What are the PsyD backup schools?

[sunyplatt]

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[lava12345]

What are the low tier schools, that are less desirable, acceptance rates'? I have read about argosy. Is it possible to get into somewhere with a low gpa? All that matters is if its accredited. Teaching assistanships, no stipend, undesirable location, it doesn't matter where is the easiest place to get accepted just to get the degree?

Oh no, I hope this doesn't blow up like some previous threads.

There have been a ton of threads on here before about the dangers of going to for-profit institutions like Argosy, I suggest you give those a look.

If your GPA is low, I suggest you go to a research-oriented clinical master's program. Alot of times, a 4.0 in a masters program will trump a low undergrad GPA when subsequently applying to a doctoral program.

Why do you want to "just get the degree"?

 

[erg923]

All that matters is if its accredited. Teaching assistanships, no stipend, undesirable location, it doesn't matter where is the easiest place to get accepted just to get the degree?

If you ACTUALLY think this then you a.) dont know enough about the field/profession to be entering it. b.) obviously care more about getting a degree than obtaining quality training in order to become a good psychologist. I'm sure most people on here will find the latter pretty offensive. Not to mention dangerous and unfair to those we serve (patients).

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Oh no, I hope this doesn't blow up like some previous threads.

There have been a ton of threads on here before about the dangers of going to for-profit institutions like Argosy, I suggest you give those a look.

If your GPA is low, I suggest you go to a research-oriented clinical master's program. Alot of times, a 4.0 in a masters program will trump a low undergrad GPA when subsequently applying to a doctoral program.

Why do you want to "just get the degree"?

Agreed; this is a much better alternative career-wise than attempting to find the "lowest common denominator" of psychology doctoral programs. If all you're looking for is a degree, any degree, regardless of the quality of training, you might as well just sign up for an online program, which is essentially akin to making a very large non-charitable donation.

 

[PavlovWolf]

If you ACTUALLY think this then you a.) dont know enough about the field/profession to be entering it. b.) obviously care more about getting a degree than being a good psychologist. I'm sure most people on here will find the latter pretty offensive.

Yep..especially if it (the degree) is a PsyD...this is why we (PsyDs) are stereotyped 🙁

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

OP, you are asking all of the wrong questions. You should aim to get into a good program ( and for the right reasons), or you should look into a different field. It is too competitive in the field to do it any other way.

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm hoping for my own sanity that this is just a troll post.

 

[O Gurl]

There has to be some perception to the rest of the world that one does not have to be smart or hard-working to become a psychologist. There is no other way to explain these shenanigans.
🙁

I can only fault us (psychologists/trainees) for this. When was the last time you heard someone ask: I have p*ss poor grades and a terrible MCAT/LSAT--where can I go to just get a MD/JD?

It is seriously time for the reputable PsyDs and PhDs to join forces and shut down ANY place that would offer a route to someone like the OP. If the APA efforts do not work, then we need to move on to lobby for legislation that would cap federal funds for professional schools or limit school loans to a profession's avg. entry-level salary. This has to stop.

 

[erg923]

I'm hoping for my own sanity that this is just a troll post.

Poster has expressd interest in medical school and podiatry school in previous posts, so I will give he/she the benefit of the doubt and venture to guess that they are having a little existential crisis and struggling with what they want to do when the grow-up.

That said, I am always amazed by people who struggle in undergrad and think, so long as someone "lets them in" somewhere, they will magically be able to do work that is twice as intense as the undergrad work they struggled with so much.🙄 Yea, that makes sense...

 

[paramour]

There has to be some perception to the rest of the world that one does not have to be smart or hard-working to become a psychologist. There is no other way to explain these shenanigans.
🙁

I can only fault us (psychologists/trainees) for this. When was the last time you heard someone ask: I have p*ss poor grades and a terrible MCAT/LSAT--where can I go to just get a MD/JD?

It is seriously time for the reputable PsyDs and PhDs to join forces and shut down ANY place that would offer a route to someone like the OP. If the APA efforts do not work, then we need to move on to lobby for legislation that would cap federal funds for professional schools or limit school loans to a profession's avg. entry-level salary. This has to stop.

I actually have run across some of these people. 😉

 

[Duck Duck Goose]

That said, I am always amazed by people who struggle in undergrad and think, so long as someone "lets them in" somewhere, they will magically be able to do work that is twice as intense as the undergrad work they struggled with so much.🙄 Yea, that makes sense...

As I mention frequently, I did great in undergrad but had NO IDEA of the options available to me. I applied to grad schools blindly, basing my apps on geographic location. I think I applied to 7 or 8 (I don't remember) and I got 3 interviews. One at my current PsyD program, one at Fordham, and one at LIU's PhD program. I had done some research for my thesis, been an RA who cleaned up data, and that was about it. Nothing serious. So why were these programs willing to interview me when it should have been very obvious that I had no idea what I was doing? I think it was because I had a pretty high GRE (I've always done well on standardized tests 😛 ), I wrote well, and came from a well known undergrad place. Not one of my letter of recommendation writers or my interviewers mentioned, when I said that I wanted to do therapy primarily with teens in private practice, that I could do that with a masters degree. I think psychologists are now reaping what previous generations sowed (fast-track to the doctoral degree but for what purpose?).

Good luck to everyone trying to figure out their paths.

 

[4410]

I think it would be difficult to get into any doctoral program with a low GPA. Typically, undergraduate GPA is predictive of graduate school GPA. Even students with high GPA, 3.50 or above do not make it through clinical psychology graduate programs, as there are numerous hoops you have to maneuver through to become a licensed psychologist. You might look at a different career as you can make much more money and have good security in other careers besides clinical psychology. I believe that even those who complete the doctorate degree, some never pass the EPPP to become licensed psychologist. If you can't cut the mustard at the undergraduate level chances are slim that you will prosper at the graduate level. Doctoral clinical psychology programs are not very forgiving and it is more common than not for some students to be terminated from the program after their first year, and sometimes these are students who are passing classes but they have personality dynamics that is not conducive to being a clinical psychologist. Even the lower tier clinical psychology program are tough to finish up and graduate and I believe they all have admission standards of GPA, GRE, and references. I have heard that the clinical psychology admissions standards and the program of study is more difficult than many medical schools.

Most of the Argosy programs in clinical psychology (doctoral level) are APA accredited, so they have high admissions standards in their clinical psychology program. The newer programs in clinical psychology with Argosy are in the process of gaining APA accreditation once they have reached the point of having their first graduation class. The other programs in the Argosy system such as counselor education and educational administrators doctoral programs, all require a master degree and they are not doctoral level licensure programs as you can be an LPC or a principal without the doctoral degree. These programs require a GPA above 3.00 and despite being online programs they are often confused with the clinical psychology program that is APA accredited and has the APA curriculum and follows the APA clinical psychology training model with practicum and internships. The Argosy doctoral clinical psychology program should not be compared with other Argosy programs as they have different guidelines for admissions.

 

[eudaimonPsyD]

Yep..especially if it (the degree) is a PsyD...this is why we (PsyDs) are stereotyped 🙁

This person sounds like at least half of the people I go to school with...there are only a handful of people I go to school with that I would trust to be competent providers of psychological services and the other half seems like "Oh I have nothing better to do, I guess I'll go get a clinical psychology doctorate." My schooling system is definitely one of the culprits of taking in people like the OP and granting them the chance to have a profound impact on others. Frankly it is frightening. AND it does give PsyDs a bad name if one's perceptions of a PsyD are based on these people. I really hope that even piss poor schools can see through this person and toss their application out.

 

[Sanman]

These types of posts happen in every field. The pre-meds already know that going to the Caribbean is the easy route to MD. However, just like internship, many of them are now having match problems with residency as there are fewer slots. The OP, there is more that matters than accreditation. Consider whether you will match at an internship to graduate and whether anyone will hire you afterward. Having poor credentials is a great way to end up making $40-50k with a doctorate. Same goes for law school

 

[AcronymAllergy]

This person sounds like at least half of the people I go to school with...there are only a handful of people I go to school with that I would trust to be competent providers of psychological services and the other half seems like "Oh I have nothing better to do, I guess I'll go get a clinical psychology doctorate." My schooling system is definitely one of the culprits of taking in people like the OP and granting them the chance to have a profound impact on others. Frankly it is frightening. AND it does give PsyDs a bad name if one's perceptions of a PsyD are based on these people. I really hope that even piss poor schools can see through this person and toss their application out.

I'd imagine that if more individuals such as yourself (i.e., graduates from "offender" programs) spoke out post-grad, it'd have an even greater impact that if those of us who identify the schools as problematic but did not attend them call them out (which, as we've seen, ends up being labeled as "finger pointing," even when backed by data).

It's been said a few times before on this forum--the individuals who should be the most irked by such "offender" programs are competent Psy.D. clinicians and researchers, as the reputation of their degree, as you've said, is essentially being dragged through the mud.

 

[PavlovWolf]

It's been said a few times before on this forum--the individuals who should be the most irked by such "offender" programs are competent Psy.D. clinicians and researchers, as the reputation of their degree, as you've said, is essentially being dragged through the mud.[/QUOTE]

+1. and I am irked. I went to a very good PsyD program (others on the forum have mentioned being impressed with people trained here) and it is well-known and respected in the regional/geographical area it is located, but recently I have been in contact with other PsyD clinicians from Argosy and Alliant and it makes me a sad panda.😕 (not to say all folks from these schools are poor psychologists, because that is not true...but I have met some with questionable ethics, among other things).

 

[eudaimonPsyD]

I'd imagine that if more individuals such as yourself (i.e., graduates from "offender" programs) spoke out post-grad, it'd have an even greater impact that if those of us who identify the schools as problematic but did not attend them call them out (which, as we've seen, ends up being labeled as "finger pointing," even when backed by data).

It's been said a few times before on this forum--the individuals who should be the most irked by such "offender" programs are competent Psy.D. clinicians and researchers, as the reputation of their degree, as you've said, is essentially being dragged through the mud.

Thanks AA, I am definitely planning to hop on that path post-grad. I have already actively steered (or at least severely warned) others about the program if they came to me with questions. But obviously I am in a delicate situation until I get the degree and get out. After that I do plan on becoming active in creating a change regarding admissions standards and practices of schools like mine. While it is unfortunate I didn't believe enough in myself to try to get into a better program (which I believe now I very well could have), I plan to do my best to overcome the pitfalls of my education and experience and be an exception to the FSPS PsyD stereotype.

 

[deleted176373]

There has to be some perception to the rest of the world that one does not have to be smart or hard-working to become a psychologist. There is no other way to explain these shenanigans.
🙁

I can only fault us (psychologists/trainees) for this. When was the last time you heard someone ask: I have p*ss poor grades and a terrible MCAT/LSAT--where can I go to just get a MD/JD?

It is seriously time for the reputable PsyDs and PhDs to join forces and shut down ANY place that would offer a route to someone like the OP. If the APA efforts do not work, then we need to move on to lobby for legislation that would cap federal funds for professional schools or limit school loans to a profession's avg. entry-level salary. This has to stop.

Perhaps it's that the person is pre-med according to their profile???

Seriously, I agree with everything you said.

 

[GoPokes]

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/126/314/3cd8a33a.png?1306264975

Not sure of the rules on SDN about posting images, so I'll just put the link ^

 

[nika751]

If you ACTUALLY think this then you a.) dont know enough about the field/profession to be entering it. b.) obviously care more about getting a degree than obtaining quality training in order to become a good psychologist. I'm sure most people on here will find the latter pretty offensive. Not to mention dangerous and unfair to those we serve (patients).

Just wanted to second this. Thanks for having the courage to say this

 

[PsyDLICSW]

There has to be some perception to the rest of the world that one does not have to be smart or hard-working to become a psychologist. There is no other way to explain these shenanigans.
🙁

I can only fault us (psychologists/trainees) for this. When was the last time you heard someone ask: I have p*ss poor grades and a terrible MCAT/LSAT--where can I go to just get a MD/JD?

It is seriously time for the reputable PsyDs and PhDs to join forces and shut down ANY place that would offer a route to someone like the OP. If the APA efforts do not work, then we need to move on to lobby for legislation that would cap federal funds for professional schools or limit school loans to a profession's avg. entry-level salary. This has to stop.

Agreed. I am applying for internship next year and I am tired of worrying that I am not doing enough to secure an accredited placement. If the APA won't shut these places down, someone has to.

 

[SpiceyT]

While undergraduate GPA is generally a good predictor of graduate success, there are always exceptions to the rule. I am one of those. I tried to do nursing first in undergrad and had a couple of years of less than stellar grades. While my GPA in psych and my social work minor was a 3.8, the overall was low because of the first 2 years.

I went on and got an MSW at a solid school and earned a 3.9. Got licensed, worked for a significant amount of time. I've never done well on standardized tests; my GRE score is average. However, I am clearly able to perform at the graduate level. Someone mentioned getting a master's (although the context was MA at a research institution, so a little different than my route) and that GPA would usually trump the undergrad GPA. That was not my experience: schools rejected me citing my undergraduate GPA being too low for them, despite successful completion of a master's degree. Just more instance of the lack of logic that is sometimes apparent in our field.

4410, thanks for pointing out the differences in Argosy's programs. The clinical programs, while contributing to the problem with large cohorts, do not just take any warm body with financial aid. And, while the training at the different campuses vary, there is good training and solid faculty at a few of them. And look at faculty at the internship sites we've all been to. Argosy is well represented in solid places. Those people are not stupid. The Major who oversees all of the Army's internships, for example, graduated from Argosy DC. Her job isn't easy, she isn't stupid, and she isn't successful IN SPITE of her training.

 

[PsyDLICSW]

While undergraduate GPA is generally a good predictor of graduate success, there are always exceptions to the rule. I am one of those. I tried to do nursing first in undergrad and had a couple of years of less than stellar grades. While my GPA in psych and my social work minor was a 3.8, the overall was low because of the first 2 years.

I went on and got an MSW at a solid school and earned a 3.9. Got licensed, worked for a significant amount of time. I've never done well on standardized tests; my GRE score is average. However, I am clearly able to perform at the graduate level. Someone mentioned getting a master's (although the context was MA at a research institution, so a little different than my route) and that GPA would usually trump the undergrad GPA. That was not my experience: schools rejected me citing my undergraduate GPA being too low for them, despite successful completion of a master's degree. Just more instance of the lack of logic that is sometimes apparent in our field.

4410, thanks for pointing out the differences in Argosy's programs. The clinical programs, while contributing to the problem with large cohorts, do not just take any warm body with financial aid. And, while the training at the different campuses vary, there is good training and solid faculty at a few of them. And look at faculty at the internship sites we've all been to. Argosy is well represented in solid places. Those people are not stupid. The Major who oversees all of the Army's internships, for example, graduated from Argosy DC. Her job isn't easy, she isn't stupid, and she isn't successful IN SPITE of her training.

Was the graduate GPA from an MSW program or an MA in psychology with research experience? Psychology programs do not care about an MSW GPA. I know because I went into a PsyD program with an MSW. Programs were more concerned with my psychology background. The therapy I did in my MSW was helpful, but the courses did not transfer and i had to start from scratch. My hunch is that if you get an MA or MS in psychology with research experience and get a good GPA, then schools may not throw your application away based on low GPA.


I am not saying that all Argosy grads are stupid. I am sure there are some quality students in professional schools. I think that schools that take 100 new students per year are irresponsible in terms of supervision, internship, and job market. Why can't Argosy take 10 or 15 like the University based programs? Ten schools that take 100 students per year means that 1000 extra students are in the market for internship and jobs...a similar number to the number of students who did not match this year...

 

[4410]

Was the graduate GPA from an MSW program or an MA in psychology with research experience? Psychology programs do not care about an MSW GPA. I know because I went into a PsyD program with an MSW. Programs were more concerned with my psychology background. The therapy I did in my MSW was helpful, but the courses did not transfer and i had to start from scratch. My hunch is that if you get an MA or MS in psychology with research experience and get a good GPA, then schools may not throw your application away based on low GPA.


I am not saying that all Argosy grads are stupid. I am sure there are some quality students in professional schools. I think that schools that take 100 new students per year are irresponsible in terms of supervision, internship, and job market. Why can't Argosy take 10 or 15 like the University based programs? Ten schools that take 100 students per year means that 1000 extra students are in the market for internship and jobs...a similar number to the number of students who did not match this year...

I seriously doubt that the clinical psychology programs at Argosy are accepting 100 students per year. Most likley 15-20 PsyD students- 20-25 MA forensic, school, industrial, and clinical psychology students. Maybe the originally campus in Chicago is having a large cohort due to the large population in Chicago. It used to be that Argosy had students beginning every semester so the figures could be slanted if looked at on a yearly basis but most or all Argosy campuses only accept new students in the fall semester.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Looks like Argosy-Chicago was accepting 75+/year up until a couple years ago, and is now in the 45-50 student range (which, in my opinion, is still much too large). What's particularly disconcerting is the ~20% attrition/"drop-out" rate they seem to be hovering around after 5-6 years of enrollment. http://www.argosy.edu/documents/psydinfo/chicago-psyd-outcomes.pdf

Twin Cities and Atlanta look to be two other campuses that take fairly large cohorts, with Atlanta seeming to have a particularly rough attrition (i.e.., "# no longer enrolled for any reason other than graduation") rate.

 

[erg923]

I seriously doubt that the clinical psychology programs at Argosy are accepting 100 students per year. Most likley 15-20 PsyD students.

Again. 100% False. Actual numbers are readily available on each campus's website. If you dont know something (and dont want to research the ACTUAL answer), just say I dont know!

 

[KillerDiller]

I seriously doubt that the clinical psychology programs at Argosy are accepting 100 students per year. Most likley 15-20 PsyD students

Why bother to "seriously doubt" or otherwise speculate about something when hard facts are easy to obtain? From a quick search I found this data for the last 5 years.

Argosy Tampa has enrrolled 25-47 students per year
Argosy DC has enrolled 62-102
Argosy San Francisco 61-70
Argosy Chicago 46-111

 

[4410]

Why bother to "seriously doubt" or otherwise speculate about something when hard facts are easy to obtain? From a quick search I found this data for the last 5 years.

Argosy Tampa has enrrolled 25-47 students per year
Argosy DC has enrolled 62-102
Argosy San Francisco 61-70
Argosy Chicago 46-111

Only the DC and Chicago campuses are having incoming classes around 100 but I believe some of these programs have ongoing admissions, so you may have 40 starting in the fall, 20 in the Spring, and another 40 starting in the Summer. When you break it down per year the numbers are inflated. One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training. They pay out of pocket and have no interest in teaching or research assistantships. One advantage that Argosy University has over traditional university programs is the attractiveness of acquiring further training without having to engage as a teaching or research assistant at low salaries. Many of Argosy University students are leaders in the field and have worked a number of years in clinical psychology settings and this bode well for longterm success in the field of psychology. Traditonal universities may be relegated to only accepting students who will accept a teaching or a research assistantship, whereas a large number of students prefer to actually pay for their own education and work at a full salary job during their training. Argosy University has students who have been directors of mental health centers, medical center programs, and correctional program at the MA level and desire a program that allows for their continued leadership in the field while pursing advanced training in clinical psychology.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training. They pay out of pocket and have no interest in teaching or research assistantships.

There is far more to a good applicant that a high GPA & GRE...those are just expected. Doctoral training *REQUIRES* a strong infusion of research and stats understanding...at least to do it right and practice ethically. I'm not saying a person has to research to be proficient, but they need the experience because it teaches HOW to think and HOW to integrate current research/clinical studies into every day practice.

btw...being a lawyer or physician doesn't mean they are qualified to be in a doctoral psych program...far from it.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Only the DC and Chicago campuses are having incoming classes around 100 but I believe some of these programs have ongoing admissions, so you may have 40 starting in the fall, 20 in the Spring, and another 40 starting in the Summer. When you break it down per year the numbers are inflated. One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training. They pay out of pocket and have no interest in teaching or research assistantships.

Thing is, even an incoming class of 40 seems fairly huge when compared to most other training programs. And even though students may be admitted in rotation, the programs still only have so many yearly clinical and research opportunities at their disposal, as well as only so many faculty available to supervise.

Unfortunatley, while I tried (through an admittedly quick search) to find information on incoming students' GPA and GRE scores at Argosy's website, I was unable to do so (I looked in each program's "student admissions, outcomes, and other data" section). The fact that this information isn't listed in the area I checked, to me at least, is a red flag.

No one is saying there aren't ANY qualified individuals in these programs. But, in general, admissions criteria do seem to be lower (based both on incoming class sizes and admission rates), and outcome data indicate poorer prospects on average, which suggests that the schools themselves may not be preparing all students as well as they should.

 

[erg923]

Only the DC and Chicago campuses are having incoming classes around 100 but I believe some of these programs have ongoing admissions, so you may have 40 starting in the fall, 20 in the Spring, and another 40 starting in the Summer. When you break it down per year the numbers are inflated. One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training. They pay out of pocket and have no interest in teaching or research assistantships. One advantage that Argosy University has over traditional university programs is the attractiveness of acquiring further training without having to engage as a teaching or research assistant at low salaries. Many of Argosy University students are leaders in the field and have worked a number of years in clinical psychology settings and this bode well for longterm success in the field of psychology. Traditonal universities may be relegated to only accepting students who will accept a teaching or a research assistantship, whereas a large number of students prefer to actually pay for their own education and work at a full salary job during their training. Argosy University has students who have been directors of mental health centers, medical center programs, and correctional program at the MA level and desire a program that allows for their continued leadership in the field while pursing advanced training in clinical psychology.

Please, not all this "i want a doctorate but dont really wanna sacrifice the time or my nice, cooshy full time job" garbage, again, please?

 

[O Gurl]

There is far more to a good applicant that a high GPA & GRE...those are just expected. Doctoral training *REQUIRES* a strong infusion of research and stats understanding...at least to do it right and practice ethically. I'm not saying a person has to research to be proficient, but they need the experience because it teaches HOW to think and HOW to integrate current research/clinical studies into every day practice.

btw...being a lawyer or physician doesn't mean they are qualified to be in a doctoral psych program...far from it.

Exactly. The vast majority of PhD's pursue clinical careers. We still have to be able to understand and integrate research findings. The fact that there are people, like one professional school PsyD who posted on the yahoo EPPP group that she has just learned the difference between and I.V. and a D.V., preparing to be licensed as psychologists is mind-boggling.

Can anyone expect that such an individual will be able to accurately track outcomes? Stay current on the literature? Or take many of the necessary steps to ensure the highest quality of care for her patients?

 

[O Gurl]

Only the DC and Chicago campuses are having incoming classes around 100 but I believe some of these programs have ongoing admissions, so you may have 40 starting in the fall, 20 in the Spring, and another 40 starting in the Summer. When you break it down per year the numbers are inflated.

No. The numbers are not inflated. Who cares which semester they enter? At the end of the day, 100 people are metriculating in a year. I am hard-pressed to figure out how Argosy provides quality practica and research mentorship to that many students. Even in DC and Chicago, there cannot be enough sites to accomodate these numbers.

One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training.

Not sure how this is a misnomer. Their own admission stats show that their incoming classes have lower stats than those at traditional schools. Also, how do you explain such brilliant dual professionals achieving such low EPPP pass rates and abysmal match rates?

Argosy University has students who have been directors of mental health centers, medical center programs, and correctional program at the MA level and desire a program that allows for their continued leadership in the field while pursing advanced training in clinical psychology.

There are always exceptions to the rule, especially when you have thousands upon thousands of graduates to cherry-pick outcomes for. Sure. Some do very well. However, far more do not.

 

[PsyDLICSW]

Only the DC and Chicago campuses are having incoming classes around 100 but I believe some of these programs have ongoing admissions, so you may have 40 starting in the fall, 20 in the Spring, and another 40 starting in the Summer. When you break it down per year the numbers are inflated. One misnomer is that due to having larger classes that they are accepting unqualified applicants with low GRE and low GPA. This is far from the truth as a number of Argosy Students in the PsyD clinical psychology program are lawyers and physicians who have an interest in doctoral clinical psychology training. They pay out of pocket and have no interest in teaching or research assistantships. One advantage that Argosy University has over traditional university programs is the attractiveness of acquiring further training without having to engage as a teaching or research assistant at low salaries. Many of Argosy University students are leaders in the field and have worked a number of years in clinical psychology settings and this bode well for longterm success in the field of psychology. Traditonal universities may be relegated to only accepting students who will accept a teaching or a research assistantship, whereas a large number of students prefer to actually pay for their own education and work at a full salary job during their training. Argosy University has students who have been directors of mental health centers, medical center programs, and correctional program at the MA level and desire a program that allows for their continued leadership in the field while pursing advanced training in clinical psychology.

It does not matter when students enter, it matters that there are anywhere between 75 and 100 people in these programs per year. There are more than one Argosy campus plus more than one Forest Institute, more than one Allaint, and so forth. If those programs are admitting fifty or more students, then that is at least the 1000+ students who do not match. These programs are flooding the market and need to decrease their numbers, incerase admissions standards, or be shut down. One Argosy camous told me that they do not even require the GRE for admissions. I am not an advocate for the GRE becasue I am weak on tests like that, but I would be wary of a school that did not at least require it.

Graduate training in psychology is a committment. If you are not fully committed to the field, then you should not be in graduate training. I live apart from my spouse and know others who live apart from children and families. What gives someone the right to pay for a degree just becasue they do not want to move or compete with hundreds of others for a spot in a university based program. I thinik it is a cop-out. And in my oppinion, no one wants to pay 200,000 for graduate training unless you are a physician or dentist and will be making 150,000+ per year.