How to Get a PhD or PsyD in Psychology & Behavior

Find the right school for you

Career Opportunities: After PhD and PsyD Programs

Both the PhD and PsyD in Psychology and Behavior serve as versatile qualifications, applicable in a variety of fields. Most graduates go on to careers as professors, researchers, or professional clinicians.

The professional track offers a variety of contexts in which to apply your training in both behavior and psychology. Options include:

• Clinical counselor or therapist
• Clinical director or administrator
• Clinical assessment specialist
• Industrial or work psychologist
• School psychologist
• Behavioral economist
• Forensic psychologist

The study of human behavior has applications across the economy. You can find opportunities to apply your psychology doctorate in contexts as varied as the university, the corporate sector, government research and policy institutions, health care, and criminal justice.

Explore your psychology career options further through WorldWideLearn.com's Career Pathways resource before deciding, which offers career planning and assessment tools that can prepare you for life after your doctorate degree.

Specializations within PhD and PsyD Programs

Within the psychology and human behavior discipline you can find a range of specializations. PhD and PsyD programs offer degrees in:

• Clinical psychology
• Counseling psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Industrial or organizational psychology
• Health psychology
• School psychology
• Sport psychology
• Gender studies
• Forensic psychology

Depending on which area you choose, you may encounter another level of specialization related to the community, function, or issue in which you intend to develop expertise. For example, you might choose to focus your clinical work on child development or abnormal psychology. Your counseling work could focus on family and marriage or geriatric practice. Some programs allow interdisciplinary specializations that focus on the intersection of psychology and law, religion, or technology.

How to Evaluate PhD and PsyD Programs in Psychology and Behavior

Focusing your academic and career objectives facilitates the application process. Armed with general knowledge of the discipline and a vision of your academic path, you're ready to take on the practical tasks of applying to a doctorate program. The following section helps you navigate the application process, from finding the right doctorate degree program to preparing an application and joining the academic community.

WorldWideLearn.com offers a range of resources to help you research schools and prepare for a doctoral program. Get started with The Insider's College Guide for Working Adults, a downloadable handbook of college information for returning students, a useful tool when beginning your investigation into PhD or PysD programs in Psychology and Behavior.

PsyD and PhD Programs: Discovering the Right Fit for You

PhD and PsyD programs in psychology and human behavior are available at most colleges and universities. With numerous doctorate degree programs--both campus-based and online PhD degree programs, there's sure to be one that matches your interests, career goals, and personal preferences exactly. The challenge is finding the perfect fit.

The following four steps take you through the process of researching schools and identifying the program that best fits your requirements.

Step One: Develop a List of Accredited Programs

Goal: Access degree directories and prepare a list of accredited PhD and PsyD programs in psychology and behavior.

Start your school research by developing a list of accredited doctoral programs. Accreditation is an important baseline requirement for the PhD and PsyD programs you consider. Independent agencies perform regular evaluations of their member institutions in order to validate their academic quality. In addition to ensuring the value of your degree, you may also be able to also gain access to federal funding. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a database of approved accreditation agencies.

Resources

• The American Psychological Association is the leading national accreditation authority for doctoral programs in psychology. The APA maintains an up-to-date list of Accredited Doctorate Degree Programs in Professional Psychology. This directory offers a reliable resource for verifying a school's accreditation status and a starting point for your list of potential schools.
• WorldWideLearn.com offers a more focused database of accredited doctoral programs in psychology and behavior, including gender studies. Search doctorate degrees by subject or browse by university partners.

Step Two: Online or Campus Format?

Goal: Focus your search on PhD programs by determining your preferred delivery format and identifying PhD programs that match your preferred learning environment.

Online PhD programs and campus PhD programs serve different career goals and learning styles.

Online education is a popular choice for the PsyD and other professional doctorate programs in psychology and behavior. Reasons range from practicality to a career advantage. The format of online PhD and PsyD programs features a flexible, independent program structure, making it an ideal choice for working professionals balancing a day job and family responsibilities alongside their education. Career advantages include networking with professional peers and developing hands-on research projects that apply academic scholarship in a professional context.

Campus education remains the preferred format for the PhD in Psychology and Behavior, the PhD in Gender Studies, and academic doctorate degrees generally. The career advantage parallels online PhD programs for pre-professional students: aspiring university professors enjoy the opportunity to network within the academic community and to practice their vocation through teaching and research assistantships. On a practical level, academic doctoral students rely on campus resources to complete the PhD requirement of an original contribution to psychology scholarship. Online PhD or PysD programs typically require at least a temporary campus residency to facilitate students' access to research materials and faculty mentorship.

Resources

• WorldWideLearn.com allows you to refine your search by program format. Visit the Online PhD Programs or the Campus Education section to explore your options and find programs with the delivery format that best meets your circumstances and career goals. You can also focus your search for PhD programs on your city or region using the Campus Degrees by Location search function.

Step Three: Explore Academic Programs

Goal: Identify PsyD and PhD programs in line with your academic interests and career goals.

The heart of the school research process is the evaluation of different academic programs. At first glance, all PhD and PsyD programs, both campus-based and online PhD programs in psychology and behavior or gender studies may look the same on the surface. Explore a little further, and you'll find infinite variation in program emphases and specializations.

Faculty research shapes PhD programs. If you are heading for an academic PhD in Psychology and Behavior, pay particular attention to the scholarship produced by department faculty. It's not too early to identify potential faculty advisors--professors with research interests similar to your own.

In addition to faculty scholarship, take into account these factors as you explore and compare academic programs:

• What specializations does the program offer?
• Does the department sponsor any journals or conferences? What is the focus of these publications or events?
• What courses does the program require? What courses are available?
• Does the program sponsor special programs such as clinical internships, scholarly exchanges with other universities, interdisciplinary events, etc.?

Resources

• WorldWideLearn.com offers an automated solution to facilitate the painstaking process of researching academic programs. Fill out an online form indicating your program preferences, and the system will automatically match you with schools that meet your criteria. School representatives and admissions counselors contact you directly to discuss program characteristics and requirements, saving you time.

• Academic Journals can guide you to faculty specialists whose work interests you--and lead you to campus-based or online PhD programs in Psychology and Behavior in line with your academic interests. Some prominent journals in psychology and behavior and gender studies include:

• Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
• American Psychologist
• American Journal of Psychology
• Journal of Applied Psychology
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Journal of Gender Studies

• School Web sites offer a wealth of information on academic programs. You can find course lists and requirements, faculty bios and CVs listing research publications, mission statements, suggested reading lists, and more.

Step Four: Evaluate Program Quality

Goal: Select six or more PhD programs, including online PhD programs, to which to apply, taking into account both the value of the degree and your own competitiveness as an applicant.

In Step Three, you sought a match between your academic interests and available programs. Step Four looks for a fit between program quality and the strength of your application. Choose campus-based and online PhD programs in Psychology and Behavior with a range of selectivity standards, including at least one "dream" program that exceeds your academic qualifications and one "safety" program well within your reach.

The following program features typically play into your assessment of the quality and unique characteristics of both the online PhD programs and campus-based PhD programs you research:

• Reputation
• Selectivity
• Graduation Rate
• Job Placement Statistics
• Career Support Resources
• Student Body Profile

Resources

1. Rankings offer a general indication of PhD program's reputation in the field and overall quality. Authoritative sources of PhD and PsyD program rankings include the National Research Council rankings of psychology doctorates and U.S. News and World Report's ranking of psychology graduate schools.
2. Student data is typically available from the admissions department, detailing such information as the placement history of recent doctoral graduates, the proportion of graduates pursuing an academic or professional career track, the demographic makeup of the student body, and more.

Preparing for a PhD or PsyD in Psychology

Once you've settled on a selection of schools to which to apply, your job becomes both more straightforward and more difficult. Each program should specify exactly what you need to do to prepare for the degree. Depending on your circumstances, these requirements could take a good deal of preparation. Common admissions prerequisites for the PhD or PsyD in Psychology and Behavior include:

• A bachelor's or master's degree in psychology or gender studies. If you have a degree in another field, you may be required to complete prerequisite courses in psychology before entering the program.
• GRE and TOEFL (for international applicants).
• Application materials: undergraduate transcripts, a personal statement, and letter of recommendation from faculty or professional colleagues.

Financial Aid. Securing funding for your educational investment also takes planning. Doctoral programs generally offer partial funding to admitted applicants in the form of stipends, tuition waivers, and graduate teaching and research assistantships. To cover the balance, explore alternate sources such as:

• Private scholarships
• Research grants
• Federal loans

WorldWideLearn.com offers additional guidance on financing your graduate education. For general information on completing application requirements, check out the Education Resources Guide. There you can find resources related to test preparation, online learning, prerequisite courses, and more.

PhD and PysD Programs: Joining the Academic Community

Your application to campus-based and online PhD or PsyD programs is the first step on your journey to an intellectually engaging career in psychology. Take advantage of the opportunity by building relationships within the academic community. Join professional associations such as the American Psychological Association, attend conferences, and read journals in your field of interest. You can enter the doctoral program a step ahead of the game, with a clear vision of your academic goals.

Planning your doctorate degree from the outset ensures that you begin your academic journey on solid footing. Behavior and psychology represent a vibrant, growing field. With a doctorate degree, you can discover your own place in it.

Sources

• American Psychological Association (APA), Accredited Doctoral Programs in Professional Psychology
• National Research Council, Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs
• Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology, Behavioral Psychology
• U.S. News and World Report, Best Graduate Schools in Psychology
• American Psychological Association (APA), Careers in Psychology
• The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Clinical Psychology (PsyD) Positions
• American Psychological Association (APA), Comparing Psychology Degrees: PsyD vs. PhD
• U.S. Department of Education, Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
• Psychological , Vol 1, Issue 6, Changing Trends in Doctoral Training Programs in Psychology, by Brendan Maher
• SocialPsychology.org, PhD Programs in Social Psychology
• Psychology.org, PhD Programs
• The University of West Georgia, PsyD Program, Department of Psychology
• The Center for Measuring University Performance