Hello, I am planning to do a PsyD (Psychology Doctorate) at the California Southern University. Has anyone heard of this online university? When I searched in the Geteducated.com website, 235 online degrees in psychology appeared, but “none” from the California Southern University. Am I missing something? Why is that it is not in the listing? The university claims (and shows in their website as well as a governmental website) they are fully accredited. Any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated! ALaura
If a psychologist has a clinical or counseling PhD, they can practice psychotherapy. Both PhDs and PsyDs are valid, and B&M PhD students generally get more clinical hours despite the misconception that they have little to none. There are applied research-based PhD programs out there where one would require additional study to become a clinician (e.g. most that are online), but there are also PsyDs where one would be unable to practice independent care (e.g. University of the Rockies). Generally the former are non-clinical areas of psychology such as sports, general, experimental, etc, and even then: one could still become… Read more »
Thanks Kayleigh! Your response is of great help. I did get confused with the national vs. regional accreditation dilema. If as you say “the gold standard” is attending a program that has “regional accreditation” then the options are quite limited, at least in my field. Let me ask you another question… For what I researched the difference between a PhD and a PsyD is that with the former one cannot actually practice as a clinical psychologist but only do research and teach at universities, while with the later you can only practice. Could you please clarify this point to me?… Read more »
Hi Laura! First off, don’t panic! GetEducated’s online degree database is not 100% complete and we are always adding new schools and degrees. If a school is not included it does not necessarily mean they are not accredited, it just means we haven’t gotten around to them yet. However, IF a school is included we guarantee that that school has proper accreditation. California Southern University is a nationally accredited school through the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). FAQ—Online College Accreditation Consider that there is also another type of accreditation, regional, often considered the gold standard. More information on regional… Read more »