Online Psych PhD???

[mercury1232]

Hello, first I'd like to say how great this board is and I am so glad I found it. I recently finished a Masters in Psychology and now want to go into a PhD or PsyD in clinical or counseling psych, but I would like to go to an online program. I was looking for everyones opinion on the best distance learning Doctorate psych program. Thanks in advance and any experiences members have had with these programs or programs you have heard good things about would be appreciated.

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[Wildcat06]

Hey Mercury,

I will warn you, this is a very contentious issue on this forum.

But if you search for it there are a few threads on this topic.

 

[Ollie123]

Hey Mercury,

I will warn you, this is a very contentious issue on this forum.

But if you search for it there are a few threads on this topic.

I was about to say the same thing. "Here we go again"

 

[erg923]

Do a search on here about online doctorates in psychology. If you still have more questions that are not resolved by these threads, feel free to discuss it more on this thread. However, im not sure there is much to discuss at all. Bottom line is this:

If your little girl had a fever and was vomitting, and you had a choice between a doc who went to Michigan State and doc who got his degree online, who would you send your child to? Now, replace the terms "fever" and "vomitting" with "hallucinations" and "violent outbursts." Get it?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Here are some threads about your question:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=541688
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=448517
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=630929

In general, you will not find a viable and/or respected online option, as the requirements of training do not translate well to an online environment, in addition to a host of other issues. Fielding offers a distance learning option (at least one of the threads talks about it), though it would behoove you to look closely at the pro's and con's of such a program.

ps. Welcome to the forum!

 

[erg923]

Yes, well Fielding's numbers speak for themselves. Ignoring all the inherent problems of doing a doctoral degree online, here are the outcome data: 22% matching to APA sites, 44% at unaccredited sites, 33% at completely unfunded internships...get real!

Ok..my bad..ill let this thread die now

 

[mercury1232]

lol thanks for warning me wildcat, I was prepared for what was to come from your post. On a side note, what do you all think about degrees from schools that are largely onsite, but offer online degrees. Such as these...

Texas A&M offers a PhD in Educational Pscyhology with a week long summer residency.
Chicago Institute of Professional Psych offers a PhD in Psychology.
Argosy offers an EDD in Counseling Psychology with two residencies.
University of Phoenix offers a PhD in Organizational Psychology, actually I think UoP is more online than onsite and I'm really not interested in them, just noting it as one.

On top of this do you feel it's any different if going for a Phd in Professional Counseling from a school like liberty, ambridge, etc.

I know some of you have strong opinions on this and I have no problem with hearing your remarks however critical they may be so feel free, but an online degree for me would be a great option right now with my current medical situation, so this is my reason for asking. I just don't want to let anything stop me from going as far as I can in my education and career.

 

[erg923]

I understand your unfortunate situation due to a medical situation/condition, whatever it may be. However, I encourage you to answer the question I posed in my first response. What would you do?

Lastly, those are wildly different programs in that list. What do you want to do for a living? Have you considered if the doctoral degree is really even neccesary for what you want to do?

 

[KillerDiller]

Texas A&M offers a PhD in Educational Pscyhology with a week long summer residency.
Chicago Institute of Professional Psych offers a PhD in Psychology.
Argosy offers an EDD in Counseling Psychology with two residencies.
University of Phoenix offers a PhD in Organizational Psychology, actually I think UoP is more online than onsite and I'm really not interested in them, just noting it as one.

On top of this do you feel it's any different if going for a Phd in Professional Counseling from a school like liberty, ambridge, etc.

What is it that you want to do with your degree?

The degrees you mention here are not all equivalent to the doctoral degree in clinical or counseling that you originally said you wish to pursue. A PhD in general psychology is not a degree that will allow you to practice. Similarly, organizational psychology is very different from clinical.

Basically, if you want to practice, these are not good options. In some cases this is because the degree is not geared towards clinical practice. In other cases, it is because (as far as I know) these programs are not accredited by the APA. This opens yourself up to a host of problems.

If you want to go into academia, these are also not good options. Faculty research positions are very competitive and applicants are expected to come from rigorous backgrounds where they worked closely with the faculty at well-known research universities.

 

[JockNerd]

Texas A&M offers a PhD in Educational Pscyhology with a week long summer residency.

This is the only reputable school on your list. Why do you think it offers a PhD in Ed psych? That's not listed on the school's sites.

http://distance.tamu.edu/futureaggies/distance-degrees

 

[mercury1232]

This is the only reputable school on your list. Why do you think it offers a PhD in Ed psych? That's not listed on the school's sites.

http://distance.tamu.edu/futureaggies/distance-degrees

Its offered by the commerce campus, texas A&M.


http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/psychology/doctoral.htm

 

[KillerDiller]

Its offered by the commerce campus, texas A&M.


http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/psychology/doctoral.htm

This program also does not provide a clinical degree. You would not be able to see clients in a therapeutic setting with this. If that is your goal, this is definitely not the program you want to apply to.

I hadn't heard of Ambridge University, which you mentioned previously, but I looked it up online and it is not APA accredited, so I wouldn't recommend it. I think that with the combination of an online school plus the lack of APA accreditation, you'd be setting yourself up with quite a lot of hurdles to overcome in the job market. As for Liberty University, it is also not APA accredited and carries with it other stigmas that are probably not worth going into in this thread.

 

[Cosmo75]

Chicago Institute of Professional Psych offers a PhD in Psychology.

Are you referring to the Chicago School of Professional Psychology? I've never heard of the Chicago Institute of Prof. Psych.

If you are talking about CSOPP, they do not offer an online clinical psychology degree. They have a new PhD in international psychology, which you can take online courses for. Here's the description from the website:

Ph.D. in International Psychology

• Offered online.
• A three year, post-master's program offered in a unique format tailored to the needs of busy working professionals. Students take one course at a time, progressing through the program in a "cohort" fashion (i.e., with the same group of fellow students in each of their classes for the duration of the program).
• Students choose one of two concentrations:
  • Organizations and Systems, which is offered online
  • Trauma Services, which is offered in a "blended" format that includes both online classes and one weekend in Chicago during each of the four concentration-related courses.
• Students engage in two nine-day international field experiences (one in year two and another in year three) as well as two required weekend residencies that focus on research and dissertation preparation.
• Program is particularly appropriate for professionals who work or desire to work for multinational corporations, international non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations (e.g. UN organizations), governmental agencies, and faith based organizations with international missions.
• Graduates are equipped with advanced research and program evaluation skills coupled with a rich appreciation for the individual and group consequences of global events—preparing them to apply psychological principles in the development of policy; assist individuals and organizations with understanding and collaborating with diverse cultural populations and all levels of international organizations and functional systems; and design and evaluate the efficacy of international programs.

It doesn't sound like you can be a practicing clinician with that degree. Plus you have to do field work, etc. I'm also not sure if that degree program is APA accredited. The school is, but I believe they have to get accreditation for any new degrees, and they just started this program a few months ago. The clinical PsyD, which is the original degree the school offers, is not offered online.

 

[futureapppsy2]

^
The APA only accredits doctoral degrees that lead to licensure (that is, clinical, counseling, and school), so I don't think the international psych degree would be eligible.

 

[mercury1232]

Thanks everyone, I am going to check my options and with local schools. I will keep you guys updated. If anyone finds any other schools in the meantime, please list them.

 

[erg923]

Umm....ok. You came for advice, but dont seemed to have reflected or commented on any of that advice. I doubt many people on here are going to be researching any online programs in the near future because of the issues mentioned in this (and in others) thread.