Oregon may be a relatively big in terms of total area, ranking 9th out of the 50 states. But with a population of around 4 million, it’s only the 26th largest state in terms of population. Not surprisingly, that’s just about where it landed in the National Center for Education Statistics data for the 2011-2012 academic year: Psychology schools and college in Oregon had 242 master’s degree students, putting it at 25th in the country, and just over fourteen hundred undergraduates majoring in psychology, which was 26th.
- The State of Oregon Employment Department is projecting a nearly 20% rise in employment for psychologists across the state in the ten year period that ends in 2022, which is right around the national growth estimates in that field.
- As of the latest Occupational Employment Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 1,180 clinical, counseling, and school psychologists employed in Oregon.
- The average annual salary for Oregon psychologists came in at an impressive $80,010, as compared to the national average of $76,040 — indeed, South Coast Oregon ranked as the third highest paying nonmetropolitan area in the country, at $90,750.
Region | Career | Total Employment | MeanAnnualWage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene, OR | Psychologists, All Other | 60 | $102,660 |
| Eugene, OR | Marriage and Family Therapists | 60 | $56,810 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Psychologists, All Other | 100 | $95,760 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Marriage and Family Therapists | 200 | $53,640 |
| Eugene, OR | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 190 | $75,100 |
| Salem, OR | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 190 | $83,800 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists | 760 | $0 |
2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov.
In keeping with the size of its population, Oregon has a modest number of psychology schools and colleges. The state lists 21 colleges and universities that have psychology programs of some kind. But, there are only four schools and a total of five doctoral programs in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) in Oregon. The National Register of Health Service Psychologists recognizes three universities with approved doctoral programs in psychology. And there are two with programs approved by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Oregon psychology licensing requirements
Licensure for psychologists in Oregon rests in the hands of the Oregon Board of Psychological Examiners. As in other states, psychologists must be licensed by the board to practice professionally. And, a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited program is the minimum requirement for licensure. Doctoral students may begin the process of submitting documents for licensure six months prior to graduation. The steps toward licensure in Oregon are as follows:
- Finish a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited college or university
- Complete at least 1,500 hours (one full year) of supervised work experience, including weekly supervision by a psychologist who has been licensed for at least two years
- Pass the Oregon Jurisprudence Examination
- Pass the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology
- Submit fingerprints for a criminal background check
Featured psychology schools in Oregon
Only four psychology schools and colleges in Oregon made the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best programs in the country. We’ve included all four, and added a fifth school that has accreditation from the APA.
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon, or UO, is home to several research institutes that the school’s Department of Psychology counts as major assets: a Center for Translational Neuroscience; a Child and Family Center; and Institute for Cognitive and Decision Sciences; an Institute of Neuroscience; the Lewis Center for Neuroimaging; and a Prevention Science Institute. Psychological research and training at the doctoral level encompasses concentrations in clinical, developmental, and social/personality psychology, as well as cognitive and systems neuroscience. In addition, UO’s College of Education offers a Ph.D. in counseling psychology.
- Department: University of Oregon Department of Psychology and College of Education
- Location: Eugene, Oregon
- Online options: UO offers online educational options through its distance learning program, but no online degrees in psychology
Oregon Health and Science University
This public research university in Portland includes two hospitals and prominent schools of medicine, dentistry, and nursing. The School of Medicine’s Division of Psychology conducts postdoctoral research in the areas of ADHD, adolescent brain development and alcoholism risk, methamphetamine addiction, immunology and depression, pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide prevention. The medical school also offers a doctoral degree program in behavioral neuroscience through its Department of Behavioral Neuroscience.
- Department: OHSU School of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience
- Location: Portland, Oregon
- Online options: OHSU does not offer online degree programs
Oregon State University
A public research institution located in Central Oregon city of Corvallis, Oregon State University has a relatively new doctoral program in psychology. OSU’s Department of Psychological Science is located within the College of Liberal Arts, and includes options for majoring and minoring in psychology at the undergraduate level. Graduate studies in psychology center around three main areas: engineering psychology, health psychology, and applied cognition. The school also offers a master of arts in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in psychology.
- Department: OSU Department of Psychological Science
- Location: Corvallis, Oregon
- Online options: OSU offers online undergraduate degrees with the option of majoring or minoring in psychology
Portland State University
Situated in downtown Portland, PSU is a public research university with prominent graduate programs in health care management, public affairs, rehabilitation counseling, and social work. The school’s Department of Psychology offers undergraduate and master’s degree programs in psychology, as well as several areas of specialization for doctoral training and research. At the Ph.D. level, students can choose from applied developmental, applied social and community, and industrial-organizational psychology. The school also has an occupational health psychology minor for undergraduates. In addition, PSU’s Graduate School of Education offers master’s degrees in clinical mental health counseling, clinical rehabilitation counseling, and marital, couple, and family counseling.
- Department: PSU Department of Psychology and Graduate School of Education
- Location: Portland, Oregon
- Online options: PSU has a wide range of online degree programs, but none in the field of psychology
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private school with four campuses in Oregon. The undergraduate psychology department is located on the school’s original campus in Forest Grove. Pacific University’s College of Health Professions is located in Hillsboro and is home to the School of Professional Psychology. It offers master’s degrees in applied psychological science, and both a PsyD and Ph.D. track in clinical psychology for doctoral studies.
- Department: Pacific University Professional School of Psychology
- Location: Hillboro, Oregon
- Online options: Pacific University does offer online bachelor’s degrees in health science, but not in the field of psychology