Menu

Michigan Psychology Doctorate Programs

Find an Online Degree

Get matched with an online Psychology Degree today.
Featured Online Psychology & Counseling Programs

Increasing acceptance of the need for mental health treatment has led to a huge increase in enrollment in educational programs in psychology. For those who want to practice professionally as licensed psychologists, they must first complete a rigorous, multi-year doctoral program, such as a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

The good news for prospective psychologists in Michigan is that many educational institutions in the state offer a range of degree types and focus areas. Let’s take a look at what students here in Michigan need to know about Psy.D. and similar degrees in our state and what’s required to earn licensure.

What’s On This Page

  • Quick Facts
  • Michigan PsyD Programs
  • Other Psychology Doctorates
  • Michigan Psychologist Requirements
  • Michigan Doctorate Salary Outlook

Quick Facts

  • Michigan is home to forty seven schools offering psychology degree programs, including both not-for-profit colleges and universities.
  • Eleven schools in Michigan offer associate’s degrees, thirty eight offer bachelor’s degree programs, and sixteen offer master’s or other advanced degree programs.
  • Kiplinger’s Best Values in Public Colleges, 2017, ranks Michigan State University at #38 in-state and #73 out-of-state. The same list ranks University of Michiigan considerably higher at #5 in-state and #13 out-of-state.
  • Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Psychology Majors, 2018, includes Albion College, and University of Michigan – Ann Arbor.
  • University of Michiigan – Ann Arbor has the highest graduation rate, at 91%, while Wayne State University holds the highest transfer-out rate in the state, at 38%.
  • The highest net price school goes to Kalamaoo College at $27,958, while the lowest goes to Lake Superior State College, at $11,030.

List of PsyD Degree Programs in Michigan

Several Michigan schools are home to APA-accredited doctoral degrees in the field of psychology. Earning one of these degrees is a critical step to earning professional licensure in the state, which is a legal requirement for practicing professionally in many cases.

SEE ALSO: 5+ Online PsyD Accredited Degree Programs

Michigan School of Psychology

The Michigan School of Psychology offers the state’s only Psy.D. degree, and the unique program has been accredited by the APA since 2016. Applicants must first complete a master’s degree before seeking admission. A total of 132 students have completed the program since the 2009-10 school year, and 92% have earned licensure in mental health.

  • Institution type: Private
  • Campus: Farmington Hills
  • Annual tuition: $39,852
  • Degrees offered: PsyD
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Other Psychology Doctorates in Michigan

University of Michigan

One of the first schools to earn APA accreditation, the University of Michigan’s psychology department admits only about 2% of applicants to the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program each year. A total of 55 students have earned their degrees over the past 10 academic years for which data is available, and just over half have earned professional licensure.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: Ann Arbor
  • Annual tuition: Most admitted students will qualify for free tuition and annual research or teaching stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Wayne State University

Wayne State University has offered an APA-accredited Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology since 1960, and today’s students have the option of adding a concentration area to their doctorate, including clinical neuropsychology, child clinical, health, community, trauma and substance abuse. A total of 92 students have completed the program over the past 10 years, and all of those who have sought state licensure have received it.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: Detroit
  • Annual tuition: All incoming students receive full tuition and annual stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

University of Detroit Mercy

The University of Detroit Mercy, a Jesuit Catholic university, has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that was first accredited in 1988. Over the past decade, nearly 75 students have earned their degrees from the program, and 87% have become professionally licensed.

  • Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
  • Campus: Detroit
  • Annual tuition: $97,560; most students receive 50% tuition remission in exchange for teaching or assistantship positions
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Central Michigan University

CMU offers a pair of APA-accredited psychology doctorates — Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1990) and Ph.D. in School Psychology (2001) — as well as two non-APA-accredited Ph.D. degrees in experimental and industrial-organizational psychology. Nearly 100 students have completed either the clinical or school psychology program over the past 10 years, and they’re licensed at an average rate of 83%.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: Mount Pleasant
  • Annual tuition: Clinical psychology students receive free tuition and annual stipend; annual tuition for school psychology is $20,328, including for out-of-state students
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited), PhD in School Psychology (APA-accredited), PhD in Experimental Psychology, PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan offers two APA-accredited psychology doctorates (clinical and counseling) and a third Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis that’s not APA-accredited but is approved by the Association for Behavior Analysis International. WMU’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology first earned APA accreditation in 1991, followed two years later by the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. The two APA-accredited programs have graduated more than 120 students combined over the past 10 years, and their licensure rate averages 87%.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: Kalamazoo
  • Annual tuition: Most students receive full tuition and annual stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited), PhD in Counseling Psychology, PhD in Behavior Analysis (Association for Behavior Analysis International-accredited)
  • Accreditation: APA and ABAI
  • Visit school: Click here

Michigan State University

Michigan State’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology earned APA accreditation in 1948, making the program one of the first accredited by the organization. The university has also offered an APA-accredited Ph.D. in School Psychology since 1985. Between the two programs, 85 students have completed their degrees over the past 10 years, and all clinical students who sought professional licensure received it.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: East Lansing
  • Annual tuition: Most students will qualify for full or partial tuition and annual stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology, PhD in School Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan has offered an APA-accredited Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology since 2005. Today’s students can choose from a few possible academic tracks, including adult, applied behavior analysis, assessment, health and developmental psychopathology. Nearly 75 students have completed their degrees in the past 10 years, and 82% have earned professional licensure.

  • Institution type: Public
  • Campus: Ypsilanti
  • Annual tuition: All students receive tuition remission and annual stipends
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

Andrews University

Andrews University, which is affiliated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, offers a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology that recently received APA accreditation (2017). The university offers two other psychology doctorates (educational and school), but neither of those degrees are APA-accredited. A dozen students have completed their counseling degrees from Andrews since their first year of accreditation, and 42% have become professionally licensed so far.

  • Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
  • Campus: Berrien Springs
  • Annual tuition: $19,740, including 50% scholarship awarded to all students
  • Degrees offered: PhD in Counseling Psychology (APA-accredited), PhD in Educational Psychology, PhD in School Psychology
  • Accreditation: APA
  • Visit school: Click here

How to Become a Psychologist in Michigan

Let’s take a closer look at all the steps involved in becoming a licensed psychologist in Michigan, including educational and legal requirements.

  1. Complete a bachelor’s degree program, ideally in psychology. For the most part, psychology doctoral program admissions officers will be looking for people with psychology degrees, but many applicants have been accepted with a degree in a related field, such as social work or biology. But many programs require a lower-level degree in psychology, so for those without a bachelor’s degree in the field, a master’s degree may be necessary before moving to the next step.
  2. Earn a Psy.D. or Ph.D. in Psychology. Psychology doctoral degrees are required for psychologist licensure in Michigan, and the state mandates that programs be accredited by the APA.
  3. Meet state requirements. Once they complete their doctorate program, applicants must then obtain 2,000 hours of post-degree training, after which they will be eligible to take the necessary examination for licensure. Applicants must score at least 500 on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.
  4. Renew your license on time. After being granted their psychologist license, professionals in Michigan will need to complete at least 30 hours of continuing education credits every two years as well as submit renewal forms on time.

Michigan Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

Clinical, counseling and school psychologists in Michigan have the 11th-highest average annual salary among these professionals in the United States, according to estimates reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their average wage here is $90,700, considerably higher than the overall average for all workers in Michigan, which is about $51,000.

Over the next several years, psychologist jobs in Michigan are projected to expand by nearly 14%, almost three times higher than the growth rate expected for all jobs in the U.S. (5%).