by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for psychology students pursuing a doctor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,257 doctor's degrees in psychology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The psychology doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for psychology students working on their doctor's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Psychology Doctor's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in psychology.
It's difficult to beat University of California - Irvine if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in psychology. UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Irvine
Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in psychology has to check out University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Los Angeles
It is difficult to beat Palo Alto University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in psychology. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Palo Alto.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Palo Alto University
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in psychology has to take a look at University of California - Santa Barbara. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Santa Barbara
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - San Diego
Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Davis
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a doctorate in psychology from University of California - Berkeley
Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Azusa Pacific University
Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from Pepperdine University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, The Chicago School Los Angeles Campus is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Los Angeles
Explore all the Best Psychology Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 27 | 73 |
| Oregon | 27 | 112 |
| Nevada | 25 | 41 |
| Hawaii | 23 | 26 |
| Alaska | 10 | 11 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | 843 |
| General Psychology | 174 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 136 |
| Other Psychology | 104 |
