Virginia Psychology Doctorate Programs

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

Quick Facts:

George Mason is considered one of the top ‘up-and-coming’ universities in the nation.
Radford University has a student body of under 8,000 total students, making it an appealing mid-sized school.
Virginia residents can attend the University of Virginia for just $20,986 per year.
Radford sports a 50% graduation rate for first-time, full-time students.
Attending George Mason University costs $13,815 per year in tuition.

List of Psy.D. Programs In Virginia

Below is a current list of universities in Virginia that offer an APA-accredited PsyD degree.

SEE ALSO: 5+ Best Online PsyD Programs

Regent University

Regent University offers a PsyD in Clinical Psychology that is accredited by the APA. The program will arm you with the clinical skills, including the practical application of therapeutical techniques, to treat and assess a variety of emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. The degree is completed in five years and consists of 116 credit hours. Each student is mentored by a leader in psychology who is dedicated to your development as a professional and clinician.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Annual tuition: $31,500 in/out-of-state
Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
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Divine Mercy University

Divine Mercy University offers a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology that trains students to address modern mental health challenges by using advanced psychotherapy skills, psychological testing, and an emphasis on certain pathologies and concepts in the clinical psychology field. The program consists of 122 semester hours, and students are required to complete at least 1800 hours of clinical externship. The program is fully accredited by the APA.

Institution type: Private
Main campus: Sterling, Virginia
Annual tuition: $44,585
Degrees offered: PsyD in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
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James Madison University

The JMU Department of Graduate Psychology is proud of its innovative APA-accredited Psy.D. program in Clinical and School Psychology. Based on the combined-integrated Madison Model of psychology training, this program admits five to seven full-time students each year. A minimum of 62 doctoral credits must be completed at JMU to graduate. Of the 51 students who completed this program between 2014 and 2024, 92% became licensed.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Annual tuition: Students typically receive fellowships and assistantships that cover all associated costs
Degrees offered: Psy.D. in Clinical and School Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Click here

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Other Psychology Doctorates in Virginia

Earning your PsyD is a great choice if you want a more clinical-focused degree, but some students may prefer a traditional Ph.D. with its concentration on academic research. The universities below offer excellent Ph.D. in psychology programs in Virginia.

George Mason University

George Mason University offers a Ph.D. with a Clinical Psychology concentration that trains students in the vital applications and principals of psychology. This APA-accredited program gives students extensive knowledge of essential areas of psychology as well as practical experience in solving human problems in work, life, and school. There are also non-APA-accredited Ph.D. concentrations available in Applied Developmental Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Human Factors and Applied Cognition, and Industrial-Organization Psychology.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Fairfax, Virginia
Annual tuition: All incoming graduate students receive full tuition remittance and guaranteed assistantships.
Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
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University of Virginia

The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology that’s been APA-accredited since 1988. It also offers Ph.D. specialties in these non-APA-accredited areas: cognitive, community, developmental, social, quantitative, and systems and behavioral neuroscience. The major goal of the Department of Psychology is to ready the doctoral student for clinical research, both applied and basic, as well as teaching at a university. This is a five-year, full-time degree that requires a one-year internship to graduate. The University of Virginia also offers a Ph.D. in combined Clinical-School Psychology that’s APA-accredited.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Charlottesville, Virginia
Annual tuition: Clinical and combined Clinical-School: All graduate students receive full tuition remittance, health insurance, and an annual stipend
Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology, PhD in combined Clinical-School Psychology
Accreditation: APA
Visit School: Clinical, Combined Clinical-School

Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology

This Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology is APA-accredited and offered jointly by the Departments of Psychology at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University. The five-year program stresses ethics, multiculturalism, research, assessment, intervention, consultation, supervision, and leadership. The first two years of the program are mostly didactic, although students do work in clinical practice and research. The primary goal of the Ph.D. program is to help students become highly proficient in the integration of theory, research, and practice.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Norfolk, Virginia
Annual tuition: Full-time clinical psychology students in residents typically receive full tuition remittance and assistantships; $6,000 in/out-of-state
Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Psychology
Accreditation: APA
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Virginia State University

Virginia State University offers a Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology with an emphasis on research on behavioral risk factors that affect health, including stress, at-risk sexual practices, drug use, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, and noncompliance with health treatment plans. It also studies health service provisions disparities and research in minority communities, looking at issues including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. This program is not currently APA accredited, but the school is taking steps in the application process.

Institution type: Public
Main campus: Petersburg, Virginia
Annual tuition: $8,876 in-state, $19,742 out-of-state
Degrees offered: PhD in Clinical Health Psychology
Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
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How To Become A Practicing Psychologist In Virginia

Acquiring your license to practice psychology at a professional level in the state of Virginia requires years of school and cooperation with the Virginia Psychology Board. You’ll have to accomplish several different tasks en route to acquiring your license and these tasks and tests will take place over a seven-year period, at least.

Pursuing a bachelor’s degree will take up to four years of full-time study that will entail nearly 120 total credit hours. Moving on from a bachelor’s degree, students will proceed to acquire a master’s degree. Your master’s degree will take an additional two years and up to 54 total credits depending on the institution. In order to get into a master’s program, you’ll have to submit your GMAT and GRE scores in most cases.

After your Master’s is complete, you’ll move on toward your doctoral work. You’ll want to graduate with a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD degree) or the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in psychology. There are differences between the two degrees, so refer to the APA website for their distinctions. During your doctoral program, you’ll have to complete at least three years of study while providing evidence of an internship. Some studies will require you to engage in a hands-on practicum as well.

Once you’ve completed your primary education, you are ready to pursue certification:

Getting licensed to practice in Virginia requires at least 1,500 total hours of supervised, professional experience (SPE). This experience must be garnered after your post-doctoral experience and under the appropriate supervision of a licensed practitioner of psychology. These hours must be accrued in a three year period at most, but also no shorter than 12 months.
After you’ve completed your SPE, you will submit a written evaluation from your supervisor to the Board.
The Virginia Psychology Board may also require face-to-face client interactions, as noted in the application that you will be filling out.
Once you’ve submitted your Registration of Residency form, you’ll be able to move on to your examinations. The exams mandated by the Virginia Psychology Board include the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (500 score to pass)
After you have successfully passed the EPPP within a two-year period, you will be ready to submit your Licensure by Examination form to the Board, along with the $200 filing fee. Along with this document, you must submit several additional forms which will include:

- Internship Verification, Post-Degree Supervision Verification, Verification Of Pre-Doctoral Supervised Practicum Hours
- Self Query Report, Official Transcript w/ Graduate Degree, EPPP Clinical Scores
- Areas of Graduate Form, NPDB Form

After all your forms have been received and verified, the Board will move forward with your licensure.

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Virginia Clinical Psychologist Salary and Job Outlook

The state of Virginia is looking to lead the charge into the future in the field of clinical psychology. According to research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, clinical and counseling psychologist jobs in Virginia are projected to increase by 11.6% over the decade leading up to 2032.

Additionally, clinical and counseling psychologists in Virginia earn an impressive average annual salary of $108,130. Statewide salaries in the top 10% for this field start at $222,560 annually.

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.