17.4 Doctoral Degrees: PhD and PsyD

Changing the World With a budget of only $3,000, Dr. Tamara Russell launched an innovative mental health program at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, WA. Her treatment program provides inmates with opportunities to help others—by mentoring fellow inmates, tutoring students for the General Educational Development (GED) tests, and caring for orphaned kittens, among other things (Hagar, 2013, September 19).

AP Photo/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Greg Lehman

Determining if you need a degree at the doctoral level really depends on your interests. A PhD (doctor of philosophy) psychologist typically focuses on research, though some also provide therapy (Norcross & Castle, 2002). Earning a PhD requires graduate-level course work: 3 to 6 years of advanced college courses and training in addition to a bachelor’s degree. PhD coursework and research culminate in a dissertation, which you might think of as a huge research paper in your field of study. PhD programs are highly competitive; it is not unusual for an applicant to apply to multiple schools, but only gain acceptance to one or two. The good news is that programs typically provide 70–80% of students with tuition assistance (Norcross & Castle, 2002). For some helpful tips on applying to PhD programs, you can visit the American Psychological Association Web site (http://www.apa.org/education/grad/applying.aspx) and LaunchPad at http://worthpublishers.com/launchpad/Licht.

If your interest is more clinically focused, then you may consider the other doctoral-level degree in psychology, a PsyD (doctor of psychology). It focuses more on clinical practice than on research, and typically requires 1 to 1.5 fewer years than a PhD program. Because most PsyD degrees are offered by professional schools of psychology or private colleges and universities, these programs can be substantially more expensive than PhD programs, with students amassing an average debt of $53,000 to $60,000 (Norcross & Castle, 2002). There also tends to be less financial aid available for PsyD students.

In the early 1970s, many psychologists believed that the practice of clinical psychology (that is, how therapists work) deserved more academic attention (Norcross & Castle, 2002; VanderVeen, Reddy, Veileux, January, & DiLillo, 2012). As a result, PhD programs try to ensure that students are “educated and trained to generate and integrate scientific and professional knowledge and skills so as to further psychological science, the professional practice of psychology, and human welfare” (American Psychological Association [Society of Clinical Psychology, Division 12], as cited in VanderVeen et al., 2012, p. 1049). The biggest difference between PhD and PsyD programs is that PhD programs are more research focused. This is not to say that PsyD programs do not require course work in statistics and research methods; it is just not the primary focus. PsyD programs traditionally emphasize clinical course work, practice, and experience (Norcross & Castle, 2002).