Why Earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology?
Pacific’s PhD in Clinical Psychology blends compassionate care with rigorous research to prepare the next generation of mental health leaders. Guided by expert faculty, you’ll build core skills in research methodology, clinical practice, and patient assessment while exploring the latest innovations in behavioral science and treatment.
The curriculum seamlessly integrates hundreds of hours of hands-on practicum and internship experience. While the program emphasizes versatile generalist training, regional partnerships allow you to explore dedicated specializations — from pediatrics and veterans’ care to clinical trials.
On campus, well-funded research labs offer direct collaboration with renowned faculty. You’ll gain high-demand skills while investigating key areas like aging, cognitive health, mindfulness, and neuropsychology, setting the stage for a rewarding career.
What Can You Do with a PhD in Clinical Psychology?
Pacific’s PhD in Clinical Psychology builds versatile skills that prepare you for diverse research and patient-care roles. With high demand for advanced clinical psychologists, graduates who adapt across research and healthcare settings enjoy strong career earning potential.
Housed within Pacific’s interdisciplinary College of Health Professions, the program builds adaptable expertise through collaborative healthcare projects. Connecting psychology with fields like occupational therapy, athletic training, and optometry lies at the core of Pacific’s mission — preparing you to make a broad impact.
Few advanced degrees match the extensive hands-on experience of Pacific's PhD program. You’ll graduate with a high-level research and clinical résumé, grounded in a commitment to equitable care and social justice. Whether working as a generalist or pursuing a specific passion, your research, teaching, and patient care will directly improve lives.
Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic
The School of Graduate Psychology operates the Pacific Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic, a training clinic with sites in Portland and Hillsboro.
Pacific Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic provides outpatient assessment, therapy, medication management and speech language pathology services to children, adults, and families at our clinics in downtown Portland and Hillsboro. Our providers are advanced level graduate students working under the supervision of licensed clinical psychologists.
These clinics offer a wide range of psychological services to the community. Most students gain some practicum experience at the program's own training clinics; other community sites in the Portland area are also available, allowing for exposure to varied sites and populations.
Doctoral Internship
Pacific’s PhD in Clinical Psychology culminates in a year-long on-site internship which allows you to put the skills and training you’ve received throughout your coursework and practicum into practice, developing a professional expertise that will last throughout your career. Taking place on campus, throughout the Northwest or even across the country, the full-time internship experience provides a truly unique opportunity to explore areas of clinical psychology that match your interests. Exiting the internship, you will have the beginnings of a strong clinical resume, with a research focus primed to kickstart a lifetime of thoughtful healthcare innovation. Learn more about clinical training throughout the program.
Research Labs
All students in the PhD program in clinical psychology receive a $5,000 research assistantship stipend during their first two years in the program. Additional opportunities for subsequent research and teaching assistantships are available. Students have the opportunity to study and conduct research with expert faculty in the School of Graduate Psychology. Faculty research interests are wide reaching, with specific campus labs dedicated to the study of behavioral health and aging and the study of mindful health and resilience.
Through a combination of coursework, clinical training, research, and outreach, students in the Latine Mental Health program gain the knowledge and experience needed to provide mental and behavioral health services to Latine clients. Students are prepared to provide socially and culturally responsive clinical care, contribute to scholarship on Latine mental health, and advocate for improved access to care in diverse communities.
Interprofessional Concentration
Pacific’s School of Graduate Psychology provides opportunities for students to explore models of person-centered healthcare and gain the skills to practice in a changing healthcare environment. Students who choose to pursue interprofessional experiences beyond what is required by their degree program can earn the Concentration in Interprofessional Education, offered by the College of Health Professions. This formal recognition is documented on transcripts as a specialization, indicating that students have gained specific competencies in interprofessional education.
School of Graduate Psychology
503-352-7277 | 503-352-7320 (fax)
190 SE 8th Ave., Ste. 260
Hillsboro, OR 97123
Jenni Gottschalk | Assistant Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions
800-933-9308 Ext 7225 or 503-352-7225 | PsychDoctorate@pacificu.edu
Pacific University’s PhD in Clinical Psychology program is accredited by the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation (APA CoA). The Phd is designed to meet the educational requirements for applying for licensure in these states. Please review Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data for more information. Student learning outcomes and additional curriculum information are also available in the academic catalog.