Georgia Psychology Doctorate Programs

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Quick Facts
Georgia PsyD Programs
Other Georgia Doctorate Programs
Georgia Psychologist Requirements
Georgia Doctorate Salary Outlook

Quick Facts

In-state tuition for students at Georgia State University’s PhD in Clinical Psychology is $13,135 per year.
Emory University sports a 75% licensure rate among its Clinical Psychology PhD grads
Doctoral students at Mercer University must participate in a 2,000-hour internship at any APA-approved training site in the nation.
The annual in-state tuition for the University of Georgia’s PhD in Counseling Psychology is $15,375.
Emory University is lauded as having the 18th-best rated graduate PsyD program in the entire country, and US New and World Report’s 2025 rankings place Emory as the 22nd-best-value-school nationally.

List of PsyD Programs In Georgia

The following list of schools have programs available for a PysD in Psychology. Let’s take a look at vital statistics about both programs.

SEE ALSO: 5+ Best Online PsyD Programs

Georgia Southern University

The Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern began offering a clinical psychology Psy.D. after educational and healthcare leaders grew increasingly concerned about the lack of licensed psychologists in the underserved rural areas of Georgia and the entire American South. Between 2014 and 2024, 59 graduates have completed the program, which speaks to its selectivity and prestige. Nearly all (96.6%) of graduates since the start of the program have earned professional licensure.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Statesboro
Annual tuition: $7,668 in-state; $31,320 out-of-state
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA

Mercer University

Mercer University’s Atlanta campus is the home of the university’s Psy.D. program, offered within the Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus. This five-year program requires completion of three full years of practicum, with each lasting for 12 months. Gaining full APA accreditation in 2018, between 2012 and 2022 59 students earned their Psy.D. here, and of those 80% became licensed.

Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
Main campus: Atlanta
Annual tuition: $39,741
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA

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Other Psychology Doctorates in Georgia

While it’s usually the fastest route, a Psy.D. is not technically the only path to becoming a psychologist in Georgia. Several schools offer excellent Ph.D. programs in psychology in our state.

University of Georgia

UGA is among the oldest public universities in the United States, and its psychology Ph.D. program has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1966. The long history of the psychology doctoral programs offered through the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ psychology department include a clinical psychology Ph.D., as well as doctoral degrees in industrial-organizational psychology, a field that boasts an average national wage of over $150,000, and behavior and brain sciences, including development, neuroscience and health psychology. Between 2013 and 2023, 86% of clinical psychology Ph.D. graduates earned professional licensure.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Athens
Annual tuition: $8,878 in-state (Clinical Psychology); $25,186 out-of-state (Clinical Psychology); $15,375 in-state (Counseling Psychology); $43,347 out-of-state (Counseling Psychology)
Degrees offered: PhD. in Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology; Ph.D. in Behavior and Brain Sciences, Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
Accreditation: Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology both APA accredited

Emory University

Housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University’s psychology department offers four concentrations within its clinical psychology Ph.D. program: behavioral systems and neuroscience, clinical science, cognitive and computational sciences, and developmental science. The program has been APA-accredited since 1963, and over the past 10 years, 43 graduates have completed their clinical doctorates. In that time, 86% of graduates have gone on to earn professional licensure, and while tuition for the program is the highest among psychology doctoral programs listed here, all students accepted into the program over the past 10 years have received fellowships or other awards that included tuition waivers.

Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
Main campus: Atlanta
Annual tuition: $71,700
Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with concentrations in behavioral systems and neuroscience, clinical science, cognitive and computational sciences, and developmental science
Accreditation: APA

How To Become A Practicing Psychologist In Georgia

Completing a challenging-but-rewarding academic program isn’t the only thing required to become a psychologist in Georgia. Let’s take a look at the steps needed to begin practicing as a professional psychologist.

Earn a bachelor’s degree in an applicable field — ideally psychology. While it’s not always necessary to earn a bachelor’s in psychology, it’s a big help in establishing a foundation, and it will make a student seem like a better candidate to admissions officers. Other possible fields include biology, statistics and other science-related areas. Some Psy.D. programs require students to earn a master’s degree before applying, but this varies from school to school, so be sure to find out what’s expected at the schools that draw your interest.
Earn a doctoral degree. In this case, a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.). It’s important to note that a person with a Ph.D. could potentially also become a licensed psychologist, but they may lack the internship and practicum hours in psychology field work that are baked into most Psy.D. programs.
Meet state requirements. In our state, the Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists processes licensure applications and investigates complaints issued against licensed professionals in the state. In addition to a doctoral degree, the board requires at least 1,500 hours of supervised postdoctoral work and the passage of three examinations, the National Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, the state jurisprudence examination and an oral exam conducted by board members.
Remain licensed and keep up with requirements. Once an individual has earned their license, they must ensure their licensure remains valid by complying with all renewal processes and applicable fees.

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Georgia Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, clinical and counseling psychologists in Georgia earn an average annual wage of $85,800. That’s a cool $20k-plus above Georgia’s general average salary of $61,250 for all jobs in the state. The top 10% salaries for clinical and counseling psychologists in Georgia start at $136,680.

While the typical American job is expected to see about 4% growth over the next decade, psychologist jobs are projected to grow much more rapidly. That includes right here in Georgia, where these jobs will expand by 10.5%.

SEE MORE: Georgia Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures shown here for Psychologists. Job growth projections are from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed December 2024.