ABOUT APA ACCREDITATION

About APA Accreditation

APA accreditation assures the public that a program has clearly defined training aims that meet professional and scientific standards that support the successful, ethical, and skillful delivery of psychological service.
The APA Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA) is the primary programmatic accreditor in the United States for professional education and training in psychology. As such, it accredits programs, not institutions or individuals. APA-CoA accredits doctoral graduate programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology and combinations of these areas. The Commission also accredits doctoral internships in the aforementioned areas, as well as postdoctoral residencies in traditional (clinical, counseling, school) or specialty areas of health service psychology. 

APA accreditation is voluntary, and there are currently more than 419 accredited doctoral programs, approximately 665 accredited internship programs, and more than 178 accredited postdoctoral residency programs.

ED Recognition 

APA-CoA is recognized by the US Department of Education (ED) for the pre-accreditation and accreditation in the United States of doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school and combined professional-scientific psychology; doctoral internship programs in health service psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in health service psychology; and the pre-accreditation in the United States of doctoral internship programs in health service psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in health service psychology. 

CHEA Recognition 

APA-CoA is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), for the pre-accreditation and accreditation in the United States of doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school psychology, (and combinations of 2 or more of these practice areas); doctoral internship programs in health service psychology; and postdoctoral residency programs in health service psychology. CHEA which is a private, nonprofit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the United States. CHEA represents more than 3,000 colleges and universities and 60 national, regional and specialized accreditors.

Accreditation Scope

Doctoral Programs

APA accredits doctoral graduate programs in clinical, counseling and school psychology, and programs offering combinations of two or more of these areas. The primary professional degrees offered are the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and PsyD (Doctor of Psychology). Accredited doctoral programs provide broad and general training in scientific psychology and in the foundations of practice and prepare students for the practice of professional psychology.

Doctoral Internships

APA accredits internship programs in health service psychology that are a required component of doctoral training. 

Postdoctoral Residencies

APA accredits postdoctoral residency programs that provide education and training in preparation for professional practice at an advanced level of competency in traditional and specialty practice areas of psychology.
ACCREDITED DOCTORAL GRADUATE PROGRAMS
ACCREDITED INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
ACCREDITED POSDOCTORAL RESIDENCY PROGRAMS

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