I need info on Northcentral University!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by avia93, Oct 27, 2004.

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  1. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    I've been looking at Northcentral University website and notice that the school is regionally accreditated. I've been tryn to find a Masters Program in Psychology that was %100 online and this college seems to fit what I need. But, after reading some negative post about the school, I worry that it might not be worth applying too. But on the other hand it does seem to have everything I'm looking for complete online classes, FASA option and regional accreditation :D

    I do however wish to know how long has the school been accreditated? What people who are enrolled in their Masters Program think of the school? And, How has a degree from the school helped you?
     
  2. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    NCU has been RA for about a year. I am in the PhD program and so far so good. The first class is very boring but it is about APA formatting; how exciting can that be???

    The customer service / service is excellent and so far I am happy with my decision.
     
  3. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    I will second what Randell has said. Since you are looking at Psych degrees, make sure that your professional goals will line up with the program. There has been student discussion on the various Psych accreditations (certifications?) that add value to a program. I would advise you to contact some of the professors.

    NCU has made some good strides and added the education programs.

    Do a search on the forum for NCU.

    The only caution I would make is to make sure you are self motivated and can learn without lectures.

    Regards,
     
  4. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    It is not APA approved which can be very important depending on what you want to do with the degree.
     
  5. DBA with an MBA

    DBA with an MBA New Member

    Fed makes a good point that can't be over-emphasized. You must be an independent, self motivated learner to succeed at NCU.

    I learned a lesson in procrastination the hard way, which ended up costing me additional time and money. It's easy to say "I'll do that tomorrow, because X is more important at the moment". X for me was kids, hobbies, work, dog, cats, illness, house, car, charities, fall festivals, workouts, yard, unemployment, reading degreeinfo.com .... you get the picture.

    I can't speak to the Psychology program about interpersonal communications since my experiences are in the Business Administration program. So far, I have had only occasional contact via email with the mentors, staff and a few students. That level of interaction suits me and my learning style just fine (once I got past the procrastination issue). Any and all questions were quickly answered and feedback on the class assignments has been timely and appropriate. I'm looking to begin the dissertation phase of the PhD program within the next 3 months.

    There have been negative comments posted to this discussion board about NCU, but that was during their time of transition to RA status, nearly a year and a half ago. Lately, the buzz is positive.

    Rick
     
  6. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    Hmm...


    You mentioned it was not APA approved so that would mean I would not be able to practice psychology or take the license exam? right!:(
     
  7. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    As noted above, please do a search of this board on Northcentral. There isn't a thing to know about it that isn't already "knowable."
     
  8. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    American Psychological Association

    I contacted the American Psychological Association and they told me I only needed APA acreditation for my doctored program not masters program.:)
     
  9. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    Re: American Psychological Association

    If you want licensure on the Masters level then you have to be careful that you take coursework that conforms to the laws of your state. If you do want masters level licensure you may want to consider Capella U (www.capella.edu) and the masters program under the school of Human Services. It is currently the only online CACREP accredited Masters counseling program in the US. That means that it is already designed to meet and surpass most state licensing board requirements since the CACREP accreditation is the gold standard of Masters level for Mental Health counseling (or professional counseling) licensure. Capella, however will require you to go to three colloquias which are each about a week long. Still that is not bad.
     
  10. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Re: Hmm...

    No, that's not right (although it is sometimes a factor). You have to contact the division of professional licensure (or whatever they call it) in your state and make VERY SPECIFIC INQUIRIES about the requirements for licensure in the area that you intend to practice. You would do best to make specific reference to the degree programs that you are considering as you ask about licensure. Laws vary widely from state to state as to what credentials qualify for licensure. Please take into consideration whether you think there is ANY chance that you might move at some time in the future (and contact the proper authorities in that/those states as well. Good luck.
    Jack
     
  11. raristud

    raristud Member

    NCU and Clinical Psychology Respecialization

    If you graduate with a PH.D in Psychology from NorthCentral University, you may pursue a respecialization ( Post-Doctoral ) in
    Clinical Psychology from an APA accredited university.

    The Fielding Graduate Insitute is an example of where you may obtain respecialization through distance learning: Clink on these links for more information

    http://www.fielding.edu/rcp/licensure.htm

    http://www.apa.org/ed/gradrpz_ca.html

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Here is a geographical United States map of universities that
    offer the respecialization in Clinical Psychology:

    Click this link --> http://www.apa.org/ed/gradrpz.html




    Regards,

    Ray

    NorthCentral University
    Master of Arts in Psychology ( Industrial ): 2004 - ?
     
  12. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    In the state where I currently live at before you can practice Psychology you must have a phd from an APA school. Now, the master degree in psychology only has to come from a school that is regionally acreditated. Since Northcentral is regionally acreditated I shouldn't have a problem. However, I will not get my Phd from Northcentral due to it not having APA approved program. I plan on only getting the masters through them and my Phd at a APA approved school.:cool:
     
  13. DaveHayden

    DaveHayden New Member

    So will a Masters from NCU get you into the APA Ph.D. program you are aiming at?
     
  14. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    Very good question :) I'm still doing research into what school I plan to attended for my Phd. I've started a list of possible colleges to try for after I finish my master degree. I have not enrolled in northcentral yet until I have gathered all the info needed to make sure I won't have any problems in the future.
     
  15. sulla

    sulla New Member

    Are you referring to Louisiana?

    -S
     
  16. avia93

    avia93 New Member

    Yes, I was talking about Louisiana.
     
  17. sulla

    sulla New Member

    Does anyone know which are the states that now require APA accreditted PHDs for licensure as a psychologist?
    In the past there were three, but I'm not sure how much of that has changed. I'm aware of FL and NY. Looks like Louisiana is another APA state.

    thanks in advance,

    -S
     
  18. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    APA states and my gripe towards the abusive APA

    Sulla,

    There are about 10-12 states right now that require you to go to an APA accredited doctoral program for psychologist licensure. I have searched in the past for a summary list of states that require it but I have not found one since it constantly changes and requires a lot of work to look at the fine print of state health practitioner laws online.

    Even though I think it is good to have strong standards in training, I don't like that the APA has become or is trying to become a 500 pound gorilla forcing their way into legislation to have states require ONLY their seal of approval. I think it stinks and is a power hungry and abusive move on the part of some bueroucrats (sp?). I don't appreciate the fact that the APA has come out endorsing same-sex marriages. I believe they have no business taking political positions that isolate many of their psychologists that subscribe to family values. More and more, the APA is becoming an extreme left organization. The current Prez is the Dean of Nova Southeastern's School of Psychology (Ronald Levant) and is militant pro-gay anti-traditional masculinity in his view and he does not hide nor apologize for it. He is aggressive to have that agenda in the APA. I have had an encounter with him via email when I was doing some research on masculinity and out of nowhere he attacked my views and trashed my position.

    I have tried to get legislation to have Florida remove the APA only requirement but my legislators suddenly stop talking to me. I guess the APA lobby buys them out or something. I think there should be APA equivalent but not APA training AND internship required.

    Whatever...

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 31, 2004
  19. Messagewriter

    Messagewriter New Member

    [I'm looking to begin the dissertation phase of the PhD program within the next 3 months.

    There have been negative comments posted to this discussion board about NCU, but that was during their time of transition to RA status, nearly a year and a half ago. Lately, the buzz is positive.

    Rick [/B][/QUOTE]

    Rick,

    I'm looking hard at doing the Ph.D. BA (Financial Management) at NCU. I recently took calculus I, II, econometrics and linear algebra and am good with accounting and economics. My MS is in real estate, with a finance major. I had to bail on a S & B econ Ph.D. program at Clemson in South Carolina last year because I needed an income. I'm a commercial real estate appraiser, so I crank out 20-75 quantitative analytical reports for a living. I have 15 years of executive managerial experience. Anyway given that list of crap, Susan Penn at NCU felt that it might be reasonable to expect to crank through two courses at a time with no more than 15 hours (all in) per week time investment.

    Do you think that is rational?

    PS: If the first course is just a romp through the APA standards and how to write quiries to data bases or whatever, that's going to be hiteous!
     
  20. DebTormey

    DebTormey New Member

    Re: Hmm...

    Avia93,
    It depends on the state in which you intend to practice. There are states that require your school to be APA approved for you to be eligible for the license in that state.

    I also recommend you call and speak to NCU. They are very helpful and straightforward and will not try to mislead you in any way.
     

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