Best Online Phd Psych Program?

Discussion in 'Nursing and medical-related degrees' started by easygoing12, Mar 25, 2009.

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  1. easygoing12

    easygoing12 New Member

    Hi guys, this is my first post and I am looking for a bit of help. I am about to graduate with my Masters in Psychology from University of Phoenix and I am looking to apply to a few clinical psych Phd programs or maybe other psych Phd programs. I graduated from a college on the east coast with my bachelors degree and decided to go to UOPh because I thought it was a good choice. After reading the forum I see many of you are not fans of Uoph, but I really did enjoy the program and my Professors were great too, I just hope my future employers will see it this way.

    Now that I have been through an online program for my masters I want to go into my Phd with another online program because I like the convenience and feel I have learned a lot. I looked into fielding university which seems great, but the next program start date is in March of 2010 and I am looking to start sooner than this. Are there any that you would suggest for me to look into with a better name than UOPH and maybe some personal experiences you can give. Any help at all would be great. Thanks.
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  3. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    There are no other online Ph.D. programs in Clinical Psych that are programmatically accredited by the APA other than Fielding. If you don't mind going part online and part Brick and Mortar then you can consider Argosy while choosing a campus near you. Argosy's degree is APA accredited but it is a Psy.D. and not a Ph.D.

     
  4. Clapper

    Clapper New Member

    The overwhelming majority of doctoral psych programs admit students for the Fall term only and the admissions season is now over, so Fielding's March 2010 start date is probably the earliest you'll find.

    You could look to fill in the gap by taking a non-degree course or two (or three) that might satisfy future course requirements should you get ultimately get accepted into a program with the caveat that transfer credit allowances vary by school. Some programs, however, have a range of credits that students need to complete for graduation, not a hard number, depending on earlier coursework taken. For example, knocking out as many statistics courses as possible could be a wise move and relax your schedule once you matriculate somewhere.

    Check the prerequisite coursework required for courses at the school you're considering and make sure you've satisfied as many (or all) of them before starting.

    Becoming part of a research team somewhere could also be make or break at many schools, though this is not as big a deal at distance programs.
     
  5. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Northcentral University offers an online Ph.D in Psychology with a number of concentrations (but not Clinical Psych). While NCU is regionally accredited, it does not have APA accreditation. NCU has rolling admissions so you can start the program anytime.

    Good luck,
     
  6. easygoing12

    easygoing12 New Member

    Thanks for the information so far everyone. I called a few schools today, Walden admission dept was really nice to speak to and they will transfer a good amount of my credits from my masters. I wish I would of known earlier on that many Phd psych programs are willing to submit you with just a bachelors, it would of saved me some credits that won't transfer over from my masters.

    Fielding said coming into the program with a bachelors or masters is pretty much the same, but they may be able to transfer over 12 credits from my masters. Are there any other schools/programs that anyone has had good experiences with, I got about a month before I finish my masters so really trying to figure things out and get things started. Thanks again.
     
  7. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    Unless you plan to be a Masters level licensed clinician do not get a non-APA accredited Ph.D. I did not need an APA one so I got an Academic Ph.D. in Psychology.
     
  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

  9. easygoing12

    easygoing12 New Member

    Hi Blackbird, can I ask why you feel an APA accredited PhD is the way to go in most scenarios. I have sent a few applications out recently to Fielding, Walden and a few local schools without the online option. I still haven't made up my mind, just weighing out the options at this point. You also mentioned Argosy as having a online and local APA approved option, but I can't find it online or maybe they just don't have that option in Texas.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 7, 2009
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I'm not Blackbird, but here goes. There is a distinct pecking order for degrees and their utility. Each state sets its own requirements for professional licensure exams, psychology or otherwise. California, for example, will accept even an unaccredited doctorate in psychology as a valid credential for purposes of sitting for the state licensure exam in psychology. However, credentials in one state do not necessarily "travel" to another state. There might be other states that will accept an unaccredited doctorate in psychology for purposes of sitting for the state licensure exam (though I would suspect that the number of such states would be very few). As yet, there are no nationally accredited doctorates in psychology; however, California Southern University is an applicant for national accreditation with the Distance Education and Training Council and they do offer a PsyD program. Since California Southern University's currently unaccredited PsyD program does qualify one to sit for the state licensure exam in California, it would be a travesty of justice if they did get their DETC accreditation only to find out that their by then nationally accredited PsyD program did not qualify one to sit for their state licensure exams. (Degreediscussion.com has a by now four page long thread on this very topic.) Then you have your regionally accredited doctoral programs. There may be some states which will allow the holder of an RA-only psychology doctorate to sit for their state licensure exams in psychology (or, more likely, apply for permission to take the state licensure exams ... which is not at all the same thing as having the absolute right to sit for your state licensure exams). Finally, you have your doctoral programs in psychology that hold professional accreditation through the American Psychological Association. With your APA-accredited psychology doctorates, you will have the legal right to sit for your state licensure exams in all 50 states. So, schools with varying levels of accreditation offer varying levels of utility for their degree holders.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 7, 2009
  11. BlackBird

    BlackBird Member

    If you are a young person and want to practice as a licensed clinician in counseling then go ALL the way to the top. You owe it to yourself to do so. Get the grand-daddy of all counseling degrees... the Ph.D. for the fact that it is perceived as the best and highest and then one that is programmatically accredited by the APA so that you are considered a "god" of counseling. That's it in a nutshell.
     
  12. raristud

    raristud Member

    A graduate of a non-APA accredited doctoral program can enroll in an APA accredited post doctoral re-specialization in clinical psychology. Fielding offers such a program. "If you hold a PhD in a non-clinical area of psychology, our Respecialization in Clinical Psychology post-doctoral certificate program can provide you with the knowledge and training you need to be licensed as a clinical psychologist."

    There are limitations. "The Respecialization in Clinical Psychology post-doctoral certificate program accepts applications only from individuals who reside in the contiguous United States (except Oregon, Oklahoma, & Kansas), Puerto Rico, and Canada. Thus the program is not offered in Hawaii, Alaska, or internationally (except to Canadian students)."

    http://www.fielding.edu/programs/psy/rcpC
     
  13. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    Be sure to check out the prospective school's APA match rates for internships.
     
  14. Joe Blessed

    Joe Blessed New Member

    First, welcome to this forum! In my case, this is my third doctoral dissertation… I mean, my third post too. Second, I would like to say that from my perspective, you don’t have to be apologetic regarding your school choice. From the moment you are about to complete a master’s degree not only from a legitimate university, but from one that is regionally accredited, you could regard yourself as a well educated individual belonging to a relatively select minority in the world. Third, you have the right to be concerned about the potential reception of your degree by future employers (and reading this forum could definitely heighten your concerns) because as human beings, many times we act based on personal biases. However, based on my own personal experience of having come to the U.S. with degrees from Mexico, of having worked in the field of professional counseling for some years and of having been involved in the hiring of master’s and doctoral level clinicians, I can attest that there are several other factors that are taken into consideration by potential employers, besides the reputation of your degree-granting institution.

    In my case, after having been hired by four different counseling centers consecutively in the U.S. during the 12 years of my professional career here, I have found that as long as I’m able to demonstrate that I have a degree that is either regionally accredited or deemed as regionally accredited by a recognized foreign credentials evaluator, and as long as the degree is recognized by the State as eligible for the appropriate licensing/registration, the degree part boils down to a checkmark on the “has-a-degree” checkbox. After having graduated, your professional experience matching the job description, additional CEUs of specialized training, ability to communicate proficiently, professional demeanor/appearance, strong recommendations and practical demonstration of clinical competency are factors that could advantage you over other applicants, in conjunction with or in spite of the school from where you earned your degree.

    In developing an answer for the question of “Which is the best Ph.D. program (for you)?” I would start by saying that based on your posts, the following observations are apparent:
    1) You have enough passion for psychology to the point of considering spending 3-7 or more years of your life studying it, in addition to the time it has taken you to earn your master’s degree, with the implied financial investment and opportunity costs,
    2) You have demonstrated the discipline required to complete a graduate degree via distance education,
    3) You have done some preliminary research regarding doctoral programs in psychology and study options (distance vs. brick-and-mortar),
    4) You are still ambivalent regarding careers in psychology (clinical vs. academic/research vs. combination of both),
    5) You are in a relative hurry to continue your doctoral studies,
    6) You have come to the best place to bounce your ideas! (This last conclusion is an established fact; no doubt about it).

    My invitation to you would be to take the necessary time in order to make an optimal decision, not a perfect one or a hastened one. The financial, emotional, relational and time investment involved in pursuing a doctoral program in psychology is not of trivial consequences. If you have already enjoyed the pleasures, rewards and thrill of doing research, as well as the frustrating, tedious and less-than-glamorous nature of it and would love 3-5 years to a career of doing it, then pursuing a Ph.D. may be your call. You can anticipate that the coursework part of your Ph.D. will be the most similar part to what you know at the master’s level, but the research part is a totally different kind of beast to tame and it is better to be excited about it, otherwise it could be very frustrating. Based on my observations above and on the real demands of pursuing doctoral level studies, I would also invite you to continue exploring your options, reading books, talking to people in the field, exploring this forum and this other place in order to mature your thoughts regarding your desired career path/professional lifestyle. Hiring a good career/life planning coach could also help you in the process of clarifying powerful self-exploratory questions such as:
    1) What do I want a Ph.D. for?
    •In order to be able to enter into the helping professions? Your master’s degree and a clinical license can satisfy this practical/career need. But there may be other helping professions that don’t require a Ph.D. or a clinical license, such as professional coaching, for which, based on your background, you may only need six months to a year of specialized professional or academic training.
    •In order to earn more? A master’s degree, a license and developing good business acumen can give you the same or more money, investing wisely the years and money otherwise required for completing the Ph.D.
    •In order to be called “doctor”? After a few months after graduating with your doctorate, your ego gets used to it and needs other kinds of strokes (some of them even more expensive, like the best office, the nicest doctor-matching luxury car, etc).
    •In order to be better trained clinically and to be more competent? A good master’s degree, specialized post-master’s CEUs training and choosing to function within your natural niche could make you equally competent.
    •In order to earn a stronger reputation? The response immediately above, plus becoming skillful in marketing yourself and in developing a good professional network could get you there too.
    •In order to focus my career on doing research and teaching at the graduate level? Bingo! This is the right kind of degree.

    2) Is a Ph.D. in clinical psychology what I really need? This degree is the top non-medical mental health choice (although APA accredited/Ph.D.-level clinical psychologists with specialized training in psychopharmacology are able to prescribe psychotropic medications in some states). If your answer to any of the following questions is a definite “Yes,” then you may do well in exploring in more detail the suggested option.
    •Am I passionate about spending the rest of my professional years treating severely disturbed individuals, in lieu of or in conjunction with psychiatrists prescribing medications to them? A Ph.D. in clinical psychology and a state license is the normal requirement.
    •Am I passionate about spending the rest of my professional years assisting individuals with milder forms of psychopathology or with no psychopathology but needing to adjust to the normal life challenges, develop better coping skills or make optimal life choices? A Ph.D. in professional counseling and a state license/certification could do the trick instead.
    •Am I passionate about spending the rest of my professional years assisting couples/families to adjust and grow? A Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy and appropriate state license may be a better/more specialized choice.
    •Am I passionate about spending the rest of my professional years helping people to adjust to life and connect with the right resources in the community? I may be worthwhile exploring the option of pursuing a Ph.D. in social work.
    •Am I passionate about spending the rest of my professional years helping healthy people becoming healthier and more successful? A Ph.D. in Positive Psychology, such as the one offered by Claremont Graduate University; a Ph.D. in human development/professional coaching, such as the one offered by Fielding Graduate University; a non-APA accredited but regionally accredited distance education Ph.D. in psychology or in human services, such as the ones offered by Capella, Walden, Rockies, Northcentral, Union, etc.; or waiting for an American, European or Australian university to offer Ph.D. in Coaching Psychology online in the future may be a better choice for you.
    •Am I just passionate about deepening my knowledge about psychology, just want the challenge of pursuing a doctorate for personal satisfaction or as a hobby with full knowledge and acceptance/reduced expectation regarding the relatively reduced utility of the degree from the professional perspective? The Psy.D. from California Southern University or a Ph.D. in psychology through research from a South African, European or Australian university could be the only thing you need.

    As you may have found, this forum puts at your fingertips a wealth of information about the above and other options.

    Best wishes in your search process,

    Joe Blessed
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 3, 2018

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