Nova Southeastern PsyD

[KayJay85]

Not sure if you implied this or not, but Nova is not a professional school. It's a private university.

Semantics.

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[busybusybusy]

Since this has turned in to more of a funded vs. non-funded program/overwhelming amounts of psychology doctoral students thread I thought I would include some articles that I've read that speak to this topic:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/6-Hopeful-and-4-Scary-Trends-usnews-2941451861.html?x=0&.v=1 (specifically #4 with the quote from Dr. Harris)

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2010/08/18/harris

http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2010/09/unmatched.aspx

I am going to be a first year doctoral student, having already completed an MA, and I am already concerned about the match imbalance. I look at how many people didn't match this year and worry how much worse it is going to be in the 4/5 years when I am applying. I do agree that it is up to the student to get the appropriate training and market themselves well so that sites are interested in them. However, the bottom line is that you match more people then there are open slots.

I was lucky enough (I do think it's part luck) to gain admission to my #1 program, a fully funded PhD program. I interviewed at a few unfunded/partially funded programs and although I liked their curricula, faculty and students; it kept coming back to that I would come out of there owing $100,000 or more. That is a bad decision, there is no way around that.

When I finished my doctoral program and get a bill for $100,000 it will be for my mortgage, not my student loans.

 

[kid16]

Reading the updated match-rates as self-reported now by NOVA and found by you guys is really amazing.

Like I said before, given that Florida is a state where you must have an APA accredited degree accompanied by an accredited internship in order to become Licensed, it's amazing to me that a practice-oriented PsyD degree in that state would have such awful numbers, especially given the cost of attendance and funding.

While initially even the prospect of a possible 6% non-match rate should, in my opinion, lead applicants to heavily question NOVA in their search for a doctoral degree, I'm even more convinced now that the investiment/cost versus risk is simply too much to take on in scenarios like this.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

...I'm even more convinced now that the investiment/cost versus risk is simply too much to take on in scenarios like this.

Unfortunately that is a very real issue with NSU. I know a couple of people who graduated from their programs back in the early 90s, and they said it was much more affordable, smaller cohorts, etc. It really doesn't make economical sense to do it now, though many students don't realize that going in because they underestimate the cost of living in S. FL (expensive!), the cost of deferred loans, and the very really and scary internship process.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Reading the updated match-rates as self-reported now by NOVA and found by you guys is really amazing.

Like I said before, given that Florida is a state where you must have an APA accredited degree accompanied by an accredited internship in order to become Licensed, it's amazing to me that a practice-oriented PsyD degree in that state would have such awful numbers, especially given the cost of attendance and funding.

While initially even the prospect of a possible 6% non-match rate should, in my opinion, lead applicants to heavily question NOVA in their search for a doctoral degree, I'm even more convinced now that the investiment/cost versus risk is simply too much to take on in scenarios like this.

A non-match rate of 6% likely wouldn't give me pause, as that's well above average, and in the range of most university-based Ph.D. programs. However, what would definitely scare me are the lower Psy.D. match rate numbers, and even more than that the low rates of matching to APA-accredited or APPIC-accredited internships. This is, of course, ignoring the largest potential drawback, which is the price tag.

 

[starsinnight]

Has anyone here heard of CAU? I don't know why everyone is ripping on NOVA so much when CAU is in the same area and doesn't even have the prestige associated to it, with tons of students going into boatloads of debt. Now that, to me, is puzzling.

 

[Ollie123]

Perhaps because of the title

I suspect most of us could name a large number of schools we view as problematic, and I'm not sure how location is pertinent to the discussion. Who cares where those other schools are located?

NOVA certainly has some very strong faculty members (Sobell's come to mind, in my area) but just glancing through the CVs of their faculty there is definitely a pretty wide range of faculty with more or less impressive records. I had some concerns about it when speaking to a newly hired faculty at a conference awhile back, who made it pretty clear that research resources for new hires were simply not there, the start-up package they were offered was not even in the ballpark of competitive, nor enough to start up a doctoral-institution-caliber laboratory. I'm glad to hear they are reducing the size of their cohorts - that is an important step. That said, I always find it bothersome when schools that purport to be clinically-focused apparently have a harder time producing students that won't have limits on their clinical careers (due to non-APA internships, lower EPPP pass rates) whereas schools where a large number of graduates won't even bother pursuing licenses have better records.

It certainly has a much, much better reputation than Argosy/Alliant/etc. - I doubt anyone here would argue otherwise. That said, the Toyota Camry is a strong car, but I wouldn't pay Ferrari-level prices for it, especially if there were plenty of opportunities to get a free Camry, Mercedes or Ferrari

 

[docjohng]

NSU has always had strong faculty. Always. And it's a diverse faculty, so you don't get stuck into a single orientation or mindset.

NSU has always been expensive, even since the 1990s (when I attended it). This is nothing new. All of the graduate programs at NSU are equally expensive (including their law and medical school degrees).

John

 

[aequitasveritas]

NSU has always had strong faculty. Always. And it's a diverse faculty, so you don't get stuck into a single orientation or mindset.

NSU has always been expensive, even since the 1990s (when I attended it). This is nothing new. All of the graduate programs at NSU are equally expensive (including their law and medical school degrees).

John

..but law and medical professions have a cache that justifies the cost of the degree

 

[O Gurl]

NSU has always had strong faculty. Always. And it's a diverse faculty, so you don't get stuck into a single orientation or mindset.

NSU has always been expensive, even since the 1990s (when I attended it). This is nothing new. All of the graduate programs at NSU are equally expensive (including their law and medical school degrees).

John

Has NSU always taken in 10x the normal cohort size? If so, why?

 

[shrink4hire]

many students don't realize that going in because they underestimate the cost of living in S. FL (expensive!)

The living expense in South Florida varies greatly (particularly compared to Southern California and NYC) and there is a plethora of nice, safe, affordable housing. In fact, I envy those moving to the area right now.

No qualms with anything else you said...carry on.

 

[HVD2011]

Any current or future students for Nova's PsyD program please respond.

I have been accepted and would appreciate any and all information about the program, the South Florida area (mainly suggestions/recommendations for off-campus living,) and anything else you would like to share. Thank you in advance!

I completed both undergrad and masters work at NSU and wish I had stayed on to complete my doctorate. NSU provides excellent training, opportunities and faculty for their students. Life at Nova can be very good if you are willing to take advantage of the resources within the faculty. The library facilities are excellent, so is the online resources and campus life.

I have lived in Broward County for 17 years. If you want to avoid traffic, I would look in areas south of Nova/595 like Davie, Pembroke Pines, Just off of University Drive in either direction. I have a house in Pembroke Pines and my commute to NSU is about 8 minutes, 15 in traffic. I agree with the previous posts, Sunrise, Oakland Park again just off of University are your best bets, but going North of NSU you run into alot more traffic because of the 595 Highway. There are so many private condos/townhouses for rent, so check out craigslist for some great deals. In addition, I believe the Miami Dolphins still train there.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

 

[FuzzyMonkey]

I completed both undergrad and masters work at NSU and wish I had stayed on to complete my doctorate. NSU provides excellent training, opportunities and faculty for their students. Life at Nova can be very good if you are willing to take advantage of the resources within the faculty. The library facilities are excellent, so is the online resources and campus life.

I have lived in Broward County for 17 years. If you want to avoid traffic, I would look in areas south of Nova/595 like Davie, Pembroke Pines, Just off of University Drive in either direction. I have a house in Pembroke Pines and my commute to NSU is about 8 minutes, 15 in traffic. I agree with the previous posts, Sunrise, Oakland Park again just off of University are your best bets, but going North of NSU you run into alot more traffic because of the 595 Highway. There are so many private condos/townhouses for rent, so check out craigslist for some great deals. In addition, I believe the Miami Dolphins still train there.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

Thanks for the response and tips!

 

[HVD2011]

Has anyone here heard of CAU? I don't know why everyone is ripping on NOVA so much when CAU is in the same area and doesn't even have the prestige associated to it, with tons of students going into boatloads of debt. Now that, to me, is puzzling.

Dare I say I am a CAU student. All I have to say about that is DONT DO IT!!!! CAU was the worst mistake of my accademic life.

 

[edified1]

Reading the updated match-rates as self-reported now by NOVA and found by you guys is really amazing.

Like I said before, given that Florida is a state where you must have an APA accredited degree accompanied by an accredited internship in order to become Licensed, it's amazing to me that a practice-oriented PsyD degree in that state would have such awful numbers, especially given the cost of attendance and funding.

I don't know anything about Nova, so my post is admittedly tangential, but I wanted to ask for clarification on the issue of licensure in Florida. I'm not sure yet what state I'll be seeking licensure in, but it's not going to be Florida, so I have no personal stake in this matter. However, when I looked up their licensure requirements I did not find that an APA-accredited internship is required. Rather, I found that while an APA-accredited doctoral program is required, the internship is simply required to be accredited by your program.

Here's the site I'm looking at:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/psychology/psy_lic-exam.html

And the excerpt addressing internship:
Supervision Requirements -
Licensure requires two years or 4,000 hours of experience in the field of psychology in association with or under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. The applicant’s internship satisfies 2000 of those hours. An acceptable internship is one that is approved by the applicant’s APA-accredited program towards completion of the doctoral psychology degree. The internship, in and of itself, is not required to be accredited by the APA or any other organization.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I don't know anything about Nova, so my post is admittedly tangential, but I wanted to ask for clarification on the issue of licensure in Florida. I'm not sure yet what state I'll be seeking licensure in, but it's not going to be Florida, so I have no personal stake in this matter. However, when I looked up their licensure requirements I did not find that an APA-accredited internship is required. Rather, I found that while an APA-accredited doctoral program is required, the internship is simply required to be accredited by your program.

Here's the site I'm looking at:
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/psychology/psy_lic-exam.html

And the excerpt addressing internship:
Supervision Requirements -
Licensure requires two years or 4,000 hours of experience in the field of psychology in association with or under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. The applicant’s internship satisfies 2000 of those hours. An acceptable internship is one that is approved by the applicant’s APA-accredited program towards completion of the doctoral psychology degree. The internship, in and of itself, is not required to be accredited by the APA or any other organization.

Looks like you're correct in that an APA-accredited internship isn't necessary unless specifically required by the person's program (which is quite common at non-professional schools). I know that in Georgia, the internship must be at least APPIC-accredited, although Georgia tends to be on the more-stringent end of the licensing spectrum.

This is a great site for anyone looking for an overview of licensure requirements by state.

 

[edified1]

Looks like you're correct in that an APA-accredited internship isn't necessary unless specifically required by the person's program (which is quite common at non-professional schools). I know that in Georgia, the internship must be at least APPIC-accredited, although Georgia tends to be on the more-stringent end of the licensing spectrum.

This is a great site for anyone looking for an overview of licensure requirements by state.

I have noticed that many programs require an APA internship. My program, which is a traditional, APA-accredited, public university-based Ph.D. program, requires APPIC but not APA (although most of the students end up at APA sites). Anyways, thanks for that link. Tangent over, back to Nova discussion

 

[Existenz]

In Erg's defense, if he went to a smaller program, his disclosure is potentially substantially greater than yours.

I probably shouldn't say this, but I've often wondered why erg attacks professional schools when he himself attends one?

Remember people, it's not always where you are but what you do.

 

[O Gurl]

I probably shouldn't say this, but I've often wondered why erg attacks professional schools when he himself attends one?

Remember people, it's not always where you are but what you do.

I'm not sure why you thought that was appropriate for you to disclose.

I'm not even sure if you are correct or not... and it really doesn't matter. Professional school students should be the most invested in raising standards as they are the ones most impacted by potential limitations to training.