Missouri Psychology Doctorate Programs
The guide below provides information for students looking to pursue a PsyD degree in the state of Missouri. The guide will not only provide you with information about obtaining your degree but also requirements by the state to become licensed to practice in the field.
What’s On This Page
- Quick Facts
- Missouri PsyD Programs
- Other Psychology Doctorates
- Missouri Psychologist Requirements
- Missouri Doctorate Salary Outlook
Quick Facts
- 19 schools in Missouri offer graduate or doctorate level programs in the field of psychology.
- Of those, five ranked on the Princeton Review’s 2025 list of best colleges in the nation: Missouri University of Science and Technology, Saint Louis University, Truman State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis.
- US News and World Report ranked four Missouri schools on its list of best graduate psychology programs in 2022: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
- The university with the lowest net price is the University of Missouri-St. Louis at $11,577.
List of PsyD Degree Programs in Missouri
Several colleges and universities offer Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology) and Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degrees in Missouri, which are crucial for gaining the experience required to become licensed by the state to practice psychology. Let’s explore their vital statistics.
Kansas City University
Servicing students in both Missouri and Kansas, Kansas City University is one of the few in the region to offer a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. But the program hasn’t received full APA accreditation yet. It’s accredited on contingency, awaiting more student outcome data. In the meantime, students who graduate from this program are considered as having graduated from a fully-accredited APA program. From the time students initially enrolled in this program in 2017 until 2024, 10 students have earned their degrees, and 80% of those have become licensed.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Kansas City
- Annual tuition: $38,309
- Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA accredited on contingency
- Visit school: Click here
Other Psychology Doctorates in Missouri
University of Missouri
Several branches of the University of Missouri system offer APA-accredited Ph.D. degrees in multiple fields within psychology, including clinical (Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City), counseling (Columbia and Kansas City) and school (Columbia). The trio of clinical programs have produced a total of 118 graduates between 2014 and 2024, and their licensure rate is 87%.
- Institution type: Public
- Campuses: Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City
- Annual tuition: Most clinical students receive tuition remission and annual stipends; KC Counseling: $13,332 in/out-of-state; KC Clinical: $13,322 in/out-of-state; Columbia Counseling: $15,700 in-state, $37,780 out-of-state; Columbia Clinical: $0 in/out-of-state; Columbia School: $15,730 in-state, $37,780 out-of-state; St. Louis Clinical: $0 in/out-of-state
- Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology (all three campuses), PhD in Counseling Psychology (Columbia and Kansas City), PhD in School Psychology (Columbia)
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: KC Counseling, KC Clinical, Columbia Counseling, Columbia Clinical, Columbia School, St. Louis Clinical
Washington University
WashU’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology first earned APA accreditation in 1948, giving the program a long history in Missouri and around the rest of the United States. Between 2013 and 2023, 41 scholars have completed the program, with 88% earning psychologist licenses.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: Louis
- Annual tuition: All students receive full tuition remission and annual stipends
- Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
St. Louis University
St. Louis University’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology first earned APA accreditation in 1964, and today the Jesuit Catholic institution offers students the opportunity to focus their training in a few areas of psychology, including clinical child, neuropsychology, health, trauma or sports. 63 students have completed the clinical program at SLU between 2013 and 2021, and all but one have earned professional licensure.
- Institution type: Private, not-for-profit
- Campus: St. Louis
- Annual tuition: $8,220 plus fees and expenses (after tuition remission)
- Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
- Accreditation: APA
- Visit school: Click here
How to Become a Psychologist in Missouri
Let’s take a look at the educational and experiential requirements that the state of Missouri has established for earning a psychologist license in the state.
- Get a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a closely related field. While the state of Missouri does not require this, doctoral programs in Missouri generally will only admit students who have psychology majors under their belt, or a degree in a related field like social work or biology.
- Earn a doctoral degree. Completing either a Psy.D. or Ph.D. program in psychology is crucial to meeting the experience requirement established by the state of Missouri, so while getting your doctorate isn’t the only way to become licensed in the state, it is the easiest and most effective. The state requires all applicants for licensure to have graduate or doctoral degrees from APA-accredited institutions.
- Fulfill all other state requirements. Applicants with master’s degrees must complete three full years of supervised professional experience, while those with doctoral degrees must complete a year of supervised experience after they have completed their Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree. Applicants must also take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology and the state’s jurisprudence exams.
- Keep your license valid. Missouri psychologist licenses expire every two years, and 40 hours of continuing education are required to keep them valid.
Missouri Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook
Clinical and counseling psychologists in Missouri make over $30k more than the average statewide salary. The average yearly wage for these psychologists is $87,730 in Missouri, compared to $57,580 for all workers in the state, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
These jobs are expected to grow by 11% over the next 10 years, compared to the expected growth rate of 4% for all occupations in Missouri.
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.