Psychology Ph.D. and Psy.D. Degree Programs in Arkansas
Find Doctoral Degree Programs in Arkansas
Whether you’re a recent Bachelor’s degree graduate or a working mental health professional, you are likely aware of the growing mental healthcare shortage in Arkansas. When you pursue a doctoral degree in Arkansas, you can reach the highest level of licensure in this field and serve patients in your community.
On the research side, a Ph.D. can help you because it involves you in every step of the research process. If you base your career in research, you can study important psychological issues and use your findings to come up with solutions.
If you’re more interested in working as a clinician, you could do a lot of good work in Arkansas. The state’s rural areas often have very limited mental health services, causing long wait times that high-risk patients cannot tolerate. Through the courses you choose, you can opt to work with specific populations or get the training you need to work with a wide variety of patients.
Your choice to earn a doctoral degree could benefit you, your patients, and your community as a whole. Take the first step and check out our list of Ph.D. psychology programs in Arkansas below.
Getting Your Doctorate Degree in Psychology in Arkansas
As an aspiring doctoral student, you may benefit from contacting multiple doctorate in psychology programs in Arkansas. There are many options when you include multiple specialties, Psy.D. programs, and Ph.D. programs. Since both options include research to some extent, it’s important that you select a school with a professor who has similar research interests. This is a significant part of completing your dissertation.
As a general rule, Ph.D. in psychology programs in AR have a more rigorous research component than Psy.D. programs. Your curriculum may include courses like:
- Psychopathology Theory and Assessment
- Inferential Statistics for Psychology
- Personality Theory and Assessment
- Psychotherapy Outcomes
- Theories of Learning
- Research Design
- Advanced Developmental Psychology
- Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience
On the flip side, Psy.D. curricula generally focus on counseling and therapy techniques that address the needs of many different populations.
If you choose to pursue a Psy.D., you may take classes like:
- Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling
- Foundations of Counseling Psychology
- Psychopathology
- Group Psychotherapy and Counseling
- Psychological Treatment and Methods
- Advanced Social Psychology
- Marriage and Family
- Individual and Organizational Consultation
At most Arkansas facilities, coursework is integrated with clinical and research hours. This allows you to build on your practical skills throughout your degree, rather than fitting all of your clinical hours into your last few years of study. When you are working with patients in a clinical role, you may find that most of your hours are supervised experience. Before you begin working independently as a psychologist, you need several thousand hours of supervised experience.
The role of ethics in psychology is strongly emphasized at this level of study. Through your work, you should demonstrate your respect for each patient as an individual, your ability to work with diverse patient needs, and your willingness to learn and grow.
Working With Your Doctoral Degree in Psychology in Arkansas
Ph.D. in psychology programs in Arkansas may prepare you for work in a number of different settings. However, you must first obtain your license from the Arkansas Psychology Board. To get started, you can request a license application packet from them when you near the end of your degree.
Professional growth is encouraged throughout your career. Make use of groups like the Arkansas Psychological Association to stay up-to-date on industry changes.
Across different career paths, the job outlook is bright in Arkansas. Between 2012 and 2022, O*Net expects job openings for clinical psychologists to increase 11% and job openings for psychology professors to increase 23% (2016). Their data shows that clinical psychologists earn an average of $61,000 annually and psychology professors earn a median income of $64,480 per year (BLS, 2016).
Arkansas has been significantly impacted by the shortage of mental health professionals. Contribute to your community while pursuing a rewarding career.
Request information from doctorate in psychology programs in AR to begin.
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