PCSAS’s purpose is to serve the public by: promoting high-quality science-centered education and training in clinical psychology; increasing the quality and quantity of clinical scientists contributing to the advancement of public health; and extending the scientific knowledge base for mental health care.
Accreditation is awarded only to programs that grant Ph.D. degrees with a core focus on the specialty of psychological clinical science. Such accreditation is limited to programs in departments of psychology (or their equivalent) within accredited, non-profit, research-intensive universities legally authorized to operate and award doctoral degrees in the U.S. and Canada.
The list below includes all 46 programs currently accredited by PCSAS. Each has met the same eligibility criteria, followed the same review process, and fulfills all required accreditation standards. This is true whether a program is in the U.S. or Canada. Additional information is found at Review Criteria.
For easier reference, the list can be sorted by an accredited program’s home institution or its most recent review date. Also, a link is provided to the program. PCSAS requires programs to publish student admission and outcomes data, and links to that information are provided in the “program data” column.
The PCSAS Review Committee makes all final decisions and may act to “accredit” a program or to “deny” accreditation. There are no tiers or levels other than full accreditation. Because PCSAS works closely with programs throughout the application and review process, no program that has applied since the accreditation system started in 2009 has been denied. Also, almost all programs first became members of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science before applying for PCSAS accreditation. The Academy is an alliance of doctoral clinical programs with strong commitments to clinical science training.
Detailed information on PCSAS and its accreditation may be found in the Purpose, Organization, Policies, and Procedures Manual. Members of the public who have a question or concern regarding PCSAS or an accredited program, should review the policy found there on page 20.