Pacific Graduate School of Psychology now Palo Alto University

PGSP is now Palo Alto University. The new website looks nice, however, they still need to remove a number of references to PGSP.

Interestingly enough, the URL is still pgsp.edu. I guess they are waiting for approval for a new URL (I understand that the .edu domain is tightly controlled):

http://www.pgsp.edu/

PGSP (Now Palo Alto Univ.) offers a DL MS in Psychology. In addition, Palo Alto offers a B&M, APA accredited PhD in Clinical Psychology.

I am seriously considering their MS in Psychology program.

 

Big news. The name change marks their move to a new campus in the hills above Palo Alto. After being longtime Palo Alto residents, for the last several years they've been leasing a Stanford University owned building in decidedly more downmarket Redwood City.

A press release on their new campus is here.

The address, 1791 Arastradero Road, looks to be up near I-280. (Very upscale, near Los Altos Hills where a million dollar home would be considered slum housing.) The site is 8 acres with three buildings. It was formerly occupied by a psychological research organization with the rather generic name American Institute of Research. (Lots of scholarly things bask in Stanford's hothouse radiation.) So the site is staying in the psychological family, so to speak.

Here's their lineup of programs:

http://www.pgsp.edu/content/academics

It's kind of fascinating. There's a joint JD/PhD program with Golden Gate University school of law, a joint MBA/PhD program with University of San Francisco, and most impressively, a joint PsyD offered with Stanford University.

http://www.pgsp.edu/pgsp-stanford-psyd-consortium

Apparently one of the reasons why they changed their name to Palo Alto University is because they have recently rolled out undergraduate programs and aren't just a graduate school any more. This is kind of fascinating too. The bachelors programs are being offered in association with a couple of local Silicon Valley community colleges, Foothill College (not far from their new campus) and DeAnza College down towards San Jose. That illustrates a trend towards more California community colleges hosting other universities' remote-site bachelor programs.

The PAU bachelors programs are a BS in Business Psychology at Foothill and a BS in Psychology and Social Action at DeAnza.

Hey, PGSP/PAU certainly impresses me. If Stanford's psychology department likes it, then who am I to disagree? Stanford has always been close to #1 in the United States in psychological research, but they were relatively late comers to clinial psychology. So PGSP kind of grew up alongside them, specializing in clinical psychology and there's always been an informal relationship between them.

 

Old thread I know, but my brother is looking into this school (wants an DL psy degree) and was seduced by the Stanford name as he figures this is his way of attending without actually getting in. I think he thinks it similar to the HES program or eCornell and those types. Would the diploma unltimately read Stanford or PGSP and would he get any alumni association perks which would really be the whole point of riding on the Stanford name and paying the high price to attend?

 

It looks to me like there are several problems with this plan.

First problem: Palo Alto University offers several different degree programs, including online master's programs. But the online master's programs don't have any Stanford connection. If you graduate from one of online programs, you would simply get a master's degree from Palo Alto University.

Second problem: Palo Alto University does run a joint Psy.D. program with Stanford, known as the PSGP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. But this is not an online program.

Third problem: Even if you graduate from the PSGP-Stanford Psy.D. program, it looks like you still get a degree from Palo Alto University. Stanford is accredited by WASC to offer research doctorates in psychology (PhD), but not professional doctorates (PsyD). The APA accreditation for the joint PsyD program is listed under Palo Alto University. Since this is a joint program, it's possible that the Stanford name might also be included somewhere on the diploma, but the primary name would be Palo Alto University. Stanford is not authorized, either by WASC or APA, to offer PsyD degrees -- but Palo Alto University is.

 

Typo -- should be "PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium"

 

Living in the shadow of Stanford . . . .

 

Holy thread necromancy, Batman! A three year old thread!