Wisconsin is home to nationally renowned doctoral programs in psychology. Prospective enrollees can find a wide range of financial assistance options to fund their education, ranging from teaching and research assistantships to scholarships and grants. Earning a doctoral degree in psychology is a requirement for licensure and represents the best way to maximize career potential in the field.
Marquette University
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
The variety of different specializations within the field of psychology is impressively reflected in the range of professionals trained at this department: biological psychologists, neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, industrial psychologists, and clinical psychologists. In fact, the department has nationally accredited programs in each of these areas of specialization. Of particular note is the department’s PhD program in clinical psychology.
Clinical Psychology PHD
Students enrolled in this program benefit from its integration of scientific, academic, and professional training. Based on the scientific-practitioner model of training, this program is designed to encourage student skills to develop in a cumulative and sequential fashion that gradually increases in complexity. Graduates of this program are capable of pursuing careers in clinical, research, and academic settings, and earn a master’s degree along the way to their doctoral credential. Over the course of 84 semester credits, students complete didactic classes, supervised clinical practica, a master’s thesis, a doctoral examination, a doctoral dissertation, and finally a year-long pre-doctoral internship. On average, students take 7.6 years to earn their degree, and over the decade leading up to 2013 97 percent of students went on to become professionally licensed after graduation.
College of Education, Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
This department bases its education on the 450-year-old Jesuit tradition of providing care for the whole person – cura personalis. The department’s curricula in each of its graduate programs reflect a commitment to improving social inequalities through leadership, service, and excellence. Courses for all programs provide experience and training in the assessment, prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of psychological issues. Of particular note is the department’s sole doctoral program, its PhD in counseling psychology.
Counseling Psychology PHD
This program prepares students to work as professional psychologists in a wide array of environments, including community mental health clinics, colleges, universities, private practice, and hospitals. Students are also prepared to work as researchers, administrators, professors, and in other academic-related positions. As part of this program’s minimum of 91 semester credits, students take core didactic courses, at least 12 credits that are related to research, 1,600 hours of practica experience, spend 2,000 hours in an approved internship, and complete a doctoral dissertation. Students have several sponsored locations where they can conduct research, including the university’s Behavior Clinic, its Culture and Well-Being Lab, and the Latino/a Well-Being Research Initiative. On average most students graduate in about six years, and between 2005 to 2013 84 percent of students chose to become professionally licensed after graduation.
Accreditation
- The clinical psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
- The counseling psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
Contact
Marquette University
Clinical Psychology
Cramer Hall, 317
1250 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 288-7218
John.Grych@marquette.edu
Program Website
Marquette University
Counseling Psychology
Walter Schroeder Health and Education Complex, Room 150
561 N. 15th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(414) 288-5790
coreen.bukowski@marquette.edu
Program Website
Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology
This school, dedicated specifically to its field, was founded in 1978 by a group of psychologists in southeastern Wisconsin. After a concerted grassroots organizing effort, it was offering its first class in 1980. Fundamental to this school’s identity is its non-profit status. This means that all proceeds derived from its education are reinvested back into the school itself. Today the school offers a graduate course sequence in forensic psychology, a master’s program in clinical psychology, and a doctoral program in clinical psychology.
Clinical Psychology PsyD
This program is modeled on practitioner-oriented training, and strives to instill the foundations of scientific psychology in its enrollees. Students can specialize in either adult clinical psychology or child clinical psychology. The program is designed to be completed in five full-time years for students who have a bachelor’s degree. The first four years include didactic courses and practica, with the fifth year being reserved for a 12-month internship and completion of a doctoral dissertation. Using the average over the past seven years, students take 6.5 years to earn their degree. Over the past decade three-quarters of graduates from this program have gone on to earn professional licensure in their field. Upon graduation, students are competent in basic clinical areas of assessment, the integration of research and clinical activities, as well as intervention.
Accreditation
- The clinical psychology PsyD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
Contact
Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology
9120 W. Hampton Avenue #212
Milwaukee, WI 53225-4960
(414) 464-9777
President@wspp.edu
Program Website
University of Wisconsin – Madison
The College of Letters and Science, Department of Psychology
This department has made notable contributions in psychological research and scholarship for more than a century. It prepares students to become professionals in their field through an undergraduate program that is the largest of its kind within the college, and through graduate programs that provide the best available training for students to advance to positions in academia, clinics, research, private practice, and many other settings. Of particular note is the department’s doctoral degree in clinical psychology, which receives approximately 425 applicants per year for just 25 seats.
Clinical Psychology PHD
This program prepares students who intimately understand the factors that influence mental illness and mental health, and are thereby able to prevent mental illness, promote mental health, and improve psychotherapy. Using a mentoring model with students, faculty members cooperate with these aspiring clinical psychologists on didactic education to integrate research and theory. Science and practice are also closely integrated during a student’s practica experiences, which are taught according to a generalist model that incorporates working with children, adolescents, and adults from a variety of backgrounds. The program culminates with a year-long full-time internship. On average, students take 7.5 years to complete this program, and over the past decade two-thirds of graduates chose to become professionally licensed after earning their degree.
School of Education, Department of Counseling Psychology
Focusing primarily on graduate studies, this department offers a master’s degree in community counseling and a doctoral degree in counseling psychology. Graduates of both these programs have made important contributions in their diverse range of fields, including through careers in research, clinical practice, industry, consulting, the private practice, and academic instruction. Multiculturalism and diversity are integrated into every course within this department. Faculty continually strive to provide broad experiences and the latest findings of ongoing research to their students.
Counseling Psychology PHD
With emphases on social justice, the scientific basis for practice, and multicultural competence, this program prepares students to work as qualified professional psychologists. The educational model for this program can best be described as eclectic-interpersonal, a nationally unique model. Along the way to completing the required minimum of 63 semester credits in this program (for those who already have a master’s degree), students take core didactic coursework and engage in several practica experiences. These students can expect to study full-time in the program for at least five years, while students entering with a bachelor’s degree can expect to study for at least six full-time years. The final two years of study are devoted to a year-long internship and doctoral dissertation. The average time to graduation is around seven years, and over the past decade approximately 80 percent of graduates who went on to work in a clinical setting chose to become professionally licensed after graduation.
School of Education, Department of Educational Psychology
This department is proud of its multiple number-one national rankings for being the best graduate school for education – most recently for 2017 – according to US News and World Report. It is also proud that one of its education psychology professors recently won the Outstanding Reviewer Award sponsored by the American Educational Research Association. Focusing on the psychological and educational principles that influence newborns to those aged 21 years, this program prepares psychologists who are competent to use their skills to enhance the psychological well-being of children, their families, and their teachers.
School Psychology PHD
This PhD program in educational psychology prepares psychologists who are ready to use their skills to make a positive difference in the lives of children, their families, and their teachers. Using the scientist-scholar-practitioner model of education, faculty educate their students on the use of psychological evaluation, consultation, diagnosis, assessment, intervention, and other evidence-based practices to provide an education that is grounded in science. As part of this program students complete key didactic courses, school practica, clinical practica, a portfolio examination, a 2,000-hour internship, and a doctoral dissertation. The average time students take to graduate from this program is 5.6 year, and over the past decade about a quarter of graduates chose to earn their professional license after completing their degree.
Accreditation
- The clinical psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
- The counseling psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
- The school psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR). It is also approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Contact
Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Brogden Hall, 1202 West Johnson Street
Madison, WI 53706-1611
(608) 262-1040
info@psych.wisc.edu
Program Website
Department of Counseling Psychology, School of Education
University of Wisconsin – Madison
335 Education Building
1000 Bascom Mall
Madison, WI 53706-1326
(608) 262-4807
counpsych@education.wisc.edu
Program Website
School Psychology, Educational Psychology, School of Education
University of Wisconsin – Madison
859 Education Sciences
1025 W. Johnson Street
Madison,Wisconsin 53706-1796
608/262-3432
edpsych@education.wisc.edu
Program Website
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
College of Letters and Science, Department of Psychology
Part of one of the nation’s major research universities, this school serves over 30,500, who comprise the most diverse population of all schools in the state university system. Not to be outdone, the Department of Psychology is one of the most productive and dynamic departments at this university. This accomplishment starts with quality faculty, who are recognized experts in their various fields, not to mention accomplished professors. Working closely with their faculty advisors, the department’s graduates publish cutting-edge research, secure prestigious positions in industry, academia, and government, and successfully compete for national scholarships.
Clinical Psychology PHD
This program is designed according to the department-esteemed scientist-practitioner model of study. As such, students are prepared to serve as professional psychologists who use research and professional training to inform their performance. Graduates are also competent to conduct research in the context of their practice. This program is designed to take place over six years, with its first year starting with didactic education in core concepts. Students enroll in their first practicum at the end of year one, and this segues into clinical training that takes place in year two. Students continue throughout the program with practica and didactic courses, and also complete a preliminary exam, a researched doctoral dissertation, and finally a year-long internship.
School of Education, Department of Educational Psychology
As part of the state’s premiere school for the practice and research of urban education, this department prepares tomorrow’s leaders in school counseling, learning and development, statistical measurement in education, and community counseling. The department is a proud winner of the APA’s award that recognizes its recruitment of a diverse graduate student body. This award comes after more than 50 years of focus by the department on training counselors and psychologists who are multiculturally competent.
Counseling Psychology PHD
Based on the scientist-practitioner model of education, this program integrates research, theory, and practice to provide students with the skills they need to work as counseling psychologists, especially in urban and multicultural settings. Graduates are prepared to work in places like universities, hospitals, mental health clinics, government agencies, and in private practice. This program is designed for students who already have a bachelor’s degree, as well as for those with a master’s degree. Students progress through the program starting with didactic coursework, which is followed by practica, research on a faculty member’s team, a doctoral dissertation, and a final year-long internship. Students with a master’s degree can expect to study for five years before earning their degree, while bachelor’s-prepared students must spend at least an additional year completing didactic coursework. This program also provides stipends and other financial assistance for students.
School Psychology PHD
Because this program is designed to fully integrate rigorous research and professional practice with psychological theory, it is classified as adhering to the scientist-practitioner model of education. Structured to be completed in five years, students may be permitted to enroll part time, however completion of the program must take place within eight years of enrollment. The program admits students with a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, and those with a bachelor’s degree earn a master’s degree along their way to the doctoral credential. Students also have the option to apply for assistanceships and fellowships if they need financial help. The 115 total semester credits of this program include didactic courses, practica, an internship, and a doctoral dissertation. On average students take 6.2 years to graduate from this program.
Accreditation
- The clinical psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
- The counseling psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR).
- The school psychology PhD program is accredited by the APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR). It is also approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Contact
Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
2441 E. Hartford Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
(414) 229-4746
uwmpsych@uwm.edu
Program Website
Counseling Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
2400 E. Hartford Ave., Enderis Hall 709
Milwaukee, WI 53211-3159
(414) 229-4767
srwester@uwm.edu
Program Website
School Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
2400 E. Hartford Ave., Enderis Hall 709
Milwaukee, WI 53211-3159
(414) 229-4939
kstoiber@uwm.edu
Program Website
Students who earn their doctoral degree in psychology are preparing for success by maximizing their career options and personal potential to achieve their highest goals. Wisconsin graduates have gone on to lead consulting companies and academic departments that include instructing and research. They have founded nationally renown private practices and worked with leading government agencies, clinics, and hospitals. A doctoral degree in psychology is one of the best investments students can make in their future when it comes to rewarding professional opportunities as well as leaving a mark on their field and society at large.