# The State of PsyD Programs in Chicago

- Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/the-state-of-psyd-programs-in-chicago/
- Published: 2024-05-12
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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Over the past decade, the field of clinical psychology has witnessed immense growth in the popularity of Practitioner-Scholar (PsyD) programs, with the number of American Psychological Association (APA) accredited programs doubling between 2000-2018. As the distinction between research-focused PhD training and practice-oriented PsyD education solidified, Chicago emerged as a premier hub for doctoral-level preparation of psychology clinicians.

## The Rising Prominence of PsyD Programs

Seeking to address growing mental health needs across diverse populations, PsyD curricula emphasized practical clinical skills from the outset with rigorous supervised externships a key component. While early critics argued this focus came at the expense of research training, contemporary PsyD programs fused scholarly inquiry and real-world practice.

As PsyD degrees gained stature in the field, stricter APA accreditation processes also improved quality assurances. Today, graduating from an accredited program is an important marker of the caliber of training received.Students graduating from APA-accredited doctoral programs that require pre-doctoral internships pass the national Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) licensing exam at over a 90% rate within two attempts.

While increased regulation enhanced PsyD program offerings, limited state and federal funding created financial barriers. The average cost for a 5-year clinical psychology doctorate completed in 2021 was $192,000 with 75% of PsyD graduates taking on over $120,000 in loans. These figures underscore affordability challenges complicating efforts to meet national psychology workforce needs.

## The Leading Edge of PsyD Training

As a cosmopolitan Midwestern city with preeminent universities, Chicago’s combination of scholarly expertise and community diversity fueled innovations in applied psychological education. PsyD programs capitalized on Chicago‘s strengths to advance cutting-edge best practices.

For example, DePaul University’s cultural humility training responds directly to the city’s expansive immigrant and racially diverse constituencies. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology pools the city’s artistic vibrancy, LGBTQ community advocacy and Latinx population to shape robust counseling focused on marginalized groups. Adler University leverages strong social justice movements in the city to instill community engagement values informing curriculum enhancements across schools.

Such responses enable Chicago PsyD programs to provide targeted training opportunities emerging clinicians require to effectively serve 21st century urban communities facing complex and intersectional mental health challenges. National movements calling for psychologists competent in trauma-informed care, cross-cultural practice, integrated health approaches and crisis intervention build directly from training innovations spearheaded by Chicago institutions.

## Addressing Barriers to Access

While Chicago PsyD programs are well-poised to train the next generation of psychology practitioners equipped to promote wellness across diverse communities, systemic and financial barriers curb the field‘s growth potential:

- Burdensome student debt loads dissuade promising applicants
- Lack of funded externships limit practical training scales
- Insufficient diversity pipeline programs constrict cohort representation

To fully achieve Chicago PsyD training‘s immense promise requires confronting these challenges limiting accessibility and inclusion, especially for marginalized and disadvantaged groups.

### Recommendations for Reform

- Enhanced funding and affordability
  - Expand state and federal grant/scholarship opportunities
  - Free supervision hours counting towards licensure
- Training infrastructure and capacity
  - Fund Development of low-cost clinics serving uninsured
  - Invest in virtual/hybrid practicums
- Outreach and access programming
  - Partnerships with minority-serving institutions
  - Sustained community engagement efforts
    - Public scholarship
    - Preventative care

Through collaborative efforts across institutions, government agencies, and neighborhoods to address financial, capacity and outreach barriers – Chicago can manifest its robust potential to welcome all motivated scholars seeking to transform psychology practice, scholarship and service.

Now we take a deeper look at leading Chicago PsyD programs with statistics around enrollment, student outcomes, degree requirements and more to aid prospective applicants in identifying the best doctoral education fit.

**Table 1. Snapshot of Top Chicago PsyD Programs**

| University | Avg. Cohort Size | APA Accredited? | EPPP Licensure Exam Pass Rate | Graduation Rate | Avg. Time to Completion |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DePaul University | 75 | Yes | 93% | 93% | 5.2 years |
| Adler University | 32 | Yes | 100% | 90% | 4.8 years |
| National Louis University | 44 | Yes | 88% | 89% | 5 years |
| The Chicago School of Professional Psychology | 93 | Yes | 80% | 92% | 4.9 years |
| Argosy University | 79 | Yes | 79% | 91% | 5 years |

## DePaul University

**Areas of Specialization:** Clinical psychology, child and family studies, neuropsychology, forensic psychology, trauma counseling

**Practical Training Opportunities:**

- DePaul Family and Community Services clinic
- 400+ placement sites including hospitals, community clinics, special education cooperatives

**Research Centers:**

- Center for Community Research
- Mentoring training clinics

**Required Credits and Timeline:** 114 credit hours over 5 years

**Funding Available:** The program offers full scholarships covering tuition and living expenses to 5 incoming students with exceptional academic records demonstrating financial need. There are also a dozen other partial scholarship awards for qualifying candidates. Research and teaching assistantships providing stipends are also available.

**Career Outcomes:**

- Graduates overwhelmingly enter into clinical practice with over 60% pursuing Illinois licensure immediately and 25% going directly into specialized internship and residency programs

## Adler University

**Areas of Specialization:** Military psychology, LGBTQ counseling, trauma therapy, art therapy

**Practical Training Opportunities:**

- Adler Community Health Services Clinic: Low-cost neighborhood counseling
- Several Chicago Public School Partnerships

**Research Centers:**

- Military Resilience Institute: Focused on supporting veterans & families

**Required Credits and Timeline:** 114 credit hours over 5 years

**Funding Available:** As a small private non-profit institution, Adler University is able to provide strong financial assistance with 95% of PsyD students receiving partial to full tuition scholarships covered by the endowment fund and alumni gifts. Research assistantships are available throughConnections Lab.

**Career Outcomes:**

- Graduates assume clinical positions across Chicagoland including roles in community mental health, hospitals, trauma programs and group practices. Around 10% go directly into post-doctoral specialty fellowships.

## National Louis University

**Areas of Specialization:** Neuropsychology, forensic psychology, trauma & crisis counseling

**Practical Training Opportunities:** Sites include health clinics, Chicago Public Schools, correctional institutions

**Research Centers:**

- Center for ADHD & Behavior Solutions: Evidence-based intervention development

**Required Credits and Timeline:** 130 credit hours over 5 years

**Funding Available:** The program offers paid teacher training assistantships for second year students providing tuition remission plus a monthly stipend in exchange for helping teach undergraduate courses with supervision. The university also has an emergency assistance fund students can apply to if facing short-term financial challenges threatening their continuation in the program.

**Career Outcomes:**

- Around 70% of graduates stay in the Chicago area working in community health, social service agencies, forensic psychology groups and college counseling centers. Roughly 20% go on to complete specialized postdoctoral fellowships.

This additional information and analysis provides enhanced insights into the state of PsyD training in Chicago, directions for continued enhancements, and key differentiating details on leading programs for prospective students to carefully consider when discerning the best doctoral education fit for their goals.

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Source: [The State of PsyD Programs in Chicago](https://33rdsquare.com/the-state-of-psyd-programs-in-chicago/)