Best Online Universities for Psychology

Hi guys,

I have been doing a lot of research trying to decide on a university to complete my Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I am planning to transfer from my current university (UK based) and I will have some alternatives credits totaling 90 credits.

I have read many of the threads in this forum, dug into many reviews websites and I still can’t decide.

Here are my interests:

1. Must have Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
2. Must be regionally accredited.
3. Must be completely online.
4. Must be transfer friendly (Must accept credit from study.com, straighterline, CLEP...etc).
5. Cost is not a major factor.

Please suggest or share your short list of the best schools.

 

We call these regionally accredited schools the Big Three and turn to them often for bachelor's degrees in large part because they're completely online and exceptionally friendly to transfer credit, including to credit from non-collegiate providers like SL and SDC. Listing alphabetically,

Charter Oak State College
Bachelor of Science with major in Psychology

Excelsior College
Bachelor of Science in Psychology

Thomas Edison State University
Bachelor of Arts with area of study in Psychology​

Don't worry about the difference between a BS and BA unless it's intrinsically important to you, or you think international employers or graduate schools might be materially more familiar with or somehow favor one over the other. I wouldn't worry myself. It isn't uncommon for American colleges to award the BA even in hard science subjects. Similarly, TESU's "area of study" is equivalent to a major. TESU renamed from Thomas Edison State College in late December 2015 (with a public announcement January 2016), so many posts will still refer to TESC.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and reply.

As far as Psychology degree is concerned, are you suggesting that TESU is the best comparing to the other 2?
I am planning to get a doctorate degree as well, will the choice of BA have any impact on that?

 

That's not what I'm suggesting. All three are roughly on par – they work in a similar way and they should lead to similar outcomes. When we get into details like how courses you're interested in will line up with each school's requirements and what the fees are at each school at the moment, that's when one or the other may seem better or worse.

It won't! But tell us more about what sort of doctorate and career path you're interested in. For instance, whether you're interested in clinical, industrial/organizational, etc.

 

I was under the impression that course requirements for psychology are daily the same in all schools but I guess I need to look into that much further.

I would like to earn my PsyD in the fastest (or I should say smartest) way possible. I’m currently a CertHE student at a UK student (that’s 120 UK credits) and it takes 18 months to finish. What I’m trying to do is take as many courses as I can (study.com and others) so by the end of the 18 months I’ll have enough credits to progress faster.

Does that make sense? In terms of planning, am I missing anything?

PS: clinical psychology.

 

They are pretty close. Charter Oak has the feature that you choose a concentration in either Life Span, Social/Behavioral, Cognition & Learning, or General Psychology.

Things might change now that we know your goal is a PsyD in clinical psychology. If your goal is to become a licensed psychologist and take clients in a health-related context like a hospital, school, or private clinic, not just any PsyD (or PhD in psychology) alone will qualify. I don't know how things are in the UK, but in the US, both getting a spot in an APA-accredited doctoral program and later getting a spot in an approved one-year internship can be highly competitive. Competitive applicants will generally not only check the boxes of bachelor's degree, psych coursework, and graduate entrance exam scores, but will have strong grades, academic references, and experience in research and/or human service positions, paid or unpaid.

If I'm up to date, there's only one APA doctorate that heavily uses distance learning. It's the PhD from Fielding, and it has frequent face-to-face sessions and practicum and internship requirements in the US. There are PsyDs available by distance or low-res, but either they won't lead to licensure or the road to licensure may be narrow and complicated. A given non-APA program could be a good bet to lead to a license in State X, unlicensable in State Y, and hard to tell until you submit an application in State Z. (That liberal State X is often California.)

 

Doctoral programs in Psychology typically are rather competitive re enrollment. You may be in a big hurry to finish but don't let speed jeopardize your GPA. Also, if you plan on applying for that PsyD immediately after you earn your BS, then it's reasonable to wonder whether a big pile of CLEP/Straighterline credits will help or hinder your cause. After all, you'll be in competition with people who have already earned a Masters degree.
It's just something to think about.

 

I would avoid every PsyD program that does not mandate a clinical component.

 

Thank you all for your responses. I think I still need more advice (And information) on how to tackle this.

Although I'm a distance learning student at a UK school, I actually live in Dubai and I am not planning to practice in the US. However, I still need a degree that leads to licensure in Dubai (And potentially in Europe).

What would really be my fastest path to achieving either a PsyD or Ph.D.? Traditionally, it would take me 10 years but I just recently learned that there might be smarter and shorter ways.

Here are the courses that I am currently taking in the CertHE in the UK:
Fundamentals of Effective Learning (15 c)
Introduction to Social Psychology (15 c)
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology (15 c)
Personality and Intelligence (15 c)
The Psychology of Attitudes (15 c)
Mental Health, Stress and Well-being (15 c)
Introduction to Research Methods (30 c)

Total: 120 UK credits.


Please note that I could spare around 5 hours a day to studying and I have a big passion for Psychology.

 

There are faster ways to get through the undergrad level through nationally accredited schools and other combinations, but you already stated you are seeking regionally accredited schools only. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't just go after a school in Dubai or the UK? After all, once it's time to get licensed, you may run into some unforeseen issues. I know some do what you're trying because they see American degrees as the golden ticket in terms of perception, but that perception is largely overblown as is the quality of the education.

 

Along those same lines, I think a British degree carries the same shine as an American degree. Why not just stick with the British school that you're already enrolled in?

 

FYI (Not intended to hijack thread) For those interested in the sub specialty of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), here are some useful free online educational resources:

Massachusetts General Hospital department of Psychiatry offers free online CEUs:
https://mghcme.org/courses/find-courses

The Veteran Hospital offers free CEUs in a variety of topics through Medlearning Train:
https://www.train.org/medlearning/home

You may have to be an "affiliate" to enroll in courses so checkout joining the Medical Reserve Corps as a volunteer:
https://www.phe.gov/about/oem/prep/Pages/mrc.aspx

Also, with 12 CEUs in specific areas of PTSD, one can join the International Association of Trauma Professionals and get certified as a CTP:
https://www.traumapro.net/evgcert/ctp