Yet another area of confusion, many folks unfamiliar with counseling psychology or clinical psychology doctoral programs don’t understand the difference between a PhD and a PsyD. To clarify, a PhD is a "doctor of philosophy," whereas a PsyD is a specific degree known as "doctor of psychology," which is a newer development in the field of psychology. Let's start with a question:

Is a PhD is only for those who want to go into a research career and PsyD for practice? 

I once read a recent professional blog article from a psychologist who falsely claimed that PhD is generally only for folks wanting a career in research. PhD programs require heavy training in both research and practice (called the Boulder Model, or scientist-practitioner training model), so that one has the flexibility to practice, conduct research, go into academia, etc. The majority of graduates from PhD programs go into practice, so it is strange to hear that programs like mine supposedly only graduate researchers. PsyD programs generally follow the Vail Model (practioner-scholar), which places less emphasis on research; however, it is important to note that BOTH types of programs train students to become clinicians. One should not interpret a science-practitioner program as being "less clinically-oriented" than a practitioner-scholar program, particularly given that PhD programs tend to take an extra year or more to complete than practitioner-scholar programs.

One true difference is that PsyD programs generally do not provide as extensive of a research/science/statistics foundation. PhD programs following the Boulder Model require several courses in those topic areas plus research (some programs require just a dissertation, others a predissertation/thesis AND dissertation). The dissertation is generally expected to meet rigorous standards of research such that one can publish it in a peer-reviewed academic journal in the future, should they choose to do so. PsyD programs may or may not require original research for the dissertation (for example, some PsyD programs require a theoretical paper or case discussed at length through a particular theoretical lens as the dissertation). It depends on the specific PsyD program.

As a result of this confusion, a common experience that comes up with folks who want to get a graduate degree in clinical or counseling psychology is the following:

I hate research. Shouldn’t I get a PsyD? 

I would say don't foreclose on getting a PhD so quickly! A lot of practice-oriented folks overlook PhD programs because they are intimidated by the research requirement, but they usually have either no experience whatsoever with research or very little when they claim that they don't like it. I myself was in that group, but I fell in love with my PhD program when interviewing there and never looked back once accepted. Research was challenging, but taught me to appreciate the work that goes into research, and made me a much more discerning consumer of information since I had experienced extensive coursework in research methods and also performed my own research. I went into the program disliking research, and came out with a deep respect for it. Today, I can read a study, find methodological issues with it, and critically examine whether it supports its claims adequately. Being a critical consumer of research is a crucial skill to have in practice when evaluating evidence-based approaches--to know what a study does and does not support, and what the general body of research says about treatment efficacy and effectiveness of different theoretical approaches. A research background complements clinical practice nicely.

Try getting involved in research through your psychology department at your local university and see whether you enjoy it or find it interesting before foreclosing on a PhD program.

Are PhDs and PsyDs considered to be equivalent?

According to state governing boards that regulate psychology practice and licensure, yes. Both types of graduates go on to become "licensed psychologists" via state boards of psychology and seek the same types of jobs, generally. But that isn't to say that there isn't some tension between some folks in the two camps when you look more closely at the nuances. Let me provide some background:

• PsyD programs tend to have large cohorts (a "cohort" meaning number of students entering into the program in a given year), are far easier to get admitted into (per an article from 2010, about 41% acceptance rates), and many PsyD programs are for-profit institutions that do not offer assistantships/university work and thus graduate folks with a high level of debt. The length of program tends to be around 4-5 years. In terms of outcomes, PsyD students from free-standing (non-university-based PsyD programs) are less likely to match for internship than those from university-based PsyD and PhD programs and graduates from PsyD programs score lower on the EPPP (the national licensing exam for psychologists) than students in PhD programs.

• PhD programs tend to be much smaller by cohort size (~4-10 vs. ~20-60 in PsyD programs), are usually much more difficult to get accepted into, provide funding for students (tuition coverage and stipend), and are generally found within public/non-profit universities. The length of program tends to be about 5-7 years, so it generally takes longer to get a PhD due to the additional research requirement. In terms of outcomes, scores on the EPPP and match rates for internship tend to be more robust, as mentioned in the prior paragraph.

Looking at the comparison above, PsyD programs graduate many students per year who then enter the job market alongside a smaller number of PhD graduates. According to APA’s search tool, as of 2021, there are 102 APA-accredited PsyD programs and 312 APA-accredited PhD programs (counseling and clinical psychology or variations of these). So why would there be more PsyD graduates entering the job market if there are more APA-accredited PhD programs? According to an article from 2006, the average cohort size of PsyD programs was 33, vs. 9-10 in PhD programs, so PsyDs have fewer programs, but graduated more than 3 times the number of students in PhD programs (of note, this data was from over 15 years ago). As a result of for-profit colleges growing exponentially in the past 30-40 years (some charging an upwards of $50,000/year for tuition), it has now become easier to become a psychologist with less strict requirements for program acceptance, thus creating more competition for jobs.

This may create some resentment amongst some PhD holders, who may have had to prepare extensively to be considered a strong candidate for doctoral programs, may have had to apply multiple years to get into a PhD program, and once accepted, may have attended graduate school for more years to get their doctorate than a PsyD graduate. Thus, when there is tension between the two, it may be because some folks with doctorates of philosophy believe that the doctor of psychology degree is easier to obtain, less rigorous, and contributes to flooding the market with psychologists (via for-profit PsyD educational institutions), which may ultimately lead to salary decreases in psychological practice. In the reverse, some PsyD holders may believe that PhD graduates are elitist and snobby. These attitudes can be subtle, and may not be everyone’s experience.

In professional (clinical) practice, it is important to note the differences are minimal. Folks with PsyDs supervise PhD students, and vice versa. Often, PsyD holders and PhD holders work alongside each other in practice, whether it be in college counseling, VAs, hospitals, community mental health, group practice, etc. So while there may be tension here and there, mutual respect is also common. For all intents and purposes, PhDs and PsyDs are seen as equivalent degrees according to state licensing boards. For some folks, however, the equivalence in quality of training is up for debate.

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or thoughts about this post!