As a Christian psychologist and faculty member, I am often asked by students and interns to recommend a doctoral (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) training program at a Christian university in the United States, given that no such programs are offered within Canada at this time (since Canada lacks private Christian universities with exception of Trinity Western University, where I teach). There is a great desire among my students and interns to train within an accredited doctoral program that supports a Christian worldview, so I thought I’d list all the American Psychological Association (APA) accredited doctoral programs at Christian universities in the U.S. currently. But before doing so, just an additional word. It is important to seek out an APA-accredited program because accreditation reflects that the program meets the standards of education and clinical training rigour set by the APA. The parallel organization within Canada is of course the CPA, and there is significant reciprocity between the two organizations, with CPA recognizing APA’s standards and often following the APA’s lead in terms of setting its own standards for Canadian programs. When it comes to licensure and registration, graduating from an APA- or CPA-accredited program significantly reduces the hassle of proving that you have met educational and training standards to the regulatory bodies.
There are seven APA-accredited Christian psychology training programs in the U.S. currently, with the type of doctoral degree indicated parenthetically:
1. My alma mata, Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois (Psy.D.)
2. Biola University in La Mirada, California (Ph.D./Psy.D.)
3. George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon (Psy.D.)
4. Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington (Ph.D.)
5. Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California (Psy.D.)
6. Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia (Psy.D.)
7. Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (Ph.D./Psy.D.)
