The psychology field is growing every year, with 19% job growth on the horizon by 2024. Also, you can expect the job demand for clinical, counseling and school psychologists to grow by an impressive 20% in the same period. Higher demand is expected for all kinds of psychological services in hospitals, schools, mental health centers and social service agencies.
What is causing this type of growth? Experts believe that the demand is increasing because people are living healthier and longer, and they want to get help for their psychological issues so that they can enjoy life better.
Psychologists also will be needed to provide needed services for people as people get older. Those issues definitely can increase as you get older, and older people often have the time on their hands to get these issues addressed more so than many younger people. –
For school psychologists, it is expected that job growth will happen because society today is more aware of how mental health and learning are connected. Well trained school psychologists are needed to help students with special needs and learning disabilities.
Also, the growth of industrial-organizational psychologist jobs is expected to be at least 19% by 2024. While this is a relatively small profession, this still could be a good source of high paying jobs for well educated psychologists.
Why Get a Ph.D. in Psychology
For professionals who want to practice psychology independently in their own office, you must have either a Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree in psychology. A Ph.D. in psychology is largely a research degree that you can get after you have studied for 4-5 years and take a comprehensive examination. You also need to write a Ph.D. dissertation based upon your original research.
After you get your Ph.D., you will need to have one or two years of supervised experience in the field. Then you must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. You can find out more information about licensure requirements for your state at the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
Earn Your Ph.D. in Psychology Online With No GRE
Today’s online learning environment means that you have the opportunity to earn your Ph.D. online in psychology and you will rarely need to visit a college campus. Many of these online degree programs do not require GRE or other standardized test scores either.
Accreditation
You should ensure that the university that you are considering for your Ph.D. program has been accredited by one of these regional accreditation agencies recognized by the US Department of Education:
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE)
- Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
If you are thinking about getting your Ph.D. in psychology, we recommend these accredited online degree programs:
#1 Liberty University
Liberty University offers a unique Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision that will prepare you to be a major contributor in the counseling field as a highly effective and ethical practitioner, researcher, supervisor or scholar.
This online Ph.D. requires you to complete at least 66 hours of Ph.D. level classes that include your core classes and electives. You also must complete your qualifying examination, practicum, internship and dissertation research.
You are required to take the following classes to complete this Ph.D.:
- Advanced Group Counseling
- Supervision & Consultation
- Advanced Theory Application
- Advanced Family, Systems & Development
- Issues in Integration
- Advanced Research Design
- Advanced Multivariate Statistics & Quantitative Research
- Instruction in Counselor Education
- Qualitative Research
- Advanced Assessment
- 850 Advanced Career Counseling
- D. Qualifying Exam
More information:
- Campus: Lynchburg VA; online
- Type: For-Profit
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Tuition: $650
- GRE/GMAT Required: No
- Minimum Time Commitment: 48 months
- On Campus Requirements: No
- Programs Offered: Ph.D. in Psychology
#2 Northcentral University
The Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Northcentral University will allow you to hone your thinking skills and to greatly expand your knowledge in psychology, so that you can evaluate social, organization, individual and global issues, with a strong focus on learning and practice of research.
You will be prepared to be an outstanding psychologist in your chosen speciality, and there will be a focus on learning via case studies, scenarios and even real life situations. You also will gain a great deal of experience from your mentor professors.
NCU uses a unique mentoring approach, so you will be able to have one on one interaction with one of your Ph.D. professors. You do not need to take the GMAT or GRE exam to be admitted into this program, so you can devote more time and energy to your studies.
Concentrations that are available at NCU are:
- Health psychology
- General psychology
- Industrial organizational psychology
- Mental health policy and practice
- Gerontology
- Addictions
More information:
- Campus: Scottsdale AZ; online
- Type: For-Profit
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Tuition: $3100 per class
- GRE/GMAT Required: No
- Minimum Time Commitment: 48 months
- On Campus Requirements: No
- Programs Offered: Ph.D. in Psychology
#3 Cal Southern University
Cal Southern University has a fully online Doctor of Psychology degree that is an applied, clinically focused degree that meets all of the requirements for licensure as a clinical psychologist in California. This Ph.D. results at the end of the four or five year program in a doctoral project that is on a topic that is aligned with your career goals.
The doctoral project is a good deal different than a dissertation, and you will find it to be very challenging, rewarding and rigorous. Many students say later that it was one of the most rewarding academic efforts they ever made. The project can include a community based research project, a critique of literature in the field or a clinical application.
You need to complete 66 credit hours to graduate, and most students may complete the program full time in four years. You need to complete your practicum at a site in your area. You will work with your mentor in the program to find a site that is suitable for you.
More information:
- Campus: Irvine CA; online
- Type: For-Profit
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Tuition: $450
- GRE/GMAT Required: No
- Minimum Time Commitment: 48 months
- On Campus Requirements: No
- Programs Offered: Ph.D. in Psychology
#4 Grand Canyon University
Grand Canyon University offers a four year Ph.D. in general psychology with an emphasis in cognition and instruction. You will be able to explore and evaluate many different cognitive processes and information so that you can develop better instructional techniques for post secondary education in the 21st century.
You will study many topics that are critical to the construction and analysis of new learning outcomes. Grand Canyon University will allow you to continue working while you continue to develop your advanced knowledge of psychology, and cognitive research analysis.
Some of the topics that you will cover include:
- Analysis, construction and interpretation of advanced psychological tests that measure outcomes of learning
- Use collaboration to boost the instructional effectiveness and learning of students
- Human cognition and human learning
- The latest theories of inquiry and the proper tests and measures
Courses include:
- Behaviormism
- Theories of Inquiry
- Statistics
- Introduction to Advanced Graduate Studies
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Ethical Issues in Psychology
- Social Cognition
More information:
- Campus: Scottsdale AZ; online
- Type: For-Profit
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Tuition: $450
- GRE/GMAT Required: No
- Minimum Time Commitment: 48 months
- On Campus Requirements: No
- Programs Offered: Ph.D. in Psychology
#5 Northeastern University
The Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University provides you with the doctoral education and training in psychology that you need for entry level practice in counseling psychology. After you graduate from this four year program, you will have the skills to conduct research; teach at a university; supervise students; and provide vital clinical services to people from all walks of life.
This curriculum in this four year program will prepare counseling psychologists to work in many settings with people who have many sorts of psychological issues. You will need to have at least two years of intense clinical training to graduate. You have to be at the site of your internship at least 20 hours per week.
Your required classes include these:
- Doctoral Seminar in Counseling Psychology
- Legal and Ethical Issues in Psychological Settings
- History and Systems of Psychology
- Biological Basis of Behavior
- Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
- Social Psychology
More information:
- Campus: Boston MA; online
- Type: Non-Profit
- Accreditation: New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE)
- Tuition: $550 per credit hour
- GRE/GMAT Required: No
- Minimum Time Commitment: 48 months
- On Campus Requirements: No
- Programs Offered: Ph.D. in Psychology
With all of the high quality online Ph.D. in psychology programs that are available today, becoming a licensed psychologist and working in many different types of settings has never been easier.
