Best Clinical programs in Washington, ranked by enrollment
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests.
24 schools in Washington run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,048 people a year. The job pays a median of $115,240 in Washington across about 1,270 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Washington that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Washington that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Washington (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 Washington page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology, Generalmain feeder CIP 42.0101In Washington → | 1,731 | 84.5% | 18 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | Counseling Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2803In Washington → | 156 | 7.6% | 6 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 3 | Health/Medical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2810In Washington → | 60 | 2.9% | 1 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 4 | Clinical Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2801In Washington → | 42 | 2.1% | 4 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
| 5 | Developmental and Child Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2703In Washington → | 34 | 1.7% | 2 | $34,454 | $21,878 |
| 6 | Clinical Child Psychologymain feeder CIP 42.2807In Washington → | 25 | 1.2% | 1 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
Top 24 schools in Washington
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 24 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 458 | Psychology, General | $36,216 | 60% | — | 87% |
| 2 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 235 | Psychology, General | $32,306 | 65% | — | 93% |
| 3 | Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 223 | Psychology, General | $36,964 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 4 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 4 feeder programs | 204 | Psychology, General | $34,594 | 43% | — | 91% |
| 5 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 161 | Psychology, General | $34,660 | 63% | — | 83% |
| 6 | Gonzaga University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 106 | Psychology, General | $33,554 | 86% | $30,006 | 82% |
| 7 | Seattle University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 106 | Psychology, General | $37,452 | 76% | $31,900 | 77% |
| 8 | Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 81 | Psychology, General | $40,264 | 62% | $24,653 | 83% |
| 9 | University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Psychology, General | — | 65% | — | 91% |
| 10 | The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Counseling Psychology | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Bastyr University Kenmore, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Counseling Psychology | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Whitworth University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Psychology, General | $29,005 | 71% | $23,510 | 90% |
| 13 | Antioch University - Seattle Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Psychology, General | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Psychology, General | $30,757 | 69% | $19,944 | 78% |
| 15 | Heritage University Toppenish, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Psychology, General | — | 54% | $13,380 | — |
| 16 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Clinical Child Psychology | $33,192 | 85% | — | 39% |
| 17 | Northwest University Kirkland, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Counseling Psychology | — | 71% | $21,433 | 83% |
| 18 | University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Psychology, General | $25,596 | 68% | $35,057 | 72% |
| 19 | Saint Martin's University Lacey, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Psychology, General | $33,509 | 52% | $22,131 | 90% |
| 20 | Northwest University - Center for Online and Extended Education Kirkland, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Psychology, General | $30,547 | 50% | $26,831 | — |
| 21 | Walla Walla University College Place, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Psychology, General | — | 60% | $22,260 | — |
| 22 | Faith International University Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Counseling Psychology | — | 25% | $18,744 | — |
| 23 | Great Northern University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Counseling Psychology | — | 50% | $31,680 | 100% |
| 24 | The Evergreen State College Olympia, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Clinical Psychology | — | 41% | — | 96% |
All 24 schools in Washington
Every school in Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State University | Pullman | Public | 458 | 1 |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham | Public | 235 | 2 |
| Central Washington University | Ellensburg | Public | 223 | 1 |
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | Public | 204 | 4 |
| University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma | Public | 161 | 1 |
| Gonzaga University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 106 | 1 |
| Seattle University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 106 | 1 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 81 | 2 |
| University of Washington - Bothell Campus | Bothell | Public | 81 | 1 |
| The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 73 | 1 |
| Bastyr University | Kenmore | Private not-for-profit | 38 | 1 |
| Whitworth University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Antioch University - Seattle | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 2 |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 1 |
| Heritage University | Toppenish | Private not-for-profit | 31 | 1 |
What clinical and counseling psychologists earn in Washington
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $100,580. Washington pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Washington
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 Washington
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 Washington.
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 1,731 degrees in Washington in 2024-25, 84.5% 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 2,048 people a year in Washington.
How much do clinical and counseling psychologists earn in Washington?+
The median is $115,240 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 14.6% 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 Washington?+
24 institutions in Washington 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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