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Arkansas Psychology Doctorate Programs

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Like most of the rest of the United States, mental health, including serious mental illness and substance abuse, is a huge problem in the state of Arkansas. And, like the rest of the country, few people in our state are getting help for their emotional and behavioral health problems.

The need for qualified, compassionate mental health professionals is a major reason why the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree was developed in the 1960s and has become increasingly popular as a way to gain thousands of hours of hands-on experience as part of a doctoral program.

Students interested in advanced psychology training in Arkansas have limited but still robust options.

What’s On This Page

  • Quick Facts
  • Arkansas PsyD Programs
  • Other Arkansas Doctorate Programs
  • Arkansas Psychologist Requirements
  • Arkansas Doctorate Salary Outlook

Quick Facts:

  • Arkansas is home to twenty three schools offering psychology degree programs, including both universities and not-for-profit colleges.
  • Twenty of these schools offer a bachelor’s degree, one offers an associate’s and five offer master’s or other advanced degrees.
  • University of Arkansas was ranked at #59 for in-state, and #57 out-of-state by Kiplinger’s on the Best Values in Public Colleges list, 2017.
  • Ouachita Baptist University holds the highest graduation rate of these schools, at 70%, while Ecclesia College holds the highest transfer-out rate at 67%.
  • Hendrix College holds the highest net price at $22,777, while University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff holds the lowest, at $7,840.

List of PsyD Degree Programs in Arkansas

There are currently no PsyD programs in the state of Arkansas.

SEE ALSO: Best Online Accredited PsyD in Degree Programs

Other Psychology Doctorates in Arkansas

Listed below are three of the best schools for psychology degree programs available in Arkansas:

While no schools currently offer the Psy.D. degree in Arkansas, two of the state’s biggest educational institutions offer Ph.D. degrees in psychology, including the University of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas. Let’s take a closer look at both programs.

University of Arkansas

The J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences is home to the Ph.D. offered at the University of Arkansas. This program first earned APA accreditation in 1966, and over the past decade, just under 40 graduates have earned their Ph.D. from the program. The professional licensure rate over that time is 81%.

  • Institution type: Public, not-for-profit
  • Campus: Fayetteville
  • Annual tuition: Most students admitted to the program receive a full tuition waiver and annual stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

University of Central Arkansas

Accredited by the APA since 2015, the University of Central Arkansas offers a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology that’s housed in the Health & Behavioral Sciences Department. Only about 20 students have completed the program since 2009, and their licensure rate is 50%, but the number of students earning their Ph.D. from the program nearly doubled between 2018 and 2019.

  • Institution type: Public, not-for-profit
  • Campus: Conway
  • Annual tuition: $8,632 in-state; 15,324 out-of-state
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Counseling Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

How to Become a Practicing Clinical Psychologist in Arkansas

For most (but, importantly, not all) prospective psychologists, their educational journey begins with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. But, of course, that’s far from where it ends. Let’s take a look at the steps needed to become a licensed psychologist in Arkansas

  1. Complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a closely related field. Generally, the programs we’ve explored don’t require a master’s degree before beginning the doctoral track, but it may be necessary for students who don’t have transcripts that show extensive psychology education.
  2. Earn a doctoral degree. The Ph.D. programs on our list generally will take at least five years to complete, and possibly longer, depending on whether a student completes an internship during their Ph.D. training.
  3. Fulfill the state’s licensure requirements. The Arkansas Department of Health Psychology Board reviews applications in the state for psychology licensure. That board requires a $200 application fee, three references, transcripts, proof of doctorate, background check results, at least 2,000 hours of supervised experience and passage of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards with a scaled score of at least 500. Once all those requirements are met, candidates must then interview with board members, who will make a final determination.
  4. Maintain licensure. Earning your license isn’t the final step. That’s because you’ll have to do 20 hours of continuing education each year to renew your license annually.

Arkansas Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

The average employee in Arkansas makes about $43,000 per year, but for clinical, counseling and school psychologists, that’s closer to $73,000, which makes psychologists jobs considerably more lucrative in Arkansas than the average position, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These are also jobs in high demand, with a growth rate of 17.7% projected through 2028 for psychologist jobs in Arkansas. That’s much higher than the overall national growth rate of about 5%.