Getting an Online Degree in Graduate Psychology

In the past few years the business of online education has boomed. The number of online colleges and universities increases year by year and many standard, campus based colleges and universities are adding online courses to their curricula. There are many advantages to going to college online; it’s cheaper, for one. But the main advantage is that it offers great flexibility to the busy working adult. You can take your course at 5:00 A.M. wearing nothing but your jammies or wearing nothing at all. Within certain limits you can proceed at your own pace. There are two types on online programs: the first is a strictly online program with no on campus requirements; the second is called disbursed learning and it does require some short periods or residency. All online programs are interactive, that is, student and teacher write back and forth and students also interact with each other in chat rooms or more formal meetings. As we shall see some colleges offering advanced degrees in psychology offer online studies only, while others required brief residencies. Anyone who wants to be licensed after getting a degree should be very cautious about the online or disbursed learning university education. It is an absolute must that you check with your state licensing agency to make sure the program of a particular school will meet with their requirements. It would be very sad if a student spent all the time and money required for a doctorate in psychology only to find out she couldn't’t be licensed. Clinical or research psychology are very difficult or impossible to do completely online. Research needs to be supervised as do practicums and internships. All the schools that follow are accredited at least by regional accreditation groups. WALDEN UNIVERSITY Walden seems to have taken allot of pains with the technology and ease of operation of its online programs. They ave what is called an Online Concierge who assists the student to transition into the online classroom. This person (or persons) is always available to help with technical problems and to help the student to navigate the online classroom. Unique to Walden is its partnership with Indiana University which allows Walden students to get help from Indiana’s library and librarians who help develop search strategies and send out books and articles. Walden offers degree programs tn the following: M.S. Psychology PhD. Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology General Psychology Organizational Psychology School Psychology. The University arranges for practicums and internships as near as possible to where the students lives. There are no on campus requirements. Financial Aid will assists students to get Federal Financial Aid or set up payment plans, employer tuition assistance, and other options. CANYON COLLEGE Canyon College, located in Caldwell, Idaho, is an entirely online school. Even its faculty is disbursed throughout the country. The college offers a Master’s degree in psychology that includes field practicums. It warns that its credits may not be transferable and that students need to check with their state licensing boards. Tuition is a very reasonable $500 per course and $695 for each field practicum. Their students are apparently not eligible for Federal financial aid and this would seem to wave a big red flag. CAPELLA UNIVERSITY Capella University offers an extensive advanced degree program. It does require some residency and field training which seem very reasonable and necessary to genuine professional development. It does does not guarantee licenser. Degrees offered: M.S. General Psychology Clinical Psychology Counseling Industrial/Organizational Psychology School Psychology Sport Psychology PhD. General Psychology Educational Psychology Industrial/Organizational Psychology PsyD. Clinical Psychology Counseling Psychology Capella does assist students to get Federal Aid KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Kansas State offers an online Master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational psychology. It requires a short stay on campus. FIELDING GRADUATE UNIVERSITY Fielding calls its combination of online with local face to face clusters “distributed” learning. It combines online courses with face to face local clusters and intensive research and clinical practice. Its programs offer the student a great deal of flexibility and students are expected to develop individual learning plans. Students should choose a path which addresses individual strength and weaknesses. Fielding is the only distance learning program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association. SETON HALL Seton Hall is a campus based school which is branching into online studies. It offers a Master’s Degree in Counseling. It does require 7 day residencies at the beginning and end of each year. Practicums at an approved site as close as possible to where the student lives are required. Also required is an internship consisting of 240 direct hours and 360 indirect hours. Seton Hall follows the guidelines of the Commission on Accreditation of Counseling and Rehabilitation Education or CACREP but it not accredited by it. RYOKAN COLLEGE This is another traditional college which is going online. It offers a Masters/Doctoral combination which can be done in three intense years. The program requires the student to have had at least 32 hours of personal therapy. The theoretical stance of the program is psychoanalysis. CUSTOM DEGREES.COM If you are in a big hurry and don’t want to do a bunch of studying, you can get a very nice degree from Custom Degrees.Com. And it will only cost $199.