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2027 Edition

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PsyD Programs in Tennessee (2027)

Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee is the one school among PsyD programs in Tennessee that meets the ranking’s entry bar of current APA accreditation and an open start. Nationally it ranks 103rd, with a score of 40.8 out of 100.

Portrait of Trevor Rupe

By , Contributor at Savo Media Group
Updated

Fog settling into a valley of autumn forest below a ridge of the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The photograph opens the ranking of PsyD programs in Tennessee.

APA accredits it in counseling psychology. The school is a public university.

Tennessee accepts either an APA-accredited professional program or one on the ASPPB and National Register designated list, and ties its internship and postdoctoral hours to the health service provider designation. BLS reports a median of $76,820 for clinical and counseling psychologists in Tennessee (May 2025), against $100,580 nationwide. School psychologists earn more, at $76,850.

PsyD Programs in Tennessee at a Glance

  • One PsyD program in Tennessee is ranked. It holds current APA accreditation, takes new students and stands 103rd nationally. How the programs are scored.
  • Tennessee ties its two 1,900-hour training blocks to the health service provider designation. Every applicant also sits an open-book ethics and jurisprudence exam that takes 90 percent to pass.
  • Clinical and counseling psychologists in Tennessee earn a median of $76,820. That is BLS pay for SOC 19-3033 in May 2025, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $50,520 to $126,930.
  • APA lists Austin Peay State University as “Accredited, on contingency”. Its card shows that exact status.

The Ranked PsyD Program in Tennessee

Of the PsyD programs in Tennessee, this is the one the ranking includes. Its national rank is beside the school.

Rank 1

Austin Peay State University’s Psy.D. page in Counseling Psychology

Clarksville, TN · Counseling Psychology · No. 103 nationally · On campus

  • Accredited, on contingency

40.8

$24,361
first-year cohort, 2022-2023, out-of-state

Factor scores, out of 10

  • Cost 7.7
  • Completion 0.1
  • Track record 0.0
  • Credential 5.0
  • Reputation 0.6

Austin Peay State University's Psy.D. in counseling psychology in Clarksville, Tennessee, admits students who already hold a master's degree, trains them on campus for three years before a year of internship, and offers a concentration in serving military personnel, veterans and their families.

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Austin Peay's Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Counseling Psychology follows a practitioner-scholar model and counseling psychology's asset-strength approach, preparing generalist practitioners of health service psychology. Students complete up to 100 semester credit hours in courses that are fully on-ground and not offered remotely: three years of coursework, practica and dissertation in residence, followed by a one-year full-time or two-year half-time internship of about 2,000 hours. Students in the Serving Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families concentration take 15 credit hours of concentration courses and do clinical training in military-related settings, while others follow a generalist track with electives, and the program's location in a military community supports practica with diverse clients.

Applicants need a master's degree in counseling, clinical or counseling psychology, or a very closely related field, including a counseling theories class, a counseling techniques class and documented counseling experience with real clients, plus a resume, personal statement, writing sample and interview; the GRE is not required. Applications for the fall 2027 cohort open September 1, 2026 and close December 1, 2026. Students enroll full time through the academic year and summer, and up to five courses from prior graduate work may be waived, though credit for previous coursework does not shorten the program. The program says that, while not guaranteed and pending funds, every student who wanted a graduate assistantship has so far received a tuition waiver and a small stipend each semester.

  • The program requires up to 100 semester credit hours.
  • Applicants must hold a master's degree in counseling, clinical or counseling psychology, or a very closely related field.
  • The program does not require the GRE.
  • Courses are fully on-ground and not offered remotely.
  • The internship is one year full time or two years half time, about 2,000 hours.
APA area
Counseling Psychology
Program unit
Psy D in Counseling Psychology/Psychological Science and Counseling
APA number
2527
Accredited since
September 25, 2024
Schedule
full-time
Entry
master's degree
GRE
not required
Length
three years of coursework, practica and dissertation in residence, followed by a year of internship
Tuition, in-state
$16,605 (first-year cohort, 2022-2023)
Tuition, out-of-state
$24,361 (first-year cohort, 2022-2023)
Internship match
3 of 5 applicants matched to an APA- or CPA-accredited internship (APPIC)

Scored under methodology v2.0

Sources: APA record of Austin Peay State University (Counseling Psychology) and APA disclosure of Austin Peay State University (Counseling Psychology), read October 14, 2026.

The Numbers Behind the Tennessee Ranking

The figures below describe the one ranked program among PsyD programs in Tennessee, each read from the source named beside it.

  • 1

    APA-accredited PsyD program ranked in Tennessee

    APA directory

  • $16,605

    Yearly tuition, in-state price

    Program disclosure

Yearly tuition is $16,605 for the program. Where a program’s cost table lists both an in-state and an out-of-state price, this page counts the in-state price (Austin Peay State University); the ranking’s cost score uses the out-of-state price for every program alike.

Psychologist Licensure in Tennessee

A PsyD is a degree, and the license comes from the state. These are the rules a graduate of PsyD programs in Tennessee meets for a license there, each linked to the page it was read on.

Licensing questionTennessee’s answer
Doctoral degree and accreditation
A doctorate from a program on the ASPPB and National Register list of designated doctoral programs, or from an APA-accredited professional psychology programFor health service provider (HSP) designation, a designated program has to be in clinical, counseling or school psychology, or combine them. Source: Tennessee Rule 1180-02-.02, read October 21, 2026
Health service provider designation
Needed to provide health services as a psychologistThe board’s rule counts providing or claiming to provide health services without the designation as practice beyond a psychologist’s limits. Source: Tennessee Rule 1180-02-.01, read October 21, 2026
Supervised experience for HSP designation
An internship of at least 1,900 hours, then a postdoctoral year of at least 1,900 supervised hoursThe internship must be APA-accredited, run by an APPIC member center or approved by the board. A postdoctoral year done in Tennessee counts only under a provisional license, unless it is in a qualifying postdoctoral fellowship. Source: Tennessee Rule 1180-02-.02, read October 21, 2026
Licensing examinations
The EPPP, at a scaled score of 500 on the computer-delivered version, and the board’s ethics and jurisprudence examinationThe ethics and jurisprudence examination is open book, is taken at the board’s administrative office and needs 90 percent correct. Source: Tennessee Rule 1180-02-.04, read October 21, 2026

Licensing board: Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology.

Psychologist Pay in Tennessee

BLS counts 1,180 clinical and counseling psychologists in Tennessee, with a median annual wage of $76,820. School psychologists number 900 at a median of $76,850.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in Tennessee

$76,820

Median annual pay for clinical and counseling psychologists in Tennessee

  • BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$50,520
25th percentile
$56,990
75th percentile
$100,180
90th percentile
$126,930

Occupation: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, SOC 19-3033.BLS counts 1,180 employed in Tennessee.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Pay by Area in Tennessee

Median annual pay for clinical and counseling psychologists in Tennessee and its metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, BLS May 2025
AreaMedian annual pay
Tennessee statewide 1,180 employed $76,820
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 50 employed $99,070
Chattanooga, TN-GA 80 employed $85,480
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 460 employed $77,110
Clarksville, TN-KY 50 employed $72,800
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 170 employed $71,870
Knoxville, TN 170 employed $64,410

School Psychologists in Tennessee

$76,850

Median annual pay for school psychologists in Tennessee

  • BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$53,290
25th percentile
$65,720
75th percentile
$86,190
90th percentile
$102,400

Occupation: School Psychologists, SOC 19-3034.BLS counts 900 employed in Tennessee.

School Psychologists Pay by Area in Tennessee

Median annual pay for school psychologists in Tennessee and its metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, BLS May 2025
AreaMedian annual pay
Tennessee statewide 900 employed $76,850
Clarksville, TN-KY 30 employed $101,430
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 140 employed $84,390
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN 320 employed $80,420
Knoxville, TN 160 employed $76,850
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 30 employed $69,200
Chattanooga, TN-GA 120 employed $68,060

Percentiles are points in each occupation’s pay distribution, not experience levels. BLS lists an area in every state its counties reach, so a metropolitan area that crosses a state line appears under each state.

Questions About a PsyD in Tennessee

Which APA-Accredited PsyD Program Is in Tennessee?

In the 2027 ranking, Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee is the one APA-accredited program taking new students among the PsyD programs in Tennessee, with a score of 40.8 out of 100 and 103rd place nationally. Its program page is Austin Peay State University’s program page for its Psy.D. in Counseling Psychology. The score weighs cost, graduate earnings, completion, internship and licensure outcomes, track record, credential alignment and program reputation, and the methodology page shows each weight.

Does Tennessee Require an APA-Accredited PsyD?

No. Under rule 1180-02-.02, a doctorate from a program on the designated list that ASPPB and the National Register publish meets the academic requirement. A doctorate from a professional psychology program accredited by APA meets it too, with HSP designation. For HSP designation through the designated list, the program has to be in clinical, counseling or school psychology, or combine them.

What Is HSP Designation for Tennessee Psychologists?

Health service provider designation is what a Tennessee psychologist needs to provide health services; the board’s rule treats providing them without it as practice beyond a psychologist’s limits. It rests on an internship of at least 1,900 hours and a postdoctoral year of at least 1,900 supervised hours, and practicum does not count toward that year.

Which Exams Does a Tennessee Psychologist Take?

The EPPP, which passes at a scaled score of 500 on the computer-delivered version, and the board’s ethics and jurisprudence examination. That second exam is open book, is taken at the board’s administrative office and needs 90 percent correct, and the board’s rules say it is never waived.

What Do Psychologists Earn in Tennessee?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $76,820 for clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033) in Tennessee for May 2025. The 10th percentile is $50,520 and the 90th is $126,930. School psychologists (SOC 19-3034) have a median of $76,850. Percentiles mark points in the pay distribution of everyone in the occupation, not years of experience.

Sources for Tennessee PsyD Programs