Due to the high volume of interest in the Doctor of Psychology program, enrollment is full for Fall 2023. The Liberty University School of Behavioral Sciences is only taking applications for the Fall 2024 and Fall 2025 semesters at this time.
Be on the Cutting Edge of Mental Health Research and Care with the PsyD in Clinical Psychology
As a clinical psychologist, you can do more than perform research studies to learn about the human mind – you can touch people’s lives for generations. By applying the most advanced research and the most profound knowledge of psychology, you can help people heal and grow through mental health challenges. Your studies can contribute to the work of other mental health professionals, allowing you to make an incredible impact. If you want to study to become a clinical psychologist so you can use your skills in research to help people, Liberty’s Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology is the right choice for you!
Award-Winning Campus
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education that equips students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence helped us rank as the #4 Best College Campus in America by Niche.com. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Liberty’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology is designed to prepare you to evaluate research and to understand the truth about human behavior from a biblical worldview. Our mission is to Train Champions for Christ. We fulfill this mission by training professionals to use science and biblical values to understand the full breadth of the human experience. Our unique, biblically-based approach to this field will prepare you to impact those you work with positively.
Why Choose Liberty’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology?
With our PsyD in Clinical Psychology, you can learn effective clinical techniques, essential behavioral theory, and develop your research and writing expertise. You can become equipped with a thorough understanding of human thought and behavior while formulating your research to further the field.
In this program, you’ll find biblical applications woven into your coursework. This perspective in your research and practical training in psychology will help you develop professional and academic excellence without compromising an ethical appreciation for human life. Additionally, our caring faculty are devoted to helping you grow personally and academically.
How do I know the PsyD is the right program for me?
The doctor of clinical psychology can be an especially good option for you if:
You already have state licensure and want to expand your options.
You are already a Liberty student.
You want a degree that isn’t just about research.
You want a faith-based doctoral degree in psychology.
You want to gain a license as a clinical psychologist.
You want to pursue academic roles in clinical psychology.
Earning a PsyD with Liberty means that you can be trained to critically and biblically engage with research and clinical practice. If you want to engage in the highest level of scholarship while making a direct, positive difference in patients’ lives, Liberty’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology is the program for you.
What Will You Learn in Our PsyD in Clinical Psychology Degree?
Liberty’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology is designed to build on your previous study and experience in human psychology. Through this program, you can develop into a researcher and psychologist who demonstrates ethical and academic excellence while integrating biblical values into your practice.
The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology is designed to equip you with the top-level credentials, advanced studies in psychology, and practice-focused skills you need to be an expert in the field of mental health. Through this program, you can:
- Act in accordance with the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, relevant governance, professional standards, and guidelines.
- Apply ethical decision‐making processes to meet the most significant challenges of the field.
- Conduct evidence‐based mental health assessments consistent with the scope of Health Service Psychology, interpret assessment results, and effectively communicate assessment findings and implications to a range of audiences.
- Develop advanced research and scholarship with the potential to meaningfully contribute to the body of scientific, psychological, and professional knowledge.
- Learn about the structure of the brain, neurochemistry, and psychopharmacology.
- Learn evidence-based therapies like emotion-focused therapies and how to use biofeedback and neurofeedback.
- Learn how to administer and interpret cognitive and psychological tests such as family assessments, behavioral observation scales, objective personality tests, and more.
- Learn how to integrate a biblical worldview into the practice of clinical psychology.
- Gain experience working in a wide range of settings: private practice, hospitals, community-based clinics, schools, and churches.
- Obtain a solid foundation in research design and statistics.
- Provide training, consultation, and supervision to other professionals: psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, and counselors.
Structured Course Sequence and Hands-on Experience
The PsyD in Clinical Psychology is designed to follow a pre-set course sequence with built-in opportunities to gain hands-on experience and develop your dissertation research.
In the second year of the program, you will be placed in an affiliated practicum site in the Lynchburg area to gain experience in a clinical setting.
To give you a thorough background of experience and hands-on practice for your dissertation research, you will complete the final year of your program in a clinical internship. Through this process, you will work remotely with your dissertation chair and mentors.
View the Degree Completion Plan, and check out our featured courses below for more information about what you’ll learn.
Featured Courses
PSYD 601 – Introduction to Clinical Practice II
PSYD 605 – Lifespan Development I
PSYD 610 – Child and Adolescent Psychopathology I
PSYD 706 – Research Design II
Highlights of Our PsyD in Clinical Psychology
- During the Psy.D. program, you will also earn a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology after you complete specific courses on the degree plan.* This additional degree can help you complete your clinical requirements while earning your doctorate.
- You can learn from faculty members who have years of professional counseling experience with agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as in schools, churches, and private practices across the nation and around the world.
- Graduate assistantships are available for doctoral students.
*Courses to earn the M.A. in Clinical Psychology in passing: PSYD 600, 601, 605, 610, 615, 701, 703, 704, 706, 707, 708, and 796 (twice)
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Degree Information
- Residential
- 126 total hours
- Transfer in a total of 39 credit hours from an APA-accredited program.
- In order to follow APA guidelines, this program admits 25 students each year on an integrated, organized sequence of study. For more information, view the pre-defined course sequence in the Degree Completion Plan.
- Toward the end of their coursework, students will be disseminated into internship sites throughout the country for a full‐time internship year. During this time, each student will work with their dissertation committee (remotely) to complete their dissertation research.
- The following courses may be considered for transfer: PSYD 605, 702, 703, 706, 707, and 709 – all other courses are non-transferable.
- This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
- View our course catalog.
Potential Career Opportunities for PsyD Graduates
Graduates of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology can be well-equipped to pursue many roles related to psychology research and clinical practice, including:
- Clinical counseling ministry
- Clinical psychologist
- Counseling program department head
- Psychology professor
- Psychology researcher
Admission Requirements for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology
Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:
- Admission application
- Self-certification form (for students who are in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
- A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher from an accredited institution with at least 18 credit hours in Psychology*
- The GRE is not required, but applicants are strongly encouraged to take the GRE General Test. A minimum composite GRE score of 300 will contribute positively to the applicant’s success.
- 3 letters of recommendation (2 from professional sources and one from an academic source) that speak to the student’s character, work ethic, teachability, leadership potential, quality of academic work, and ability to do doctoral-level work.
- Personal Essay – 500-700 words in APA format, answering the following questions:
- Describe your understanding of the professional identity of a clinical psychologist and then identify any specialty areas you may be interested in pursuing as a clinical psychologist (Neuropsychology, Pediatric, Gerontology, Forensic, Health/Behavioral Medicine, Sports Psychology, or Other).
- Please tell us why you are pursuing a Psy.D. through Liberty University. Specifically, focus on any relevant life experiences that may have informed and shaped your decision, your career goals, and how you plan on navigating your current responsibilities with the demands of the program.
- Please tell us why you want a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from this program.
- Department Approval – This includes a Faculty Interview with finalists in the application process.
*At least 18 semester hours in psychology are required and must be completed before the 2nd semester (spring) of the Psy.D. program, including at least one course in each of the following groups of courses: General Psychology, Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology, Quantitative Methods, Statistics, Research Methods or Experimental Design, Personality Psychology or Theories or Psychotherapy, Physiological Psychology; One course from the traditional “Scientific Sub-disciplines” (i.e. Learning Cognition, Social or Developmental Psychology, or Sensation/Perception).
Common Questions
Do I need a master’s in psychology before I can start the PsyD in Clinical Psychology?
What’s the difference between PsyD and PhD in Clinical Psychology?
How do I know this is one of the best PsyD programs?
