What's the difference between a Ph.D and Psy.D?

I am a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium. In general, PhD and PsyDs are very similar.

PhD- tends to be more research focused, often funded (so less expensive), length is typically 6 years (5+1 year internship), sometimes harder to get into (at the top programs acceptance rate is 1%). There is a huge range is PhD programs--some are mostly research, some are more clinical; some are funded, some have tuition.

PsyD- tends to be more clinically focused, often more expensive (tuition), length is typically 5 years (4+ 1 year internship), acceptance rates tend to be ~10%.

Both PhD and PsyD's get masters along the way. Both have to do research and usually require dissertations. Typically need to do a postdoc after both to be able to get hours enough hours to be licensed. Clinical jobs for PhDs and PsyDs are very similar after graduating.

When considering programs, be sure to look at their match rate for internship. Don't want to pay a bunch of money for school and not get matched for an internship!

Hi Katherin!

You asked a very important question. Here is a link that can explain it better that I can.
http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/licensing/psyd-vs-phd-programs/

Here is the overall professional organization. It would be good to locate a local chapter and make arrangements to go to a meeting to do networking to learn more.
http://www.apa.org/

Best of luck. Please let me know if and how this has been helpful. I would like to follow your progress. Please keep me posted.

Hi,
Great question, I do not know much about the Psychology field but the insight that your question shows is commendable and really shows that you are on the right path and thinking about this thoroughly. I found this link for you, hope it helps:

http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/licensing/psyd-vs-phd-programs/

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Programs
Perform academic research
Longer program than a PsyD
Often harder programs to get into
More accepted than a PsyD
Have financial aid and stipends available
Good Internships are available
Though research-focused, PhD programs emphasize research training with applied or practice training
PhD programs comprise approximately 75 percent of all doctoral degrees in psychology

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Programs
First awarded in the late 1960s
Similar to an MD in medicine
Perform “in the field” in clinical settings
Shorter programs than the PhD
Often easier to get into
Students get clinical experience earlier in this doctoral program than in a PhD program
Internships may be harder to find
Graduates should research schools carefully for accreditation and legitimacy
Programs awarding the PsyD place strong emphasis on preparing graduates for professional practice as practitioner-scholars

PhD vs. PsyD Programs in Psychology Practice
So, with all of this information, how do you decide which degree is best for you? Well, in the academic world, the PhD programs are preferable to PsyD programs; however, in the world of clinical practice, both degrees have about the same status and functionality. Your decision will largely be decided by whether you want to conduct classic research or would prefer to work in a more hands-on clinical setting.

Students enrolled in typical PhD programs are generally expected to complete a Master's degree research project as well as their doctoral dissertation, while PsyD students will focus on actual clinical training. Here is a summary of the two programs with the pros and cons of each.