About our Program

About the Psy.D.

The Doctor of Psychology degree (Psy.D.) is an applied doctoral degree designed to prepare clinical psychology practitioners. It is based on a training model for professional psychologists emphasizing clinical practice. The rationale for establishing the Psy.D. degree in the late 1960s was that “Psychological knowledge…had matured enough to warrant creation of explicitly professional programs along the lines of professional programs in medicine, dentistry, and law” Norcross et al. (2014). Thus, the model was established to complement, rather than compete with, the Ph.D. degree.

All 50 states license practitioners holding either the Ph.D. or Psy.D. degrees and the major accrediting body for clinical psychology programs, the American Psychological Association (APA), accredits both types of programs.

Accreditation/Licensure

The Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology at EKU is Fully Accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association. We were awarded this status on April 5, 2020. Our next site visit will be held in 2029. 

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 
American Psychological Association 
750 1st Street, NE 
Washington, DC 20002 
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org 
Web: https://www.accreditation.apa.org/

For more information about our Psy.D. program, contact:

Michael McClellan, Ph.D.
Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology
Eastern Kentucky University
120 Cammack Building
521 Lancaster Ave.
Richmond, KY 40475
859-622-4381
Email: m.mcclellan@eku.edu