Massachusetts·Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations·SOC 19-3033

Best Clinical programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment

Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests.

53 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,645 people a year. The job pays a median of $115,180 in Massachusetts across about 2,860 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledPsychologistPsychotherapistClinical PsychologistCounseling PsychologistCounselorTherapistCase ManagerPsychoanalyst
Graduates / yr
4,645
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$115,180
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,860
people employed
Schools
53
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
60%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,290
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (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 Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
13,502
75.4%
47$31,426$25,250
2374
8.1%
11$33,805$27,000
3286
6.2%
14$33,805$27,000
4283
6.1%
6$33,805$27,000
5172
3.7%
5$34,454$21,878
618
0.4%
1$33,805$27,000
710
0.2%
1$37,335$22,861

Top 25 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 33 of the 53 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
548Psychology, General$32,22383%60%
2Boston University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
347Psychology, General$39,17589%$21,95611%
3Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
294Psychology, General$44,76091%$21,12616%
4University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Lowell, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
273Psychology, General$40,05465%83%
5University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
272Psychology, General$38,15149%84%
6Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
236Psychology, General$35,71853%88%
7William James College
Newton, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
199Clinical Psychology
8Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
192Applied Behavior Analysis44%$16,85985%
9Salem State University
Salem, MA Public · 3 feeder programs
149Psychology, General$36,49250%96%
10Simmons University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
144Applied Behavior Analysis72%$24,84870%
11Westfield State University
Westfield, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
113Psychology, General$31,17954%81%
12University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA Public · 3 feeder programs
105Psychology, General$36,38252%91%
13Harvard University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
104Psychology, General98%$15,0134%
14Western New England University
Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
97Psychology, General$33,82564%$29,32783%
15Suffolk University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
96Psychology, General$38,02061%$28,89582%
16Worcester State University
Worcester, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
96Psychology, General$38,16961%88%
17College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
92Psychology, General$41,09987%$24,53318%
18Clark University
Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
91Psychology, General$33,26477%$23,33240%
19Framingham State University
Framingham, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
79Psychology, General$34,35348%84%
20Assumption University
Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
69Psychology, General$38,69775%$24,20683%
21Regis College
Weston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
69Applied Behavior Analysis72%$26,64770%
22Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
66Psychology, General$37,25613%
23Endicott College
Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
66Psychology, General$43,64676%$34,19571%
24Lesley University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
55Psychology, General$39,21158%$30,83797%
25Cambridge College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
54Applied Behavior Analysis11%

All 53 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts 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.

All schools in Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Massachusetts - AmherstAmherstPublic5481
Boston UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit3472
Boston CollegeChestnut HillPrivate not-for-profit2943
University of Massachusetts - LowellLowellPublic2731
University of Massachusetts - BostonBostonPublic2722
Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewaterPublic2362
William James CollegeNewtonPrivate not-for-profit1993
Bay Path UniversityLongmeadowPrivate not-for-profit1924
Salem State UniversitySalemPublic1493
Simmons UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1442
Westfield State UniversityWestfieldPublic1132
University of Massachusetts - DartmouthNorth DartmouthPublic1053
Harvard UniversityCambridgePrivate not-for-profit1041
Western New England UniversitySpringfieldPrivate not-for-profit972
Suffolk UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit963

What clinical and counseling psychologists earn in Massachusetts

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Massachusetts
$115,180
Mean annual
$124,560
Jobs in state
2,860
What the range looks like
10th pct$60,250Median$115,18090th pct$216,570
Versus the national median
+14.5%

U.S. median $100,580. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.61×

Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Pittsfield, MA
$125,030median
60 jobs
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$121,270median
1,920 jobs
Worcester, MA
$112,060median
350 jobs
Springfield, MA
$99,200median
230 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$93,830median
90 jobs
Barnstable Town, MA
$80,420median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+11.2%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
4,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
8,500
76,300 → 84,800
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Plus internship/residency

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

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingSpeakingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts.

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 3,502 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 75.4% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Clinical, Research and Experimental Psychology, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. Together they graduate about 4,645 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do clinical and counseling psychologists earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $115,180 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.5% 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 Massachusetts?+

53 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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.

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaVirginiaPennsylvaniaMinnesotaArizona

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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