Looking into PsyD programs

[UNCheer08]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Message Deleted by User

 

[kbcahn]

Hey everyone,

(I have read to stay away from professional schools; is this considered a professional school? Also, WHY should we stay away from them- is it just the funding issue or is there a difference in quality of education as well?)

Steer clear of the professional programs due to the fact that they are viewed as "diploma mills" and have lower internship placement rates.

 

[deleted176373]

If you are doing well in your Masters program, you might have a decent shot at Baylor, I wouldn't count yourself out of the running with a 1290 GRE and a 3.6 Psych GPA. If you wouldn't mind a Ph.D., don't mind military service, and would enjoy a paycheck while attending school, check out USUHS's military clinical track. It's a very balanced program, unlike many research oriented programs.

Mark

 

[medium rare]

Hey everyone,

I am new to the site, and I look forward to exchanging ideas with everyone. On that note, if this topic has already been discussed, I apologize; please just forward me to the correct link.

A little about me:

1.) Currently in my first year of a two year Master's program in Experimental Psychology (GPA 4.0)

2.) Undergrad degree in psychology (GPA 3.3, Major GPA 3.6)

3.) GRE 1290

4.) Several extracurricuars including being a varsity college athlete, interning at the county counseling center, volunteer work, etc.

Based on what I have read and my career aspirations (I want nothing to do with research), I feel that the PsyD is right for me. Now, it is just a matter of picking the right one. I understand that Baylor and Rutgers are the best, and I do not expect to get into either of those. What other programs are considered "good"? The last thing I want to is get in and graduate from a program, then be ill- prepared to practice. I will list the programs on my short list (in no order). I am trying to stay close to the East coast, if possible. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated, as well as any appropriate schools that I may have left off.

- La Salle
- Nova Southeastern Univ.
- Virginia Consortium (I have read to stay away from professional schools; is this considered a professional school? Also, WHY should we stay away from them- is it just the funding issue or is there a difference in quality of education as well?)
- James Madison
- Yeshiva
- George Washington
- Indiana of Pennsylvania
- Loyola College

If you have read this far, thank you. Any assitance would be much appreciated. I look forward to reading your responses.

Thanks in advance!

Check out Rutgers (New Jersey) and Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio). Both are university-based programs with strong reputations, good funding, and excellent internship placement stats.

 

[Jon4PsyD]

If you're looking at Clinical Psy.D.'s - Rutgers & Baylor are in a class of their own. With Rutgers being the gold standard.

Jon

 

[apumic]

IUP (Indiana U of PA) is actually a well-funded program as well. Students are funded through assistantships.

VA Consortium seems to be similar in reputation to Rutgers or Baylor. It IS changing, however, to a Ph.D. program. It is a multi-university (consortium) model program, so 3 (used to be 4, but William and Mary's decided to leave b/c of the change to a Ph.D.) schools are involved in your education there and listed on your diploma (Eastern VA Med School, Old Dominion U, and Norfolk State U). They accept around 8 students/year and only accept students they can fully fund. The details are on the website; however, one should contact them to see what the accreditation status of their Ph.D. program will be (i.e., whether it will simply continue with the Psy.D. program's accreditation status or have to graduate a Ph.D. class (w/o accreditation) prior to receiving accreditation).

 

[LISage]

Being that I am from the east coast, and want to stay on the east coast I applied to a lot of the same schools you are looking at (James Madison, Yeshiva, Loyola, and George Washington). FYI some of these schools still place a significant amount of emphasis on research (You can FM me if you want more details)
That being said, this is my opinion being that my credentials are similar to yours. If you are sure this is your career path, apply to a bit of everything and see what happens from there. You can only take things one step at a time. While it is true that Professional schools are considered to be less prestigious, most still have great reputations, and will give you a wonderful educational. If you apply to a bit of everything and only get into professional schools, then you have a decision to make: Go to one, or try again the following year.
Good Luck! 🙂

 

[Flutterbyu]

I have seen many discussions about the pitfalls of professional schools on this board and all I can say is that I am in my 4th year at a professional school and have just matched to my first choice APA internship at a VA in a neuropsychology position. Do research on professional schools- they are certainly all not the same. You make the most out of the program- you are the deciding factor in whether you will have a great educational experience or not. Feel free to PM me for more info on the professional school I went to. Good luck

 

[Ferenzsci]

If you want to be an academic, that is teach in a university and do research, then there is no reason to even consider getting a Psy.D. On the other hand, I have some friends who have the Psy.D., and are well published, conduct research and teach on the college level.

The real issue is not Psy.D. v. Ph.D. It is what are your career goals? what do you want to do once you are done. I only ever wanted to work in private practice.

The other issue is a comment someone in this thread made about Nova Southeastern Univeristy's doctoral program. Yes, Nova has a large class, and all populations that are large enough fall into a normal curve, but my education at Nova was far superior than most funded Ph.D. programs in terms of clinical skills. Yes, some of my classmates had lesser skills, and some had really terrific research skills, and yes, Nova is expensive, but the education is great, and Nova student have a VERY high rate of acceptance into APPIC internships.

Once you are licensed, no one really cares where you did your undergrad work or where you went to grad school. What becomes important is if you are a good clinician with a good CV, or if you are Ph.D., if you have published.

 

[dragonstyle]

I may be a little biased, but the program I am at, the University of Indianapolis PsyD program, is a really good program and our reputation is steadily growing based on our graduates working in the field. The heart of the midwest may be a bit further from the East Coast than you would hope, but Indianapolis is a pretty nice city. Our program is not funded, but it does not fit into the degree mill program category as we have a much smaller class size. Further, because this program is one of the only doctoral psychology programs in this part of the state, we have a plethora of practicum sites (as opposed to some other programs who have limited spots for all the students who need to go on them). If you need more information, shoot me a message.

 

[Eruca]

...but my education at Nova was far superior than most funded Ph.D. programs in terms of clinical skills.

How would you even go about substantiating a claim as general as this one? "Far superior than most funded programs"...??? No offense, but that's a rather grandiose statement.

...and yes, Nova is expensive, but the education is great, and Nova student have a VERY high rate of acceptance into APPIC internships.

Just APPIC or APA?

Once you are licensed, no one really cares where you did your undergrad work or where you went to grad school. What becomes important is if you are a good clinician with a good CV, or if you are Ph.D., if you have published.

Sorry but most of these statements are very oversimplified. I won't disagree that certain things don't matter as much if you only plan on going into private practice, but I just have to object to these simple generalizations.

 

[sukurux]

On this forum, professional school has generally referenced unfunded programs... so that would include from my knowledge:


- La Salle
- Nova Southeastern Univ.
- James Madison-
Yeshiva
- George Washington
- Indiana of Pennsylvania
- Loyola College





Virginia Consortium has in the past offered low class sized and funding. Someone mentioned on this forum that the program is changing. Don't know the status. I don't know anything about La Salle, Indiana, or Loyola.

I currently attend Yeshiva and although they do not provide full funding they did help me out with a significant amount (roughly 25% of tuition). Plus I'm receiving a stipend from my externship so this makes finances a little bit more manageable. Class sizes average 20 people. Hope this helps.

 

[compassionate1]

If I am not mistaken, C.W. Post is also considered a solid progrm.

Does anyone have information on their funding situation?

Compassionate1

 

[longisland3000]

I'm at Yeshiva and although it depends on who you ask, I have had a bad experience at this school.

 

[sukurux]

I'm at Yeshiva and although it depends on who you ask, I have had a bad experience at this school.

i agree...it really does depend on who you ask. i've had a really good experience so far. I chose this school because of my POI and have no regrets.

 

[leavingprov]

As far as I know Virginia Consortium is in the process of changing its program to Ph.D. from Psy.D... their last Psy.D. class will be entering Fall 2009, so I've read at least.

 

[terpskins10]

As far as I know Virginia Consortium is in the process of changing its program to Ph.D. from Psy.D... their last Psy.D. class will be entering Fall 2009, so I've read at least.

I actually spoke with someone on the phone today at the program and she said that all the information regarding the new program should be updated on their website by August/September of this year. Same goes for their status regarding APA accreditation.

 

[leavingprov]

...I will list the programs on my short list (in no order). I am trying to stay close to the East coast, if possible. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated, as well as any appropriate schools that I may have left off.

- La Salle
- Nova Southeastern Univ.
- Virginia Consortium (I have read to stay away from professional schools; is this considered a professional school? Also, WHY should we stay away from them- is it just the funding issue or is there a difference in quality of education as well?)
- James Madison
- Yeshiva
- George Washington
- Indiana of Pennsylvania
- Loyola College

I would also pop Xavier on there as a possibility though I'm not too sure about the extent of their funding.

 

[CDub2008]

You could also look into Widener University. Its a PsyD with a good emphasis on research. Just outside of Philadelphia, and is the longest accredited PsyD program out there. Plus, if offered admissions, you're automatically accepted into their exclusive APA accredited internship.