Best PsyD Programs in Kentucky (2027)

EKU's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology prepares practitioners to provide psychological services to a broad range of clients and settings and to be sophisticated consumers of research, with a special focus on rural communities; course topics include statistics and research design, advanced developmental psychology, biological bases of behavior and rural mental health. The degree requires a minimum of 120 graduate hours, including 72 credit hours of required courses, 27 credit hours of clinical practica, 6 credit hours for the doctoral research project, 3 elective hours and 12 credit hours for a year-long internship, and students must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations. Early practicum takes place in the department's own training clinic, the Eastern Kentucky University Psychology Clinic, and external placements in the third and fourth years typically require two days a week at the site. All students complete a year-long, full-time doctoral internship at an approved site in the final year.

Applicants need at least five undergraduate psychology courses, including general psychology, statistics and experimental psychology, and candidates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are competitive; applications are due December 1, selected applicants are invited to interview, and classes begin in August. The program is on campus in Richmond, Kentucky, and students may transfer up to 18 hours of graduate credit for non-clinical courses. Each incoming first-year student receives a full-time graduate assistantship with a 6 credit-hour tuition waiver in the fall and spring, second- and third-year students receive half-time positions with a 3 credit-hour waiver, and no assistantships are awarded in summer. The program encourages students to apply for licensure as a Licensed Psychological Associate after receiving their master's degree, which it says may help them obtain a paid clinical practicum position.

• The program requires a minimum of 120 graduate hours.
• Students complete 27 credit hours of practicum, starting in the department's own training clinic.
• The internship is a year-long, full-time placement at an approved site in the final year.
• Each incoming first-year student receives a full-time graduate assistantship with a 6 credit-hour tuition waiver.
• Students may transfer up to 18 hours of graduate credit for non-clinical courses.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Psychology

APA number

2163

Accredited since

April 15, 2018

Next site visit

2029

Credits

120 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$24,618 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

University fees

$1,980

EPPP

66.67% of 54 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

53 of 57 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Spalding University's Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, in Louisville, Kentucky, trains generalist clinical psychologists through a scholar-practitioner/local clinical scientist model and has been continuously accredited by the APA since 1989. Students complete 120 credit hours, 105 of them required classes, pass qualifying and comprehensive examinations, propose and defend a dissertation, and complete an 1800-hour internship. Practicum moves through four sequential levels, from a pre-practicum in the summer of year one to an advanced practicum in year four, at sites drawn from more than 90 community partners.

Applicants need a completed bachelor's degree that includes at least 18 credit hours in psychology, and the GRE is not required; interviews are held virtually. Students who enter with a master's degree may receive credit for up to 30 credit hours of comparable graduate work, though at least 90 credit hours plus dissertation and internship must be completed at Spalding. Students may specialize in one of five emphasis areas by taking four emphasis-area classes and one elective, and graduate assistantships that provide tuition assistance are awarded each year based on availability and student skills.

• The program requires 120 credit hours.
• The GRE is not required for admission.
• The program requires an 1800-hour internship.
• Practicum runs through four sequential levels, from year one to year four.
• The program offers five emphasis areas.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

School of Professional Psychology

APA number

241

Accredited since

June 20, 1989

Next site visit

2027

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

GRE

not required

Credits

120 credit hours

Tuition, full-time

$38,340 (first-year cohort, 2026-2027)

University fees

$630

EPPP

76.58% of 111 first-time takers passed (ASPPB)

Internship match

160 of 166 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Applied Psychology: Clinical Concentration follows a practitioner-scholar (Vail) model with a cognitive-behavioral orientation, and the program emphasizes serving rural areas where skilled professionals are in short supply. Students entering from a bachelor's degree take first two years identical to the WKU MA in Clinical Psychology, then join the incoming MA to PsyD cohort in Year 3; the catalog lists 96 hours for the BA/BS to PsyD concentration and 48 hours for the MA to PsyD concentration. The curriculum includes courses in managing a clinical practice and advanced supervision, and the program will require two capstone experiences: a dissertation and a qualifying full-time predoctoral internship.

Bachelor's-level applicants need at least 18 hours of psychology coursework, and those entering with a master's degree in clinical psychology or a related field need a graduate GPA of 3.50; the catalog sets minimum GRE scores and accepts a practice portfolio in lieu of them from applicants with at least five years of successful practice. Students entering without a master's degree should plan on a mixture of daytime and evening courses Monday through Thursday, and the handbook puts the average time from entry to graduation at six years, while students with a master's in clinical psychology can finish in four years (3 years of academic study and a one-year full-time internship); students in the MA to PsyD concentration may also study part-time. Review of applications begins on November 15 for each fall cohort, limited graduate assistantships come with a waiver of out-of-state tuition, and WKU says graduates of the doctoral internship will be eligible to apply for licensure as psychologists in Kentucky; licensure is granted by the state's psychology board.

• The BA/BS to PsyD concentration totals 96 hours and the MA to PsyD concentration 48 hours.
• The program follows a cognitive-behavioral orientation within a practitioner-scholar model.
• Applicants submit GRE scores or, with at least five years of successful practice, a portfolio in lieu of them.
• Limited graduate assistantships carry a waiver of out-of-state tuition.

APA area

Clinical Psychology

Program unit

Psychology Doctoral Program

APA number

2541

Accredited since

November 8, 2024

Schedule

full-time or part-time

Entry

bachelor's or master's degree

Length

four years for students entering with a master's degree in clinical psychology (3 years of academic study and a one-year full-time internship); five to six years for students entering without one

Credits

96 credit hours

Tuition, in-state

$18,860 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

Tuition, out-of-state

$23,854 (first-year cohort, 2025-2026)

University fees

$4,610

Internship match

5 of 15 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0