psychology | 47 |
| Forensic Psychology | 46 |
| Community Psychology | 44 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Psychology | 1,634 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 937 |
| Other Psychology | 147 |