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Clinical psychologist-licensed education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a clinical psychologist-licensed. Clinical psychologist-licenseds usually study clinical psychology, psychology, or counseling psychology. 45% of clinical psychologist-licenseds hold a doctoral degree, and 35% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 646 real clinical psychologist-licensed resumes to see exactly what clinical psychologist-licensed education sections show.

The most common colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds are the Alliant International University and the Alliant International University.

There are also many online clinical psychologist-licensed courses to help get the education required to be a clinical psychologist-licensed.

What education do you need to become a clinical psychologist-licensed?

What degree do you need to be a clinical psychologist-licensed?

The most common degree for clinical psychologist-licenseds is doctoral degree, with 45% of clinical psychologist-licenseds earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 35% and bachelor's degree degree at 18%.
  • Doctorate, 45%
  • Bachelor's, 35%
  • Master's, 18%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a clinical psychologist-licensed?

You should major in clinical psychology to become a clinical psychologist-licensed. 47% of clinical psychologist-licenseds major in clinical psychology. Other common majors for a clinical psychologist-licensed include psychology and counseling psychology.

Most common colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds

Clinical psychologist-licenseds often get their degrees at Alliant International University, Argosy University, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Here are the most common colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds in the US based on their resumes.
Clinical psychologist-licensed common collegePercentages
Alliant International University12.84%
Argosy University11.93%
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology8.26%
Carlos Albizu University8.26%
New York University5.50%

Best majors for clinical psychologist-licenseds

RankMajorPercentages
1Clinical Psychology46.9%
2Psychology33.6%
3Counseling Psychology5.9%
4Social Work1.3%
5Biology1.1%

Best colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds

The best colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.

A clinical psychologist-licensed with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical psychologist-licenseds. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become clinical psychologist-licenseds.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

6. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

7. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,167

Enrollment

30,279

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for clinical psychologist-licenseds

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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical psychologist-licenseds

The most affordable schools for clinical psychologist-licenseds are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for clinical psychologist-licenseds are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for clinical psychologist-licenseds.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Cost of attendance

24,514

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical psychologist-licenseds

The hardest universities for clinical psychologist-licenseds to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for clinical psychologist-licenseds are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for clinical psychologist-licenseds based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,465

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical psychologist-licenseds

The easiest schools for clinical psychologist-licenseds to get into are Bluefield College, notre dame de namur university, and life university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical psychologist-licensed without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for clinical psychologist-licenseds.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average clinical psychologist-licensed salary by education level

According to our data, clinical psychologist-licenseds with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $103,725 annually. Clinical psychologist-licenseds with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $98,669.
Clinical psychologist-licensed education levelClinical psychologist-licensed salary
Master's Degree$98,669
Doctorate Degree$103,725

Clinical psychologist-licensed education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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