Illinois Psychology Doctorate Programs
With the incidence of mental illness, anxiety and other serious emotional problems on the rise across the U.S., for many students it’s a natural next step to wonder about what degrees can help them make a difference in the emotional well-being of others.
The Doctor of Psychology, or Psy.D. degree, is the primary educational step needed in becoming licensed as a psychologist in the U.S., including right here in Illinois. What degree options are available here in Illinois, and what do people need to know to become licensed here?
What’s On This Page
- Quick Facts
- Illinois PsyD Programs
- Illinois Psychologist Requirements
- Illinois Doctorate Salary Outlook
Quick Facts:
- The Chicago School of Professional Psychology offers a PsyD program with a campus and online option, both cost $1,737 per credit hour.
- Wheaton College offers a PsyD program that had a total of 136 graduates between 2014-24. They took an average of 5.44 years to complete the program.
- Wheaton College’s tuition for the program is $50,540 per year.
- The PsyD program at Midwestern University has a total class size this year of 15. That class is 87% female and 13% male.
- Midwestern’s tuition is $37,348 per year.
- Roosevelt University’s PsyD program costs $33,701 per year.
- Roosevelt graduated 185 PsyD students from 2014-24, who took an average of 5.6 years to complete the program.
List of PsyD Degree Programs in Illinois
Six institutions of higher learning offer APA-approved Psy.D. degrees in Illinois, with varying focus areas and reported academic outcomes. Let’s take a look at the options for Psy.D. education in Illinois.
SEE ALSO: 5+ Online Accredited PsyD Programs
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
As the flagship program at The Chicago School, the APA-accredited Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology offered on the Chicago campus was first accredited by the APA in 1987. 674 students have completed their Psy.D. degrees at the school between 2014 and 2024, and 83% of them have become professionally licensed. The Chicago School also introduced a new campus-based Psy.D. program in School Psychology that gained full APA accreditation in 2020. The school’s non-APA-accredited doctoral programs include a Psy.D. in Applied Clinical Psychology (online), a Ph.D. in International Psychology (online), and an Ed.D. in Educational Psychology and Technology (online).
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Chicago
- Annual tuition: $60,795 (Clinical Psychology); $43,020 (School Psychology)
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology, PsyD in School Psychology, Psy.D. in Applied Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. in International Psychology, Ed.D. in Educational Psychology and Technology
- Accreditation: PsyD in Clinical Psychology and PsyD in School Psychology are both APA-accredited
- Visit school: Click here
Wheaton College
Accredited by the APA since 1998, Wheaton College’s Psy.D. is the only APA-accredited psychology program at a Christian school in the Midwest. Offered within the School of Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy, 130 students have completed the program over the past 10 years, and 95% have gone on to earn professional licensure.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Wheaton
- Annual tuition: $50,540
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
Adler University
Adler University’s Psy.D., accredited by the APA since 1998, is billed as the only Psy.D. degree in the nation with a programmatic focus on social justice. Emphases are offered in Clinical Neuropsychology, Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Military Clinical Psychology, Primary Care Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Traumatic Stress Psychology. 665 students earned their Psy.D. through the program between 2013 and 2023, and 83% have become professionally licensed. Related non-APA-accredited doctoral programs offered here include a Ph.D. in Art Therapy, a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, and a Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Chicago
- Annual tuition: $65,664
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology has been APA-accredited since 2002. Between 2014 and 2024, 149 graduates have finished their degrees, 95% of whom went on to become professionally licensed. Specialized clinical training is available in neuropsychology or psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and families.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Chicago
- Annual tuition: $33,701
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
Midwestern University
The Psy.D. program at Midwestern University’s main campus in Downers Grove first earned APA accreditation in 2012, and students today can opt to focus their Psy.D. on child and adolescent psychology. Between 2014 and 2024, 129 students earned their Psy.D. degrees, and the licensure rate is 86%.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Downers Grove
- Annual tuition: $37,348
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
National Louis University
Earning full APA accreditation in 2021, NLU is proud to host the Illinois School of Professional Psychology (ISPP). The ISPP offers a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with optional concentrations in Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Health Psychology, Trauma Psychology, and Child and Adolescent Psychology. From the most recent cohorts of students between 2021 and 2024, 21 have earned their Psy.D. degrees, 52% of whom earned their license.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Chicago
- Annual tuition: $37,184
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
How to Become a Psychologist in Illinois
A career as a professional psychologist is a multi-year journey that for many people starts with earning an undergraduate degree in psychology. Let’s take a closer look at what’s involved in earning licensure here in Illinois.
- Complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field. Depending on your doctoral program, those with majors in social work or biology could be accepted, but most schools look for undergrad transcripts heavy with psychology courses. For some, earning a master’s degree before applying for a doctoral program helps make them better candidates.
- Get your Psy.D. or Ph.D. The biggest educational step in becoming a licensed psychologist in Illinois is earning a doctoral degree in psychology, and the state accepts both Psy.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
- Apply for licensure. In Illinois, licensure applicants must have a year of supervised post-doctoral experience, which equates to 1,750 hours, which is separate from any internships or professional experience they got during their doctoral training. Prospective psychologists must then apply for examination, and if they’re accepted, they’ll be able to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.
- Keep your license. Psychologist licenses in Illinois are up for renewal on a two-year cycle, and 24 hours of continuing education is required.
Illinois Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook
Clinical and counseling psychologists in Illinois earn far more than the average wage for all occupations in the state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These professionals make an average of $111,300 in Illinois, compared with $67,130 for all workers in the state. That’s the highest average salary for clinical and counseling psychologists in the Midwest, and the eighth-highest average salary of all states in the nation.
SEE ALSO: Illinois Clinical Psychologist Salary Outlook
Clinical and counseling psychologist jobs are expected to see relatively excellent growth in Illinois as compared to the state’s average job growth rate over the next decade. Jobs for clinical and counseling psychologists in Illinois are projected to grow by 11%, compared to 2.7% for all occupations across the state.
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.