Becoming a knowledgeable psychologist requires a great deal of dedication and time – most programs take at least five to six years to complete. Yet, once you graduate, you’ll be equipped to make positive contributions to the field, be that in a laboratory, a clinical setting, or somewhere in between.
As a prospective doctoral student in Illinois, you have many different choices regarding how to complete your education. On the one hand, you can pursue a Ph.D. or a PsyD. On the other hand, you have your pick of more than a dozen doctoral-level programs at schools throughout the state.
This guide features some of the popular psychology doctoral programs in Illinois – both Ph.D. and PsyD options. In each instance, you’ll get a high-quality education that sets you up for success in your future career.
Psychology PhD and PsyD Programs in Illinois
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering psychology PhD and PsyD programs in Illinois:
- University of Illinois
- Southern Illinois University
- The Chicago School
- Adler University
- National University
- Grand Canyon University
- University of Arizona Global Campus
To find out how we select colleges and universities, please click here.
University of Illinois
Ph.D. in Psychology
The Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois was founded in 1904. Its long-standing tradition of excellence in scholarship and research makes its Ph.D. in Psychology one of the top options in the state. You can choose from nine emphasis areas, including attention and perception, behavioral neuroscience, clinical-community, or cognitive neuroscience. Other options include the following:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Quantitative Psychology
- Social-Personality Psychology
The Industrial-Organizational option is particularly interesting because it is one of the nation’s best IO programs and has been for four decades. The program’s faculty are also among the nation’s best, with expertise in areas such as personnel selection, vocational interests, emotional intelligence, and work recovery, to name a few.
The program’s philosophy is simple: train you to be an expert in IO psychology research and applied theory. In other words, you’ll emerge from this program fully capable of working in psychological research settings, in business and industry settings, as an IO consultant, and in many other areas in between.
The 96-credit curriculum requires a breadth and depth of studies in psychology that focuses not only on IO psychology topics but on general psychology training as well. For example, you must complete a two-course sequence on Statistical Methods as part of your psychology research training. Other broad courses like this–Research Methods, Tests and Measurements, and Quantitative and Qualitative Methods build on the skills you acquire in your Statistical Methods class to ensure you have a good grasp on critical psychology topics as you move forward in the program.
The IO psychology-focused coursework comprises the bulk of your studies in the program. These classes may include the following:
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Leadership and Management
- Organizational Development
- Work Motivation and Attitudes
- Recruitment, Selection, and Training
Additionally, you might take courses like Human Factors, which focuses on the relationship between human workers and technology. A course like this might focus on ways to improve a workstation in a manufacturing facility to improve workflow and enhance safety for human workers. Likewise, you might take a course like Occupational Health and Safety, which examines workplace health issues and discusses IO psychology methods that can be employed to address safety concerns in the workplace.
Beyond the requirements discussed above, this program includes distribution courses in two or more other program areas. The purpose of these classes is to provide a greater breadth of knowledge in complementary areas. For example, you might take business, marketing, or management classes to fulfill this requirement.
Furthermore, you must take four minor courses. Again, the purpose of this requirement is to ensure you have the greatest breadth and depth of education possible. Your minor might be in a highly specific area of IO psychology, such as Personnel Selection. Alternatively, you might opt for a minor in a field like business management or human resources.
This program also requires you to accumulate teaching experience. You’ll fulfill this requirement by teaching undergraduate or graduate courses at the university. Your teaching experience is supervised by department faculty to ensure you have the support necessary for a successful teaching assignment. Additional requirements are as follows:
- Complete a master’s thesis.
- Pass a doctoral qualifying exam.
- Pass an oral preliminary exam.
- Complete a doctoral thesis and successfully defend it.
You must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit an academic statement that discusses your academic background and intellectual interests.
- Submit the required personal statement essays.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume.
- Provide contact information for three references.
- Submit official GRE scores.
Southern Illinois University
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Southern Illinois University is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and has been since 1961. With a long-standing tradition of academic excellence, this program is a top choice for students like you in Illinois.
This program offers a broad education in psychology. On the one hand, much of your studies focus on clinical applications of psychology and developing the skills to be successful in that role. On the other hand, this program integrates psychological science with practice, so you’ll also have the capability of adapting to the changing needs in this field by making positive contributions to the science of psychology.
In fact, Southern Illinois’ psychology program adheres to the Boulder scientist-practitioner model. This model of training places equal emphasis on clinical preparation and research. As such, you’ll begin clinical training in your first semester. You’ll also begin research training in your first semester with your selected faculty member. Both clinical and research training continue for the majority of the program.
The coursework you’re required to complete includes studies in a broad range of areas. For example, you must take two of the following three research-related classes: Multivariate Methods of Psychology, Experimental Design and Analysis, or Multiple Regression. You must also take History and Systems of Psychology if you didn’t do so as part of your undergraduate studies. This course reviews essential concepts of psychology, from seminal work early on to modern applications of psychology.
You must also take clinical psychology concentration courses. These classes focus on a range of issues relevant to clinical practice, including the following:
- Psychopathology
- Psychological Assessment
- Cognition, Affect, and Behavior
- Ethical and Professional Problems in Psychology
You must also complete a Clinical Skills Practicum. As part of this experience, you’ll be placed in a clinical setting where you’ll practice your skills under the supervision of an experienced clinical psychologist. You’ll work directly with clients to gain needed experience as a clinician, and you’ll also learn about ethical and professional issues, diversity issues, and change processes, to name a few.
As noted above, you’ll complete clinical and research training throughout the program. The bulk of your research will relate to your master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation. In each case, you’ll conduct thorough, original research and present that research in a publication-quality paper. The thesis and dissertation must be defended to a faculty committee in an oral examination. This examination also requires you to answer questions about general psychology to evaluate your competence in this field.
As a clinical program, there is also a clinical internship requirement. The internship is the culmination of your training and occurs during the program’s final year (or two years if you work part-time). You can complete your clinical training at any approved site. This allows you to tailor your training to your particular interests. For example, if you wish to concentrate on clinical applications with children, you might seek an internship placement in a youth residential treatment facility.
You must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Successful applicants typically have a 3.5 GPA or higher.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit a personal statement in which you discuss your interest in clinical psychology and the SIU clinical psychology program.
- Submit a statement in which you discuss your research experience and areas of research interest.
- Submit three letters of recommendation from academic and/or professional references.
The Chicago School
PsyD in Clinical Psychology
At The Chicago School, you can complete an APA-accredited PsyD in Clinical Psychology in five years. During that time, you’ll participate in dyadic coursework, applied clinical training experiences, and psychological research. As a result, you’ll graduate from this program with the content knowledge, therapeutic skills, and knowledge of research procedures to make a lasting impact on the clinical psychology field.
You’ll take courses focusing on general psychology and clinical psychology topics. General topics might include the following:
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Lifespan Development
- History and Systems of Psychology
These courses represent just a sampling of broad coursework you might complete. The purpose of classes like these is to help you build a foundation upon which you can build additional knowledge and skills. In this case, those additional skills focus on the clinical application of psychology.
So, for example, you might take a course like Trauma: Theory and Treatment, which explores how trauma impacts people over the course of their lives. You’ll discuss concepts like memory mechanisms and processes, adaptations to trauma, and acute reactions. You’ll further examine the multicultural, developmental, and social components of trauma and treatment.
Another clinically-focused course you might take is Culturally Responsive Interventions. Part of this course focuses on developing culturally informed interventions. You’ll create these interventions after a thorough literature review and consultations with minority communities about mental health services.
A unique aspect of this program is that you can choose a major area of study or an emphasis if you wish. Doing so allows you to narrow the focus of your studies to more closely align with a desired application of your clinical expertise. You can choose from four options:
- Forensic Psychology
- Clinical Neuropsychology
- Clinical Health Psychology
- Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
The practicum experience is a critical component of this program. You’ll be placed in an applied clinical psychology setting, where you’ll work closely with a supervisor to build competency in clinical practice. The practicum begins with a basic experience in which you mostly shadow an experienced clinician. From there, you move into intermediate and advanced practicums that provide you with increasingly advanced responsibilities. You must complete 600 hours of training in each of the three practicums.
Then, you’ll proceed to the clinical internship requirement. You must accumulate at least 2,000 hours of training in one to two years. Again, this experience is supervised so you have the needed support to continue your growth as a professional psychologist.
In addition to the required coursework, research components, and clinical training, you must also pass a comprehensive examination. This exam assesses your knowledge of essential psychology topics, such as psychological theory and practice. Furthermore, you’ll be assessed on your understanding of a specific theory of intervention of your choosing and your ability to practice using that theory in a manner that is culturally sensitive and ethical.
You’re required to complete a doctoral dissertation as part of your training, too. The dissertation requires astute academic insights, detailed research, and clinical education. You’ll defend your competency in these areas to your dissertation committee near the program’s end.
You must meet the following criteria to apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Successful applicants typically have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.2 or higher.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume.
- Submit the required application essays.
- Submit three letters of recommendation.
- Participate in a faculty interview.
Adler University
PsyD in Clinical Psychology
Another popular doctoral program you might consider is the PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Adler University. This APA-accredited program offers numerous options for focusing your training. These options include the following:
- Clinical Neuropsychology
- Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy
- Child and Adolescent Psychology
- Military Clinical Psychology
- Primary Care Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
- Substance Abuse Treatment
- Traumatic Stress Psychology
Regardless of which emphasis you choose, you must complete a core sequence of courses that lays the foundation for advanced studies in clinical psychology. For example, you must take Clinical Interviewing and Fundamental Skills, which discusses diagnostic procedures, interventions, and experiential activities (e.g., role-playing). You’ll also learn about intake procedures, mental status exams, and treatment planning, among other essential topics.
The Diversity and Individual Differences course offers additional training in fundamental psychology principles. You’ll examine issues like power, privilege, and diversity in the context of age, culture, race, religion, and gender, to name a few. You are also required to take Ethics and Professional Development in Clinical Psychology to ensure you fully understand your ethical obligations to your clients.
Further core coursework includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Psychopathology
- Integrative Assessment
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Addictive Disorders
- Social Psychology
- Social Determinants of Mental Health
This program requires you to complete two intervention-focused elective classes as well. For example, you might take Psychoanalytic Approaches, which offers an overview of psychoanalysis from multiple perspectives, including Freudian, affect regulation, and object relations. You might also elect to take Couple and Family Therapy Approaches, which examines the theory and conceptualization of cases, the etiology of presenting issues, and basic techniques of family and couple therapy. Other intervention course options include Humanistic and Existential Therapy, Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, and Military Couple, Family, and Group Psychotherapy.
Additional training comes in the form of five general elective courses. The purpose of these courses is to add breadth to your education. The university offers many different elective options, including the following:
- International and Cross-Cultural Studies
- Primary Care Psychology
- Group Psychotherapy
- Theories and Techniques of Clinical Hypnosis
- Pediatric Neuropsychology
Other elective options focus on highly specific applications of psychology. For example, you might take Trauma-Focused Approaches to Interventions, which discusses the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, acute distress disorder, and related conditions. Or, you might take Geriatric Neuropsychological Assessment to learn how to perform neuropsychological screenings and other psychological assessments on older adults.
You’ll also complete a series of practicum experiences over the course of the program. These experiences range from a two-part non-clinical Social Justice Practicum focusing on improving equity in society to a six-part doctoral practicum in which you’ll apply the clinical skills you acquire in the program in a supervised clinical psychology setting. Additional clinical training comes in the internship phase of the program, during which you’ll acquire 2,000 or more clock hours during a year-long placement in a clinical setting.
Be sure you meet the following requirements before applying:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Successful applicants typically have a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher. Successful applicants must also have at least 18 semester credits of psychology coursework with a grade of C or better.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Demonstrate practicum or work experience in this field.
- Provide a statement of intent in which you discuss why you’re interested in this field and why Adler University is a good fit for your needs.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume.
- Provide three letters of recommendation.
Select applicants will also be invited to participate in a personal interview.
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