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2023 Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools

230 Colleges
$61,988 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor's Degree School for You

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology is the #30 most popular major in the country with 33,758 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 230 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the clinical psychology doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Clinical & Counseling Psychology

#1

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA

Our analysis found Palo Alto University to be the best school for clinical, counseling and applied psychology students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Palo Alto.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Palo Alto University

#2

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Harvard University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best clinical, counseling and applied psychology schools in the United States. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Harvard University

Out of the 230 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the # 3 spot on the list. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the city of Scottsdale.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Arizona State University - Skysong

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles Report

#5

Fielding Graduate University

Santa Barbara, CA

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Fielding Graduate University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best clinical, counseling and applied psychology schools in the United States. Fielding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Fielding Graduate University Report

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC ranked #6 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Washington, The Chicago School Washington DC Campus is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Washington DC Report

Southern Methodist University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Southern Methodist University

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, The Chicago School Chicago Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago

#9

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#10

The Wright Institute

Berkeley, CA

The Wright Institute landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. Located in the city of Berkeley, The Wright Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The Wright Institute

Fuller Theological Seminary ranked #11 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Fuller is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary

#12

William James College

Newton, MA

William James College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. William James College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Newton.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at William James College

#13

Touro University Worldwide

Los Alamitos, CA

Touro University Worldwide ranked #13 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. TUW is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Alamitos.

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#14

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Boston College

University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #15 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Saint Paul, UST MN is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

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The University of Texas at Austin landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. UT Austin is a fairly large public school located in the city of Austin.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin

With a ranking of #17, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Irvine did quite well on this year’s best schools for clinical, counseling and applied psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Irvine, The Chicago School Irvine Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach ranked #18 on this year’s Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Daytona Beach.

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University of Maryland - College Park came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at University of Maryland - College Park Report

#20

Endicott College

Beverly, MA

With a ranking of #20, Endicott College did quite well on this year’s best schools for clinical, counseling and applied psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. Endicott is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Beverly.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Endicott College Report

#21

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO

Saint Louis University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. Located in the city of Saint Louis, SLU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at Saint Louis University Report

#22

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.

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#23

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for clinical, counseling and applied psychology students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at University of Georgia

#24

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, NY

The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree clinical, counseling and applied psychology programs. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of New York.

Full Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report

#25

Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY

With a ranking of #25, Hofstra University did quite well on this year’s best schools for clinical, counseling and applied psychology students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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Rest of the Top Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools

#27

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI
#28

Spalding University

Louisville, KY
#31

Auburn University

Auburn, AL
#32

University of Houston

Houston, TX
#33

Pacific University

Forest Grove, OR

Honorable Mentions

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 Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
35 American University Washington, DC
36 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
37 Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA
38 Biola University La Mirada, CA
39 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
40 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
41 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
42 National University La Jolla, CA
43 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
44 George Washington University Washington, DC
45 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
46 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology by Region

View the Best Clinical & Counseling Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology is one of 3 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 141,695
Child Development & Psychology 17,542
Other Psychology 2,683

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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