Best degree programs for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, ranked by enrollment
10 college programs and 1,652 schools train Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $100,580 median wage, 75,990 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
10 college programs at 1,652 schools train clinical and counseling psychologists, graduating 175,266 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Psychology, General. The job pays a median of $100,580 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About clinical and counseling psychologists
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
10 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology, Generalmain feeder CIP 42.0101 | 146,449 | 83.6% | 1,567 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | Counseling Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2803 | 12,264 | 7.0% | 277 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 3 | Applied Behavior Analysismain feeder CIP 42.2814 | 7,215 | 4.1% | 143 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 4 | Clinical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2801 | 6,396 | 3.6% | 205 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 5 | Developmental and Child Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2703 | 1,771 | 1.0% | 63 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 6 | Family Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2811 | 630 | 0.4% | 6 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 7 | Health/Medical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2810 | 428 | 0.2% | 25 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 8 | Clinical Child Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2807 | 101 | 0.1% | 9 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 9 | CIP 51.1507 | 10 | 0.0% | 1 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 10 | Geropsychologymain feeder CIP 42.2809 | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4,942 | Psychology, General | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 2 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 3,566 | Counseling Psychology | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 3 | Capella University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 2,932 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 20% | $19,369 | — |
| 4 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,778 | Psychology, General | 0% | — | 67% |
| 5 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,685 | Psychology, General | 74% | — | 55% |
| 6 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,622 | Psychology, General | 78% | — | 40% |
| 7 | National University San Diego, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 1,450 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 43% | $31,817 | — |
| 8 | Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,180 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 64% | $33,585 | 58% |
| 9 | Pepperdine University Malibu, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,162 | Clinical Psychology | 83% | $41,986 | 63% |
| 10 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,018 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 93% |
| 11 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,015 | Psychology, General | 70% | — | 91% |
| 12 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,006 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 90% |
| 13 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 981 | Psychology, General | 77% | — | 43% |
| 14 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 917 | Psychology, General | 33% | — | — |
| 15 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 830 | Psychology, General | 65% | — | 74% |
| 16 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 794 | Psychology, General | 86% | — | 24% |
| 17 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 791 | Psychology, General | 76% | — | 36% |
| 18 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 780 | Psychology, General | — | — | — |
| 19 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 761 | Psychology, General | 69% | — | 46% |
| 20 | Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 757 | Family Psychology | 55% | $6,760 | 96% |
| 21 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 745 | Psychology, General | 93% | — | 9% |
| 22 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 745 | Psychology, General | 61% | — | 72% |
| 23 | The University of Arizona Global Campus Chandler, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs | 712 | Psychology, General | 11% | $26,445 | — |
| 24 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 6 feeder programs | 711 | Psychology, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 25 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 705 | Psychology, General | 85% | — | 80% |
| 26 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 694 | Psychology, General | 91% | — | 24% |
| 27 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 3 feeder programs | 682 | Psychology, General | 90% | — | 38% |
| 28 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 662 | Psychology, General | 86% | — | 27% |
| 29 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 643 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 54% |
| 30 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 632 | Psychology, General | 84% | — | 58% |
| 31 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 632 | Psychology, General | 55% | — | 89% |
| 32 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 614 | Psychology, General | 56% | — | 94% |
| 33 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 606 | Psychology, General | 74% | — | 78% |
| 34 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 604 | Psychology, General | 53% | — | 87% |
| 35 | Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 588 | Counseling Psychology | 63% | $31,672 | 73% |
| 36 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 3 feeder programs | 586 | Psychology, General | 75% | — | 85% |
| 37 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 584 | Psychology, General | 52% | — | 69% |
| 38 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 573 | Psychology, General | 76% | — | 49% |
| 39 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 571 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 87% |
| 40 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 563 | Psychology, General | 65% | — | 88% |
| 41 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 560 | Psychology, General | 53% | — | 55% |
| 42 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs | 559 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 86% |
| 43 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · 3 feeder programs | 558 | Psychology, General | 45% | — | — |
| 44 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 4 feeder programs | 554 | Psychology, General | 63% | — | 93% |
| 45 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 552 | Psychology, General | 69% | — | 85% |
| 46 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 548 | Psychology, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 47 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 542 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 95% |
| 48 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 540 | Psychology, General | 81% | — | 85% |
| 49 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 539 | Psychology, General | 67% | — | 78% |
| 50 | University of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 530 | Psychology, General | 57% | $20,371 | 85% |
What clinical and counseling psychologists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $116,000 | 12,840 | 1.44× | 196 | 33,981 |
| Texas | $83,660 | 3,640 | 0.53× | 92 | 12,395 |
| New York | $114,400 | 8,420 | 1.78× | 94 | 11,725 |
| Florida | $85,610 | 3,040 | 0.63× | 44 | 10,827 |
| Virginia | $86,520 | 2,140 | 1.07× | 40 | 7,634 |
| Pennsylvania | $91,870 | 3,140 | 1.06× | 115 | 6,080 |
| Minnesota | $107,030 | 1,290 | 0.89× | 28 | 6,008 |
| Arizona | $119,010 | 730 | 0.46× | 26 | 5,542 |
| New Hampshire | $64,270 | 330 | 0.99× | 14 | 5,475 |
| Massachusetts | $115,180 | 2,860 | 1.61× | 53 | 4,645 |
| Illinois | $83,750 | 5,810 | 1.95× | 50 | 4,619 |
| New Jersey | $127,090 | 2,700 | 1.29× | 30 | 4,231 |
| Georgia | $96,060 | 1,120 | 0.47× | 43 | 3,962 |
| North Carolina | $92,130 | 2,770 | 1.15× | 48 | 3,852 |
| Ohio | $101,190 | 2,080 | 0.77× | 63 | 3,612 |
| Colorado | $113,290 | 1,170 | 0.83× | 27 | 3,385 |
| Michigan | $84,730 | 2,170 | 1.01× | 44 | 3,092 |
| Maryland | — | 2,140 | 1.58× | 26 | 3,005 |
| Indiana | $84,990 | 1,850 | 1.18× | 42 | 2,716 |
| Kentucky | $99,140 | 710 | 0.73× | 26 | 2,524 |
| Missouri | $99,410 | 840 | 0.58× | 41 | 2,332 |
| Connecticut | — | 660 | 0.80× | 19 | 2,067 |
| Washington | $115,240 | 1,270 | 0.73× | 24 | 2,048 |
| Wisconsin | $113,360 | 1,150 | 0.80× | 30 | 1,997 |
| Tennessee | $76,820 | 1,180 | 0.73× | 34 | 1,962 |
| Oklahoma | $79,950 | 950 | 1.14× | 30 | 1,949 |
| Alabama | $90,800 | 260 | 0.25× | 25 | 1,927 |
| Louisiana | $71,330 | 320 | 0.34× | 23 | 1,841 |
| South Carolina | $92,700 | — | — | 31 | 1,613 |
| Oregon | $134,350 | 540 | 0.56× | 18 | 1,588 |
| Idaho | $97,790 | 300 | 0.72× | 11 | 1,365 |
| Utah | $99,170 | 1,020 | 1.21× | 8 | 1,233 |
| Kansas | $76,690 | 400 | 0.57× | 26 | 1,205 |
| Arkansas | $77,520 | 370 | 0.59× | 21 | 1,192 |
| Mississippi | $76,000 | 210 | 0.37× | 20 | 1,175 |
| Iowa | $91,690 | 440 | 0.58× | 38 | 1,078 |
| Nevada | $102,650 | 680 | 0.89× | 5 | 1,066 |
| New Mexico | $124,800 | — | — | 11 | 921 |
| District of Columbia | $107,000 | 220 | 0.64× | 10 | 770 |
| Rhode Island | $107,490 | 420 | 1.72× | 8 | 751 |
| Nebraska | $94,540 | 770 | 1.53× | 18 | 737 |
| West Virginia | $77,040 | 920 | 2.68× | 14 | 638 |
| Hawaii | $117,860 | 250 | 0.82× | 5 | 555 |
| Montana | $68,160 | 150 | 0.61× | 10 | 405 |
| Vermont | $83,270 | 190 | 1.29× | 6 | 370 |
| North Dakota | $116,130 | 170 | 0.83× | 7 | 348 |
| South Dakota | $80,130 | 120 | 0.52× | 9 | 339 |
| Wyoming | $89,890 | 50 | 0.33× | 7 | 225 |
| Delawaremoderate | $113,050 | 280 | 1.17× | 3 | 202 |
| Alaskamoderate | $124,270 | 40 | 0.27× | 3 | 153 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
- Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
- Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.
- Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork.
- Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
- Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment.
- Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as necessary.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.8
- Active Listening4.3
- Critical Thinking4.3
- Writing4.3
- Speaking4.1
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.8
- Learning Strategies3.6
Knowledge areas
- Psychology5.0
- Therapy and Counseling5.0
- English Language4.1
- Education and Training3.9
- Customer and Personal Service3.7
- Sociology and Anthropology3.6
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.6
- Written Comprehension4.5
- Oral Comprehension4.4
- Problem Sensitivity4.4
- Written Expression4.3
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
Core activities
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.7
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
- Documenting/Recording Information4.4
- Getting Information4.4
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 146,449 degrees in 2024-25, 83.6% 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 10 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 175,266 people a year.
How much do clinical and counseling psychologists earn?+
The median is $100,580 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $55,170 at the 10th percentile to $180,960 at the 90th. 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?+
1,652 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 10 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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