Hello, I have my Bachelor of Arts from an accredited university and am interested in pursuing my Masters in Psychology. I am not terribly concerned with liscensure but would still like to earn a acceptable degree in this field via distance. What are your expeiences with Masters Psych programs? Are certain schools more acceptable than others in this field? Does anyone have experience with Southern Calif. Univ. of Prof. Studies? Please Help this Newbie, - Carl
If you are looking to become licensed as a counselor or psychologist, check with your respective state board as to the acceptability of schools and programs. SCUPS is not accredited by a recognized agency. I do not believe its programs will qualify you to sit for state licensing exams, even in California. It is usually prudent to attend a school with recognized accreditation. However, even that may not be enough to satisfy your state's requirements. Check. Rich Douglas
If you're not concerned with licensure (to practice some form of counseling psych.) then perhaps you're interested in some other branch of psychology e.g. developmental, educational, etc. If you could say something more about your specific interests, goals, financial constraints (or lack of them), preferences regarding residency then we might be able to make some good suggestions. There are programs out there, some U.S., some foreign. What are your needs? Jack
I think Southern Christian University offers a remote-residency M.S. in counseling that meets Alabama state licensure requirements. It might be worth looking into. Good luck! In the FWIW department: I'd recommend taking at least one introductory counseling course at a local university and transferring it in, since you can pick up a lot of stuff in that sort of class that might not carry over well online. During my first semester in the HUX program, I took a residential counseling course at a local university (Mississippi College) as part of its licensure-track M.S. in counseling psychology, with the idea in mind of perhaps doing the entire program and getting licensed to practice. I decided not to, but some of the stuff I learned in the class (mainly nonverbal communication and vocal tone) are helpful to this day. Cheers, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press) co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
<snip>I do not believe its programs will qualify you to sit for state licensing exams, even in California. <snip> The Board of Psychology of the State of California accepts the University’s Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) and the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degrees as meeting the educational requirements for licensure as a psychologist in California. Persons interested in licensure are advised to contact the Board of Psychology in Sacramento, California to determine what other requirements may exist for licensure.
Another suggestion to add to Tom's excellent one is Liberty University. They have a licensure and non licensure track M.A. in Counseling. It is accredited and the distance program does not require adherence to on campus religious regulations. The program is secular. If I were going to work on an M.A. I would want to consider the eventual possibility of licensure. http://www.liberty.edu North
A few months ago, I came across a DL MA-psych degree offered by Seton Hall University! It's a fine Catholic (Jesuit?) in Northern New Jersey, best known outside the Eastern seaboard for its basketball--but don't let that stop you. My hunch is it's also the finest option around. PLease inquire more deeply and let the rest of your respondents what you think... --Orson
