Doctorate in Psychology: PsyD, PhD and EdD

“Doctoral programs differ in the type of doctoral degree awarded. The two most common doctoral degrees are the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and the PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). Programs in colleges of education may offer the EdD (Doctor of Education) degree.”

APA, Frequently Asked Questions About Graduate School

• PhD. APA says the degree is “generally regarded as a research degree.”
• PsyD. APA calls it “a professional degree in psychology.” Its programs focus on applying psychological science to provide a service to individuals or groups.
• EdD. APA notes that “Programs in colleges of education may offer the EdD (Doctor of Education) degree.”

APA’s accreditation standards leave room beyond the first two: “Other doctoral degree designations that meet these general parameters may be eligible for consideration as appropriate.” Whatever the degree, the standards say “Graduates of each type of program or other doctoral degree designations, however, must demonstrate a fundamental understanding of, and competency, in both research/scholarly activities and evidence-based professional practice.”

A doctorate in psychology that APA accredits has to meet the same structural standards whatever its degree. At a minimum, each student completes “a minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study (or the equivalent thereof) plus an internship prior to receiving the doctoral degree,” and the program must show that “all students complete a 1-year full-time or 2-year part-time internship.”

Residency is part of the standard. The program must provide “at least 2 of the 3 academic training years (or the equivalent thereof) within the program from which the doctoral degree is granted,” and at least one of those years in full-time residence. Practicum is required before internship: “Practicum must include supervised experience working with diverse individuals with a variety of presenting problems, diagnoses, and issues.”

APA’s 2008 careers guide adds the other pieces of the path: “you must pass a comprehensive exam and write and defend a dissertation or other scholarly product.” The same guide notes that “Accredited doctoral programs are required to provide information on their websites about the match rate of their students-to-internship placements.”

APA’s own guidance is that a program’s accreditation status is “only applicable to clinical, counseling and school doctoral programs.” This site ranks the PsyD programs in those areas that hold current APA accreditation. Of the 117 ranked programs, 92 are accredited in clinical psychology, 14 in counseling psychology and 19 in school psychology; 8 are accredited in a combined area and count in both of their areas.

Entry points differ. Of the 107 ranked programs whose own pages state who may apply, 98 accept applicants with a bachelor’s degree and 9 ask for a master’s degree. The PsyD requirements guide covers admission and degree requirements.

Start from the national ranking; the Rankings menu narrows it by specialty, cost or state.

APA’s 2008 careers guide said “Most doctoral degrees take 5–7 years to complete.” It covers doctoral degrees in psychology generally, not PsyD programs alone.

For PsyD programs there is current data. Of the 108 ranked programs whose APA disclosures report time to completion, 90 report a typical graduate finishing in 5 years or fewer and 106 in 6 years or fewer. The median program reports 5.0 years, including the internship year.

The degree is not the end of the path. APA says that “Most graduates of doctoral programs enter postdoctoral training,” a period of mentored training, before a first job or private practice. A license then comes from a state or territory board, which sets its own supervised-hours and exam requirements; the licensure guide covers 33 states and the EPPP guide covers the national exam.