Best Clinical programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests.
196 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 33,981 people a year. The job pays a median of $116,000 in California across about 12,840 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology, Generalmain feeder CIP 42.0101In California → | 27,882 | 82.1% | 186 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | Clinical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2801In California → | 2,568 | 7.6% | 32 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 3 | Counseling Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2803In California → | 2,119 | 6.2% | 26 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 4 | Applied Behavior Analysismain feeder CIP 42.2814In California → | 1,218 | 3.6% | 14 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 5 | Developmental and Child Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2703In California → | 122 | 0.4% | 4 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 6 | Health/Medical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2810In California → | 72 | 0.2% | 2 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 51 of the 196 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National University San Diego, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,450 | Applied Behavior Analysis | — | 43% | $31,817 | — |
| 2 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,162 | Clinical Psychology | — | 83% | $41,986 | 63% |
| 3 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,018 | Psychology, General | $28,603 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 4 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,015 | Psychology, General | $27,965 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 5 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 791 | Psychology, General | $29,346 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 6 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 761 | Psychology, General | $27,511 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 7 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 745 | Psychology, General | $30,614 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 8 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 662 | Psychology, General | $29,144 | 86% | — | 27% |
| 9 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 614 | Psychology, General | $32,603 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 10 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 552 | Psychology, General | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 11 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 542 | Psychology, General | $27,557 | 57% | — | 95% |
| 12 | California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 514 | Psychology, General | $29,727 | 43% | — | 93% |
| 13 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 456 | Psychology, General | $37,567 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 14 | The Chicago School at Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 451 | Applied Behavior Analysis | — | 0% | — | 46% |
| 15 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 444 | Psychology, General | $28,189 | 55% | — | 94% |
| 16 | California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 443 | Psychology, General | $29,069 | 53% | — | 98% |
| 17 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 435 | Psychology, General | $34,803 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 18 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 410 | Counseling Psychology | — | 62% | $26,940 | 85% |
| 19 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 391 | Counseling Psychology | — | 70% | $37,121 | 62% |
| 20 | Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 371 | Psychology, General | — | 21% | — | — |
| 21 | Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 359 | Psychology, General | $16,894 | 45% | — | — |
| 22 | Merced College Merced, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 352 | Psychology, General | $34,441 | 36% | — | — |
| 23 | California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 346 | Psychology, General | — | 50% | — | 94% |
| 24 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 339 | Psychology, General | $26,845 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 25 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 339 | Psychology, General | — | 30% | — | — |
All 196 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National University | San Diego | Private not-for-profit | 1,450 | 4 |
| Pepperdine University | Malibu | Private not-for-profit | 1,162 | 3 |
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 1,018 | 2 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 1,015 | 1 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 791 | 2 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 761 | 2 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 745 | 1 |
| University of California - San Diego | La Jolla | Public | 662 | 4 |
| California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento | Public | 614 | 2 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 552 | 2 |
| California State University - Fresno | Fresno | Public | 542 | 1 |
| California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public | 514 | 1 |
| California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 456 | 2 |
| The Chicago School at Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 451 | 4 |
| California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino | Public | 444 | 2 |
What clinical and counseling psychologists earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $100,580. California pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Clinical and Counseling Psychologists page.
How to become a Clinical
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Clinical and Counseling Psychologists10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 42.0101Psychology, General
- 42.2703Developmental and Child Psychology
- 42.2801Clinical Psychology
- 42.2803Counseling Psychology
- 42.2807Clinical Child Psychology
- 42.2809Geropsychology
- 42.2810Health/Medical Psychology
- 42.2811Family Psychology
- 42.2814Applied Behavior Analysis
- 51.1507Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
Common questions
Answers for people weighing clinical and counseling psychologists programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Clinical?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Psychology, General, which awarded 27,882 degrees in California in 2024-25, 82.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Clinical?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Clinical, Research and Experimental Psychology. Together they graduate about 33,981 people a year in California.
How much do clinical and counseling psychologists earn in California?+
The median is $116,000 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 15.3% above the U.S. median of $100,580. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for clinical and counseling psychologists growing?+
BLS projects a +11.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 4,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
196 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do clinical and counseling psychologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3033.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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