Tennessee Psychology Doctorate Programs

Students who are interested in a doctoral degree in psychology will find some excellent options in Tennessee. Below is information about available Ph.D. programs, how to earn your doctoral degree in psychology, and how to get your license after you have completed your program.

What’s On This Page

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

Quick Facts:

• The University of Tenessee was ranked by Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Psychology Majors for 2018.
• Vanderbilt University has the highest graduation rate in the state at 92%.
• 16 schools in Tenessee offer some form of advanced degree in psychology.
• Vanderbilt’s Clinical Psychology program is ranked 14th in the nation.
• Tennesse University boasts the lowest net price in the state at $9.614.

List of PsyD Degree Programs in Tennessee

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

SEE ALSO: 5+ Online PsyD Programs

Other Psychology Doctorates in Tennessee

Students who want to pursue a psychology career in academia or research might prefer to earn their Ph.D. Popular programs in Tennessee include:

The University of Tennessee Knoxville

The University of Tennessee Knoxville offers an APA-accredited Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that is designed to train highly competent clinical psychologists who can make vital contributions to the profession and society as teachers, researchers, and clinicians. Each student in this five-year program receives intensive training in psychological assessment, research, psychotherapy, and teaching. The faculty approach clinical work from many psychological perspectives, including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, systemic, and emotion-focused.

• Institution type: Public
• Main campus: Knoxville
• Annual tuition: $13,380 in-state, $31,798 out-of-state
• Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
• Accreditation: APA
• Visit School: Click here

Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University offers a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology that is based on the scientist-professional training model. It is a five-year, APA-accredited program that develops ethical, competent psychology practitioners who are facilitators of learning. Students graduate with a multicultural point of view and are skilled at integrating science and practice in many settings and modalities. Students are prepared for dynamic careers in health service psychology, research, consultation and to be change agents in the field.

• Institution type: Public
• Main campus: Nashville
• Annual tuition: $6,300 in-state, $16,500 out-of-state
• Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
• Accreditation: APA
• Visit School: Click here

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University offers an APA-accredited Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences in these concentrations – Clinical Science; Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience; Cognitive in Context; Developmental Science; Neuroscience; and Quantitative Methods. The Clinical Science program focuses on the clinical scientist training model, with the major goal of training clinical scientists. All students complete a core of required research, coursework, and clinical training. This includes coursework in biological, social, cognitive, and affective aspects of behavior; human development; individual differences; and research design and statistics.

• Institution type: Private
• Main campus: Nashville
• Annual tuition: $40,000
• Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences
• Accreditation: APA
• Visit School: Click here

The University of Memphis

The University of Memphis offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that has been accredited since 1972. The program focuses on a scientist and practitioner model and puts a strong emphasis on research. Students who have strong interests in psychological research and academic-focused career goals are the ideal fit with the clinical faculty. The program is five-years in length and offers many excellent clinical training opportunities, including supervised internships at the Psychological Services Center, as well as a variety of training opportunities in the local community.

• Institution type: Public
• Main campus: Memphis
• Annual tuition: $5,120 in-state, $8,448 out-of-state
• Degrees offered: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
• Accreditation: APA
• Visit School: Click here

How to Become a Practicing Clinical Psychologist in Tennessee

The first step on your journey to becoming a licensed psychologist in the state of Tennessee is completing your education. You will first need to complete your bachelor’s degree which will often take four years going full-time to achieve the 120 credit hours. While majoring in psychology can help in your higher education, it is not a requirement at this level.

After achieving a bachelor’s degree, many students will choose to get a standalone master’s degree in psychology. This can help give you an advantage on your doctorate admissions but is not required as it can be part of your doctorate program. A standalone master’s degree will take 35 to 45 credit hours to achieve and often takes about one to two hours when attending full-time.

The final step in your educational journey to achieve your license to practice is completing your PsyD or P.h.D in psychology. Completion of this degree usually takes four to eight year’s when a student is attending full-time. To be able to qualify for a license in Tennessee you must receive your doctorate from a program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association or one that has been approved by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. Programs will also need to include a 12-month internship in the final year.

Once you have completed your educational requirement, you will need to complete a few more steps before obtaining your license.

1. After completing your doctorate program, you will need to submit your Psychologist Application to the Board for review. You will need to indicate that you are applying for an HSP designation. Before submitting your application, you will need to complete a criminal background check and submit it with your application. Other materials you will need to include are a Declaration of Citizenship Form, a Mandatory Practitioner Profile, and at least three letters of recommendation for directors and supervisors of your internship. You will need to send your official transcripts as well as a fee of $85.
2. If you plan to complete your postdoctoral supervised professional experience in the state, you may or may not be required to obtain a provisional license from the board. Check with your supervisor, and if you need one, you should apply when you submit your official application. To obtain this license, you will have to include more forms with your Psychologist Application and pay an additional fee of $125.
3. You will need to complete the required hours of supervised professional experience. In total, you will need 3,800 hours, though 1,900 should be completed during the internship portion of your doctorate program. The other 1,900 hours will need to be earned after the completion of your doctoral degree. Once completed you will need to notify the board.
4. The final step to obtaining your license in Tennessee is taking and passing the required psychology licensing exams. This will include the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, which is a multiple choice test that you will need to score 500 or higher. The test costs $687.50 in fees. After passing the EPPP exam, you will need to take the Tennessee ethics and jurisprudence exam. This exam is open book and requires a 90% or higher to pass.

Tennessee Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

Starting salaries for a Clinical Psychologist in the state of Tennessee begin at $42,400 and run up to about $104,910 making the average $74,280.

SEE ALSO: Tennessee Clinical Psychologist Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for Clinical Psychologists is $77,000, making Tennessee only slightly under the national average. The field is continuing to grow in the state, making a clinical psychology a career with a stable future.