Health Sciences

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology

The Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology is a doctoral programme offered at the University of Nairobi through the Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Sciences, and at Kenyatta University through the School of Education and Lifelong Learning.

It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research in clinical psychology, mental health and psychological interventions. The programme addresses Kenya's mental health research and psychological services development needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in clinical psychology, psychopathology, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, neuropsychology, health psychology, research methods in psychology, cultural psychology, trauma psychology and evidence-based interventions. The curriculum emphasises original research that develops clinical psychology insights for Kenya's mental health challenges.

Kenya's mental health burden, depression and anxiety prevalence, substance abuse, trauma and PTSD, child and adolescent mental health, psychological services gap, mental health policy reform and the demand for clinical psychology research create demand for doctoral-level clinical psychology expertise. The programme supports Kenya's mental health sector development goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, clinical practicum and supervised research. At UoN, the Department of Psychiatry offers PhD in Clinical Psychology (H805), 3 years. Tuition KSh 756,000/year, Year 1 total KSh 788,000, Year 2 KSh 783,000, Year 3 KSh 833,000, total KSh 2,404,000 over 3 years. Application fee KSh 4,000. At KU, PhD in Counselling Psychology, KSh 244,800/year for East Africans. Application fee KSh 3,000.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, clinical psychologists, psychotherapy researchers, mental health consultants and neuropsychologists. They work in universities, hospitals, Kenya Psychiatric Association, Ministry of Health and international organisations.

Duration: 3 years
Public, up to: Ksh 756,000
Private, up to: Ksh 288,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 4 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Advanced Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology
Psychotherapy and Evidence-Based Interventions
Psychological Assessment and Testing
Neuropsychology and Brain-Behaviour Relations
Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine
Trauma Psychology and PTSD Treatment
Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology
Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
Substance Abuse and Addiction Psychology

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Clinical psychology, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Psychotherapy and Evidence-Based Interventions
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Psychotherapy, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Psychological Assessment and Testing
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Assessment, covering assessment design, evaluation methodologies, data-driven decision-making, and quality assurance processes.
Neuropsychology and Brain-Behaviour Relations
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Neuropsychology, covering psychological theories, assessment methods, and their application in clinical and research settings.
Trauma Psychology and PTSD Treatment
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Trauma psychology, covering psychological theories, assessment methods, and their application in clinical and research settings.
Research Methods in Clinical Psychology
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research methods, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research in the field.
Departmental Seminars
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research presentations and peer review, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in the field.
Thesis Research
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Doctoral thesis research and dissertation writing, involving original research, literature review, data analysis, and the production of a doctoral dissertation contributing new knowledge to the.

Specialisations

Health Psychology
Research on health psychology
Child and Adolescent Psychology
Research on child psychology
Trauma Psychology
Research on trauma psychology
Neuropsychology
Research on neuropsychology

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting clinical psychology research, assessing patients, reviewing psychology literature, attending seminars on psychopathology, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with Mathari Hospital, Kenya Psychiatric Association and Ministry of Health for research collaboration. Clinical practicum at hospitals is required.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's mental health burden creates strong demand
Access to Mathari Hospital and Kenya Psychiatric Association
Research contributes to mental health improvement

Against it

UoN PhD is very expensive (KSh 2,404,000 total)
Clinical practicum requires hospital placements
Emotional demands of clinical work

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public245k to 756k

245k at Kenyatta University756k at University of Nairobi

Private170k to 288k

170k at Kenya Methodist University288k at Kabarak University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 756k, KU 244.8k/yr (psychiatry.uonbi/ku.ac.ke). KeMU 170k, Kabarak 288k/yr (eafinder/kabarak)

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. NACOSTI provides research grants for science and technology research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
NACOSTI Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
NACOSTI Research Grant
GrantKenyan
Science and technology researchers in Kenya
HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: At UoN: MA/MSc from UoN or recognised institution. Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Sciences. PhD in Clinical Psychology (H805), 3 years. Total KSh 2,404,000. Application fee KSh 4,000. At KU: MA/MSc from KU or recognised institution with aggregate B plain. PhD in Counselling Psychology. KSh 244,800/year. Application fee KSh 3,000.

MA/MSc in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Psychology or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before faculty panel
Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, clinical case studies and seminar presentations

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at University of Nairobi (Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Sciences, PhD in Clinical Psychology H805, 3 years, total KSh 2,404,000, application fee KSh 4,000) and Kenyatta University (PhD in Counselling Psychology, KSh 244,800/year, application fee KSh 3,000).

Accredited by

Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

University Professor
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaching and research in psychology departments
Neuropsychologist
Moderate demandKsh 250,000 to Ksh 600,000
Neuropsychology at hospitals and clinics
Psychotherapy Researcher
High demandKsh 220,000 to Ksh 550,000
Research on psychotherapy interventions
Clinical Psychologist
High demandKsh 250,000 to Ksh 600,000
Clinical practice at hospitals

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, clinical psychologists, psychotherapy researchers and neuropsychologists. They work at hospitals, Mathari Hospital, Ministry of Health and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Clinical psychology is just about counselling.
The field covers psychopathology, neuropsychology, psychological assessment, trauma and evidence-based interventions.
There is no demand for clinical psychology PhDs in Kenya.
Kenya's mental health burden creates strong demand.
Clinical psychology research is purely qualitative.
The programme uses clinical trials, psychometrics, neuroscience methods and statistical analysis.
Only psychologists study this PhD.
The programme attracts psychiatrists, nurses and social workers.