Ph.D. in Community Psychology: What It Is and How It Can Advance Your Career

A Ph.D. in Community Psychology is a research-based degree that examines and addresses social problems such as poverty, housing, public health, urban education, substance abuse, and violence in communities. It is different from other clinical psychology Ph.D. programs that focus on the clinical treatment of individuals with psychological problems. This doctoral degree program is for those interested in working in prevention and in program, policy, and community intervention at the community or systems level, rather than in clinical individual treatment. A number of universities offer Ph.D. programs in Community Psychology, including National Louis University, which offers a Ph.D. in Community Psychology in the College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences.

What Is a Ph.D. in Community Psychology?

The field of Community Psychology is typically taught within an interdisciplinary program that incorporates elements of Psychology, Public Health, Sociology, and Policy. Interventions at the community level are designed to address issues affecting individuals and groups within specific social environments. Thus, the Community Psychologist studies social systems, environments, and policies and how they affect human behavior and psychological well-being. This research often employs methodologies that differ from those typically used in individually focused statistical analysis.

Our Ph.D. in Community Psychology program will provide you with research skills and training in topics such as grant writing, program planning and intervention, evaluation, advocacy, community and organizational development and change, and more. Our program is designed so that you can apply the knowledge you gain to real-world situations and conduct research on topics that interest you.

Why Pursue a Ph.D. in Community Psychology?

Why Students Pursue this Degree

The main reasons students are pursuing a Ph.D. in Community Psychology are to gain knowledge of how to intervene at the community and system levels and to identify and address social problems. Some of the students come from backgrounds in social work, public health, non-profit management, or other related areas and are looking for a more in-depth and rigorous approach to designing and evaluating interventions. Others are from a master’s program in psychology and are interested in pursuing a more community-oriented direction rather than individual-oriented work. There are also students who are looking for a research-oriented career as a professor, a researcher at a think-tank, or a policy analyst at a government agency.

Since community psychology is an interdisciplinary field of study, it would be better for students who do not fit into a specific discipline of study, like someone who is equally interested in psychology, sociology, and public policy. Such a student would be better served by earning a Ph.D. in Community Psychology rather than a more specific degree in one of these disciplines.

What the Curriculum Typically Covers

Community Psychology doctoral programs include coursework in the following areas:

• Coursework in the theoretical foundations of community psychology (ecological and systems-level models of human behavior)
• Quantitative research methods and statistics
• Research Methods 2 - Qualitative and Participatory Research Methods, including Community-Based Participatory Research
• Program Evaluation: Community Interventions and Outcomes for Human Service Programs and Services.
• Prevention science — designing interventions that address problems before they escalate
• Grant writing and program development. We aim to prepare students to fund and build their own programs.
• Policy analysis and advocacy
• Complete a dissertation that is based on original research. The research is often conducted in partnership with a community organization or agency.
• In addition to studying for formal classes, students pursuing a doctoral degree in community psychology are expected to conduct applied research that is often community-embedded. For this reason, many students complete the majority of their research while being based in a university office, rather than in a laboratory.

Key Questions About the Ph.D. in Community Psychology

Is this a clinical degree that leads to licensure as a therapist?

This is not a clinical degree for individuals seeking to provide psychotherapy to others. Those seeking a doctoral degree in clinical psychology typically earn a Psy.D. or a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology rather than a Ph.D. in Community Psychology. Students interested in applying community psychology to direct clinical practice would therefore likely be better served by other programs of study.

Do I need a master's degree in psychology to apply?

Whether or not you need a Master’s degree in psychology prior to admission to a doctoral program in community psychology will vary from program to program. Some community psychology programs admit students directly from a Bachelor’s degree and place them in a combined Master’s/Ph.D. track. Other programs require that applicants hold a Master’s degree in psychology or in a related field, such as public health or social work.

What kind of research do students typically do?

Research in community psychology programs can include topics such as housing, community and school violence, health inequity, and educational access. Quantitative program evaluation, as well as qualitative and participatory research with community members, can be used. Many programs incorporate research into the student’s coursework throughout the program, rather than isolating it to the student’s dissertation in the final year of the program.

How long does the degree take?

Each doctoral program in psychology has its own timeline and requirements, which can range from 4 to 6 years of study and include coursework, written and oral comprehensive exams, and a research-based dissertation.

Is community psychology the same as social work?

While social work is typically a separate field of study from community psychology, many individuals are drawn to both fields. In terms of what type of degree is best for those individuals who are looking to do social impact work, often times it depends on whether the individual is looking to do more direct service work with individuals and families and perhaps become a clinician (with a M.S.W. degree, for example) or whether the individual is more drawn to research, program development, systems level intervention and evaluation and application of evidence based practices at a community or population level (and thus would seek a Ph.D. in Community Psychology).

Career Outcomes

With training in the applied and interdisciplinary nature of community psychology, students can enter a wide variety of careers, including working as researchers and research directors in universities, think tanks, and research institutes, program evaluators and developers in social service and public health programs, policy analysts in government and advocacy organizations, and program directors and executives in community-based organizations and non-profits. Those interested in a career as an academic professor would also find a home in a community psychology program.

These positions include researching, management, evaluation, and planning within non-profits, community organizations, think tanks, public policy institutes, human service organizations, and public health agencies, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. (For information on social and community service managers, a job closely related to several of the positions that will be discussed, employment projections, and wage data for 2012, click here.)

Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Community Service Managers.

Graduates with a Ph.D. in Community Psychology have the skills to evaluate programs and implement research in a variety of settings. This can include a program’s evaluation department or a foundation’s grantmaking department. NLU graduates can work in government, non-profits, and philanthropic organizations. Community Psychology is an applied field, and there are fewer academic jobs than in other fields of psychology. However, Community Psychology training prepares students for a wide variety of jobs and career paths.

Most doctoral programs in fields outside of psychology are designed as professional degrees that lead their graduates to specific job titles, sometimes even regulated by licensure exams. Typically, the graduates of such professional doctoral programs find employment in precisely those roles they have been studying for. While in academic fields of Psychology, such as Clinical Psychology or Counseling, recent graduates are employed as therapists of some kind, in community psychology, however, recent graduates can be employed in a wide array of diverse careers. In fact, their careers can be so very, very different as to be almost contradictory, like academia versus work in government community health programs.

Ph.D. in Community Psychology at National Louis University

The Ph.D. in Community Psychology is offered by the College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (CPBS) within the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The College also offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in psychology and related areas. Our Ph.D. program is designed to allow students to build a program of study around their interests and to develop research skills in quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as grant writing. The program also prepares students in the areas of prevention and intervention, program evaluation, advocacy, community development, and policy change.