Best PsyD Programs in Georgia (2027)

The program pairs coursework with three years of practicum: clinical training begins on campus in the Psychology Clinic, the Georgia Southern University Counseling Center and the Regents Center for Learning Disorders, followed by a third-year agency placement that primarily serves rural clients and a fourth-year placement focused on professional development. Students complete at least 112 credits of coursework, including at least one year of full-time coursework in residency, pass the written and oral Clinical Qualifying Examination, and complete a dissertation on an original research question with an oral defense; the dissertation proposal and the examination must be defended before students apply for internship. Training ends with a full-time, 12-month clinical internship of 2,000 hours, and the standard timeline is five years.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and at least a B in psychological statistics, research design and abnormal psychology; an interview is required, all students begin in the fall semester, and the program does not admit students for a terminal master's degree. The program is designed as a full-time program completed in five years, but students may be admitted with part-time status if they enter with at least 18 hours of transfer credit, take at least six credit hours each semester and switch to full-time enrollment for at least one full year. Graduate assistantships include a stipend and a full tuition waiver, including out-of-state tuition, for 20 hours of work a week; the department has four for incoming students each year, other incoming students can apply for assistantships elsewhere on campus, and students still pay university fees. The school says the program's required classes may not fulfill the educational requirement for licensure in all states.

• The program enrolls eight students each year.
• Coursework totals at least 112 credits.
• Practicum runs three years, including a third-year agency placement that primarily serves rural clients.
• The internship is full time for 12 months and 2,000 hours.
• Graduate assistantships include a stipend and a full tuition waiver.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Department of Psychology

APA number

1763

Accredited since

March 4, 2014

Next site visit

2029

Schedule

full-time or part-time

Entry

bachelor's degree

Length

five years, including the 12-month internship

Credits

112 credit hours

Tuition, in-state

$10,878 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

Tuition, out-of-state

$39,879 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$2,172

EPPP

86.11% of 36 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

39 of 39 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Mercer's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology trains students to apply clinical and research skills in an integrative, biopsychosocial approach to healthcare, and its coursework is augmented by a focus on interprofessional aspects of healthcare with other disciplines in the College of Health Professions. The five-year program combines four years of full-time coursework, including three years of clinical practica in metro Atlanta, Georgia, with a one-year, full-time predoctoral internship. Each practicum placement lasts 12 months, in the second, third and fourth years; students indicate their preferences among program-approved placements and the Director of Clinical Training makes the assignments, and some clinical obligations fall on evenings, weekends or campus breaks. Training partners include academic healthcare centers, hospitals, community mental health centers, correctional facilities, university counseling centers and independent practices, with specialized training available in health psychology and areas such as neuropsychology, pediatric psychology and forensic psychology. The internship of 2,000 hours is the culmination of clinical training, and the curriculum for students admitted in fall 2026 or after includes 10 hours of dissertation work and 6 hours of electives.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, a 3.0 grade point average, and either a psychology major or at least 12 semester hours of psychology coursework covering introductory, abnormal and developmental psychology and statistics or research methods. GRE general test scores are recommended but not required, applications go through PsychologyCAS, and qualified applicants may be invited to a personal interview. The program is offered on the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus in Atlanta, Georgia; the PsyD consists of 100 credit hours, up to 9 credits can be transferred in, and students may join faculty research labs throughout their training. Students admitted to the PsyD can apply separately to the Master of Public Health and complete both degrees in 5 years. Mercer says the program is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure in Georgia; licensure itself is granted by the state's psychology board.

• The PsyD consists of 100 credit hours.
• Students complete three full years of practicum, each placement lasting 12 months.
• The internship of 2,000 hours typically lasts one calendar year.
• GRE general test scores are recommended but not required.
• Students admitted to the PsyD can apply to add a Master of Public Health and finish both degrees in 5 years.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Clinical Psychology

APA number

2194

Accredited since

July 22, 2018

Next site visit

2032

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's degree

GRE

optional

Length

five years: four years of full-time coursework, including three years of clinical practica in metro Atlanta, Georgia, followed by a one-year, full-time predoctoral internship

Credits

100 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$45,552 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$250

EPPP

73.85% of 65 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

78 of 85 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Brenau's Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) follows a scholar-practitioner model of health service psychology and requires a total of 140 graduate credits, 29 of them master's-level prerequisites. Students spend at least three full-time academic years in person on the downtown campus in Gainesville, Georgia, then complete a one-year predoctoral clinical internship through the APPIC Match. Practicum typically takes 16 hours a week, with Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays reserved for it, and adds up to a minimum of 1200 hours of applied clinical experience at three or more sites, including Brenau's own clinics on its campuses in Gainesville, Georgia, and Norcross, Georgia, the Ivester House clinic and community placements. Students pass comprehensive examinations before applying for internship and complete a dissertation, which may be an empirical study, an applied project, a multi-case study or a critical analysis of the literature, with written and oral components. Electives, specialized practica and research build each of the five concentrations: adult, child and adolescent, geriatric and forensic psychology, and neuropsychology.

Applicants with a master's degree in psychology or a closely related field enter the post-master's pathway, planned as four years in total; applicants with a bachelor's degree, or a master's degree in an unrelated field, enter the Master of Science in Psychology with PsyD Direct Admission pathway, planned as five years, and complete the M.S. requirements in the first two years. The program page asks master's applicants for a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 300 or higher, waived for those with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and asks applicants without a master's degree for a GRE score of 320 or higher and a GPA of 3.70 or higher; applications go through PsychologyCAS for a fall start. Courses meet in person in the Renaissance building in downtown Gainesville, Georgia, which houses the Lynn J. Darby School of Psychology and Adolescent Counseling, and the handbook calls full-time work strictly incompatible with the program. Because Brenau sits in an agricultural part of Georgia, students are exposed to issues and strategies in rural mental health. Brenau says the program grounds its standards in Georgia's educational requirements for licensure as a psychologist; licensure itself is granted by each state's psychology board.

• The program totals 140 graduate credits, 29 of them master's-level prerequisites.
• Practicum adds up to a minimum of 1200 hours of applied clinical experience.
• Master's applicants with a GPA of 3.5 or higher do not need the GRE.
• Students have access to three on-site clinics as well as community sites.
• The internship is a full-time, one-year placement through the APPIC Match.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

PsyD in Clinical Psychology

APA number

2650

Accredited since

February 10, 2026

Next site visit

2029

Schedule

full-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

Length

four years for the post-master's pathway or five years for the direct admission pathway, each including a one-year clinical internship

Credits

140 credits

Tuition, full-time

$1,044 per credit (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

Scored under methodology v2.0