Single-Courses to Psy.D. route?

[PositiveSoul]

I have been thinking to go for a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) at California Southern University as a self-funded student taking the Single-Courses to Psy.D. route.

Following are their requirements:

REQUIRED CORE COURSES

PSY 8500 Advanced Theories of Personality - 3 Credits
PSY 8503 History Systems in Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 8504 Ethical and Professional Issues - 3 Credits
PSY 8506 Advanced Psychopathology - 3 Credits
PSY 8708 Cultural Diversity - 3 Credits
PSY 8724 Cognition, Emotion and Motivation - 3 Credits
PSY 8700 Psychopharmacology - 3 Credits
PSY 8701 Physiological Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 8740 Statistical Methods and Analysis - 3 Credits
PSY 8127 Research Methods in Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 8702 Psychological Assessment I - 3 Credits (Child Abuse Assessment & Suicidal Risk Assessment and Intervention - CalSouthern will validate this for you with the Board.)*

ELECTIVE COURSES (Fulfills Clinical Psychology Licensure Requirements)

PSY 7507 Advanced Human Sexuality - 3 Credits (Human Sexuality)*
PSY 7534 Dual Diagnosis or PSY 7738 Advanced Psychology of Addiction & Compulsive Behaviors - 3 Credits (Alcohol/Chemical Dependency Detection and Treatment)*
PSY 7728 The Psychology of Violence and Domestic Abuse Reporting 3 (Spousal or Partner Abuse Assessment, Detection, and Intervention Strategies)*
PSY 7533 Psychology of Death and Dying - 3 Credits (Aging and Long-term Care)*
PSY 7521 Industrial/Organizational Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7527 Psychology of Stress and Stress Related Disorders - 3 Credits

Note: (*) These courses fulfill the Clinical Psychology Licensure Requirements.

OTHER ELECTIVE COURSES

PSY 7307 Advanced Physiology and Pharmacology of Addiction - 3 Credits
PSY 6309 Advanced Ethical and Professional Issues in Addiction Counseling - 3 Credits
PSY 7316 Advanced Personal and Professional Wellness for the Substance Abuse Counselor - 3 Credits
PSY 7007 Advanced Case Management: Assessment, Treatment Planning, Relapse Prevention, and Aftercare - 3 Credits
PSY 7523 Psychology of Learning - 3 Credits
PSY 7700 Applied Sport Psychology I - 3 Credits
PSY 7701 Applied Sport Psychology II (Pre-Requisite: PSY 7700) - 3 Credits
PSY 7711 Current Issues in Sport Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7715 Psychology of Coaching - 3 Credits
PSY 7720 Enhancing Performance: Preparation / Motivation - 3 Credits
PSY 7725 Research in Sport Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7507 Advanced Human Sexuality - 3 Credits
PSY 7509 Advanced Psychology of Marriage and Family Systems - 3 Credits
PSY 7513 Psychological Tests and Measurements - 3 Credits
PSY 7514 Brief Therapy - 3 Credits
PSY 6516 Social Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7718 Hypnosis: Theory and Practice - 3 Credits
PSY 6519 Crisis and Trauma Counseling - 3 Credits
PSY 7521 Industrial/Organizational Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7522 Consulting in Business, Education, and Mental Health - 3 Credits
PSY 7525 Cognition and Memory - 3 Credits
PSY 7527 Psychology of Stress and Stress Related Disorders - 3 Credits
PSY 7728 The Psychology of Violence and Domestic Abuse Reporting - 3 Credits
PSY 7529 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - 3 Credits
PSY 7530 Dream Analysis - 3 Credits
PSY 7533 Psychology of Death and Dying - 3 Credits
PSY 7534 Dual Diagnosis - 3 Credits
PSY 7536 Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy - 3 Credits
PSY 7737 Psychology of Chronic Illness - 3 Credits
PSY 7738 Advanced Psychology of Addiction and Compulsive Behaviors - 3 Credits
PSY 7739 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity, Autistic Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders - 3 Credits
PSY 7541 Psychology of Religion - 3 Credits
PSY 7742 Eating Disorders - 3 Credits
PSY 6743 Systems of Care in Community Mental Health - 3 Credits
PSY 7745 Interpersonal Neurobiology - 3 Credits
PSY 6747 Career Counseling - 3 Credits
PSY 7750 Positive Psychology - 3 Credits
PSY 7760 Media Psychology: Writing, Publishing and Promoting of a Self-Help Book - 3 Credits
PSY 7761 Interpersonal Conflict in the Workplace - 3 Credits
PSY 7762 Supervision and Consultation - 3 Credits
PSY 7763 Clinical Interviewing - 3 Credits
PSY 7703 Psychological Assessment II (Pre-Requisite: PSY 8702) - 3 Credits
PSY 7704 Practicum I - 3 Credits

I can transfer up to 30 credits towards my Psy.D.

If you know any other source or method where I can get any of the above-mentioned credits (core or elective) cheaper than California Southern University then please let me know.

My ultimate goal is to work as a licensed clinical psychologist in California.

Your feedback, guidance, advice would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[jsd]

CalSouthern is extremely cheap for doctoral credit, it'll be hard to find much for any cheaper. Maybe if you can get a bunch done at Walden with Tempo Learning in a single term to bring down costs?

For clinical licensure, what's your plan for your 3,000 intern hours? I've was always curious about this program, but am intimidated by that prospect. It's hard enough to find supervising professionals even with traditional APA schools that hold your hand through the process and have established partners, but with no assistance from the school, I wonder how one pulls it off. What's your take?

[PositiveSoul]

CalSouthern is extremely cheap for doctoral credit, it'll be hard to find much for any cheaper. Maybe if you can get a bunch done at Walden with Tempo Learning in a single term to bring down costs?

For clinical licensure, what's your plan for your 3,000 intern hours? I've was always curious about this program, but am intimidated by that prospect. It's hard enough to find supervising professionals even with traditional APA schools that hold your hand through the process and have established partners, but with no assistance from the school, I wonder how one pulls it off. What's your take?

Thank you for your response. I have looked into Walden University developed Tempo Learning but doubt that they offer doctoral-level courses for credits.

I am also worried about my 3,000 intern hours for clinical licensure. I hope that the forum participant will offer some suggestions. Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed.

[jsd]

They don't offer doctorate level for Tempo Learning, but they offer graduate level through their MS in Psych tempo program. Current CalSouthern PysD student DeanLewis has said elsewhere on the form that they did accept masters level work for transfer for some of his courses, though he did clarify this was a second masters degree of his.

Unfortunately, DeanLewis has also confirmed that the school provides no assistance for internship. This is an important thing to look into in your area to see if you'll be able to setup a relationship with a close by supervising pysch (or ones in areas you're willing to relocate to). I'd imagine this will be a bigger hurdle than any of the coursework itself will be.

[Alpha]

The California Southern program may be the best program for you but sometimes it's good to check out the alternatives, even if it's just to confirm that you're making the right decision.  So here's the program offered by UArizona
https://www.uagc.edu/online-degrees/phd-...psychology

[sanantone]

California Southern University obviously has this option, but if you decide to go somewhere else that is also not APA-accredited, make sure that there is a requirement or option to complete internship hours within the program. Even if a state does not require APA accreditation, they may not recognize a degree program that did not include internship hours. My state requires that a certain number of internship hours be completed within the doctoral program.

[jsd]

California Southern University obviously has this option, but if you decide to go somewhere else that is also not APA-accredited, make sure that there is a requirement or option to complete internship hours within the program. Even if a state does not require APA accreditation, they may not recognize a degree program that did not include internship hours. My state requires that a certain number of internship hours be completed within the doctoral program.

CalSouthern gives you the option of internship hours as CA requires them and CalSouthern is designed to lead to CA licensure (and CA does not require APA accreditation). The OP did indicate they want to gain licensure in CA. So they should be all set there. The problem will be that they do not assist you in finding an internship and (from what I hear, not first hand experience) it's extremely difficult to find anyone willing to supervise those hours outside of APA partnerships, which are competitive in their own right.

[sanantone]

California Southern University obviously has this option, but if you decide to go somewhere else that is also not APA-accredited, make sure that there is a requirement or option to complete internship hours within the program. Even if a state does not require APA accreditation, they may not recognize a degree program that did not include internship hours. My state requires that a certain number of internship hours be completed within the doctoral program.

CalSouthern gives you the option of internship hours as CA requires them and CalSouthern is designed to lead to CA licensure (and CA does not require APA accreditation). The OP did indicate they want to gain licensure in CA. So they should be all set there. The problem will be that they do not assist you in finding an internship and (from what I hear, not first hand experience) it's extremely difficult to find anyone willing to supervise those hours outside of APA partnerships, which are competitive in their own right.

Yes, I stated that CalSouthern has this option, but if other doctoral programs are to be considered, the OP should make sure they also have the option to complete an internship. California doesn't require a pre-doctoral supervised professional experience according to the handbook I'm reading, but not completing a pre-doctoral experience could be a limitation if the OP ever needs to leave California. This should seriously be considered since internship options could be scarce.

[jsd]

Yes, sorry, I misread you.

[Alpha]

I haven't checked these programs for some time but other names that you should check, if you haven't already, are Walden, Northcentral, Capella, Argosy and maybe 1 or 2 others.  Also, I think Saybrook and CIIS have hybrid programs that might be of interest.