The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program is only available for Fall semester acceptance.
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology
Be on the Cutting Edge of Mental Health Research and Care with the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
As a clinical psychologist, you can help people heal and grow through mental health challenges. Your studies and analysis can assist mental health professionals who care for people all over the world. If you want to become a clinical psychologist and use your skills in research to help people, Liberty’s Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology is the right choice for you!
Liberty’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology prepares you to evaluate research and to understand the truth about human behavior from a biblical worldview. We want to Train Champions for Christ who are equipped to bring both physical and spiritual healing to their patients.
Do I Need a Master’s in Psychology Before I Can Start the Psy.D. in Psychology?
Liberty’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is designed as a 5-year track right after your bachelor’s degree in psychology.
In fact, you will complete courses that will earn you a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology while earning your Psy.D.
Pursue Your Degree with Confidence
- 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 will help you complete your clinical requirements while earning your doctorate.
- You will 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.
- Our clinical psychology Psy.D. program prepares you to become a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.
- We offer opportunities to work with ministries and organizations fighting to end sex-trafficking in the U.S. and abroad.
- You have the opportunity to join our chapter of the Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) international counseling honor society, providing ways for you to network with professional counselors and high-achieving students across the nation.
What Will You Learn?
- How to apply ethics and biblical values to meet the most significant challenges of the field
- Methods to 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
- The best ways to build and implement evidence-based interventions for patient care
- The most critical and relevant psychology theories and practices
- To develop advanced research and scholarship with the potential to meaningfully contribute to the body of scientific, psychological, and professional knowledge
*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)
Career Opportunities for Psy.D. Graduates
Graduates of the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology will be well-equipped to pursue many roles related to psychological research and clinical practice, including:
- Clinical counseling ministry
- Clinical psychologist
- Counseling program department head
- Psychology professor
- Psychology researcher
Internships and Resources Available to Students in Our Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology Degree Program
- Our Christ-centered courses will keep you on the cutting edge of research and clinical psychology techniques.
- We offer faculty-student mentorship in research projects with guidance and support in the academic publishing process.
- During your second year, Liberty’s clinical affiliate program will help you find a placement for your practicum to give you real work and training experience.
- Through your fifth year residency, you will be mentored and supported in your clinical practice and guided through the dissertation research process.
- Our state-of-the-art digital resources and extensive on-campus library resources provide a flexible and comprehensive way to get the research you need for your studies.
Admission Requirements for the Psy.D. 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*
- GRE – Minimum score of 300
- 3 letters of recommendation from academic sources 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.
- Department approval – This includes a Faculty Interview with finalists in the application process.
*These hours must include at least one course in each of the following areas: 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).
Credit Hours
Class Type
Residential
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 39 credit hours
Next Start Date
Accreditation
Liberty University is accredited by SACSCOC
15,000+
Students
20
NCAA DI Sports
500,000+
Community Service Hours
350+
Undergrad & Grad Programs
The Liberty DNA
Liberty’s promise to you is an education that expertly brings knowledge and faith together. You’ll not only be challenged academically but also pushed spiritually through weekly worship gatherings and community engagement, local service projects, and global mission trips. You can become a Champion for Christ that changes the world with the Gospel.
Convocation
The largest weekly gathering of Christian students in North America cannot happen without a key ingredient: you. Experience life-changing messages from more than 80 nationally acclaimed speakers each year.
Accreditation
In addition to Liberty’s institutional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, many programs are also accredited or recognized by specialized professional agencies, including ABA, ABET, ACBSP, AOA-COCA, ATS Commission on Accrediting, CAAHEP, CAATE, CACREP, CCNE, CEPH, CoARC, NCATE, and NASM.
Career Focused
As a Christian university, we’re committed to helping you every step of the way so you can earn your degree flexibly, affordably, and with excellence — and do the things that matter to you. That’s why our professors and dedicated Career Services department are focused on getting you job ready before you leave the classroom.
FAFSA and Loan Information
Most graduate students qualify for $20,500 in student loans through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – and even more in certain health fields!
There are two types of federal loan options available to grad students:
- Direct Unsubsidized Loans (Stafford) – loans made to eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, but eligibility is not based on financial need.
- Graduate PLUS Loans – loans made to graduate or professional students and parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. Eligibility is not based on financial need, but a credit check is required. If you have a bankruptcy, foreclosure, or an account in collections, you may be denied.
Tuition Costs
Liberty University provides master’s programs at just $545* per credit hour. Most courses will be paid by credit hour except the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity block rate of $2,850 per semester for 9-15 credit hours. Most graduate programs average from 35-45 credit hours to complete.
*Some programs differ and may have additional fees that apply.
Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.
Amounts are per credit and are based on data published on each institution’s website as of 11/16/20. This information is believed, but not guaranteed, to be accurate. Individual institutions may charge additional fees in addition to the per credit hour rates. Rates are subject to change.
Visit Our Central Virginia Campus
Have you visited Liberty yet? We can’t wait to have you. Watch a robot fetch your books at the Jerry Falwell Library, cheer on the winning touchdown at Williams Stadium, break a sweat at the fitness center, and gaze at the stars at the astronomical observatory.
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 Niche.com’s #4 Best College Campus in America. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Located directly behind Arthur S. DeMoss Hall, the Montview Student Union is a 4-story, 168,000-square-foot structure that includes a lounge overlooking the Academic Commons, retail dining venues, an art gallery, a ballroom, and a bowling alley. The building also has space for academics, meetings, and offices.
The Liberty Baseball Stadium features the latest turf playing surface, as well as full-length, major league-style dugouts, a fully-equipped media area, two suites, a club room, and a spectator picnic area.
The Center for Medical and Health Sciences (CMHS) is a state-of-the-art modern learning facility for Liberty University's College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) and School of Health Sciences. Sitting on Liberty Mountain, the 140,000 square-foot, four-story facility offers breathtaking views of the valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north and west.
The Center for Music and the Worship Arts features 124 Steinway pianos and 43 teaching studios complete with piano, songwriting, and music computer labs. Additionally, the center includes a 1,600-seat concert hall.
The Center for Natural Sciences houses classrooms, an auditorium, and more than 30 laboratories designed for hands-on learning, including an advanced anatomy lab and a cell culture lab. The facility has more than $2 million in equipment, including a GC mass spectrometer and a gene sequencer.
As the primary academic building on campus, Arthur S. DeMoss Hall spans 500,000 square feet over four floors and houses computer labs, classrooms and student resource centers, and a rooftop terrace.
Jerry Falwell Library houses an array of study spaces including six learning commons, one technology commons, and 30 group-study rooms. Multiple terraces and balconies provide additional space to relax, and several dining options are available. Taking advantage of the latest technology, the ASRS, a robotic retrieval system, houses the majority of the library’s collections in a state-of-the-art automated on-site retrieval system.
The 275-foot-tall Freedom Tower, home of the John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, the nation’s largest center for religious studies and ministerial training, includes classrooms and offices, a conference room, a homiletics lab, and an interactive classroom, as well as observation spaces to take in the spectacular views of campus.
The LaHaye Ice Center is home to Liberty men's and women's hockey teams, as well as the synchronized skating and figure skating teams. Recently renovated, the ice center seats 4,000 fans and includes 10 box suites.
Whichever way you like to break a sweat, you can do it here! The recreation center has weight rooms, cardio lofts, private classrooms, an indoor track, pools, a rock wall, soccer fields, and basketball courts.
The Reber-Thomas Dining Center (Liberty’s dining hall) is a two-story, 120,000-square-foot all-you-care-to-eat buffet that boasts a seating capacity of more than 2,700. It provides breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers over 20 unique stations to choose from.
The Residential Commons are comprised of three residence halls. The rooms feature a private bath, and every floor provides laundry facilities and a common lounge. Additional residential facilities are also planned for the site.
The three-story structure serves as a home base for the School of Business, which includes 152 programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, as well as centers of excellence focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, cybersecurity, and stock trading. On the first floor, a stock trading simulation room, operating in partnership with Truist, features an LED stock ticker that wraps around the top of the room and streams the latest market activity from Wall Street.
The Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre offers students the opportunity to ski, snowboard, and tube year-round with its cutting-edge terrain technology.
Tower Theater is home to Liberty’s Department of Theatre Arts as well as the professional theatre company, Alluvion Stage Company. Tower Theater features a Broadway-style fly tower and professional rigging system and has over 12,000 square feet of backstage and support area.
This auditorium’s 10,000 seats are filled by students at Convocation and Campus Community, concert-goers, and athletic event attendees.
The stadium’s 25,000 seats host the fans of our FBS conference football team. Williams Stadium also boasts a 110-foot viewing tower and houses the Football Operations Center, containing locker rooms, coaches’ offices, equipment, and weight rooms, and a training facility.
The Admission Process
Apply Now, Pay Later
Start the enrollment process by applying online now — the application takes about 10 minutes. Your application fee isn’t due until you enroll!
Get Accepted
Once you’ve submitted all your admission documents, you’ll be updated on the status of your application through text and email. You can also keep track on your Student Checklist.
Act Early
After you apply, you may be eligible for Liberty's Graduate Assistantship program. Each graduate assistant is awarded a tuition scholarship equivalent to a full-time course load in their respective degree.
Contact one of our Admissions Counselors for more information by calling (877) 298-9617.
Hear from Liberty Students — Past and Present
Former SGA President Derek R.
“The whole school and the administration have their mindset on heaven — the Holy Spirit is so active on campus.”
Former SGA Vice President Esther L.
“It was knowing that I could be vulnerable about where I was from or what I was coming from or going through with people that were here and cared was encouraging and helped me with the transition.”
David H.
“Spiritually, I have seen the most growth in my life. …The spiritual atmosphere of the campus here at Liberty is unreal.”
Queenstar B.
“They [professors] see each student as an individual who has the potential to truly impact the world for God’s Namesake.”
Sarah B.
“Here there are authentic people that have really embodied how the Lord cares for each of us.”
Joseph H.
“Once I made it on campus — just the overwhelming amount of love that I received from the student body, the people on my hall, and my RAs just blew me away.”