Online Accredited PsyD Degree Programs

Can you get a PsyD online? Yes! A professional who wants to earn their Psy.D. degree in clinical psychology should ensure that the program is certified by a major accrediting body in the United States. This will help to ensure that your doctoral degree adheres to the highest possible standards of quality in the United States.It also will ensure that potential employers will recognize that your Psy.D. comes from a highly rigorous program. This is very important to think about, when you consider that earning your doctoral degree is going to take at least four years.

Featured Programs:

#1 Capella University

The Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Online program at Capella University will provide you with complete clinical training, which is based upon key theoretical and scientific foundations of the field of psychology. These include psychological assessment and intervention. This specialty is set up to prepare you for state licensure eligibility so you can practice as a clinical psychologist. This is a professionally aligned program that includes demanding coursework, residencies, clinical practicum, internships, and research that makes you put psychology theory into practice. It requires daily online classes and also residency and clinical training in your city. No GRE Required!

You will delve deeply into important clinical psychology topics, including the study of mental disorders, psychotherapy, and clinical training.

Required courses for this online Psy.D. program include Advanced Psychopathology, Advanced Psychological Testing, Theories of Psychotherapy, Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology, Strategies of Clinical Supervision and Consultation, and Professional Issues in Clinical Psychology.

During the program, you are required to complete a minimum of 1,000 practicum hours and 2,000 pre-doctoral internship hours. Twenty-five core courses four electives for a total of 145 quarter credits are required to graduate.

Other important aspects of this accredited Psy.D. program are:

Blend of online and in-person class experiences: Students will enjoy a mix of online courses, face-to-face residencies, clinical practica, internships, and research. This multi-faceted learning style will help to ready you for real-world clinical environments.
Professional and credible: This online Psy.D. program was created around the objectives, core goals, and competencies that are vital to the practice of professional psychology.
Designed for working professionals: 81% of doctoral alumni surveyed said their education at Capella was designed well for working professionals.
Engaging online learning: Students can access their online learning environment when they like, from any location, and on any device. You can set your own class schedule while continuing to meet your professional and personal obligations.
Support from an experienced team: Each student has a high level of support from licensure experts, advisors, professors, and teaching assistants. You will always be kept on the path of success to graduating with your doctoral degree.

Students also gain vital knowledge so that they can:

Properly administer psychological testing
Act consistently with the professional ethics of psychology
Effectively apply intervention strategies
Carefully consider issues of diversity in a psychology context
Learn how to implement empiraclly supported psychological treatment

The university offers many resources to help you begin your journey on your doctoral path:

Enrollment counselors: Help to understand everything about this doctoral program and explain the differences from other related programs. Ensures you are making the right educational choice for your future.
Community and networking groups: Connect to students and faculty on Linkedin and Facebook, as well as the Capella University Open Forum.
Career Center: Help you with questions about how to use your doctoral degree to find the job of your dreams.

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Program Requirements

You can transfer a maximum of 30 quarter credits towards your Psy.D.
You must complete three years of full-time enrollment at minimum to earn your doctoral degree.
You need to finish 125 quarter hours of classes, which includes core and specialization classes, and 20 hours of electives, for a total of 135 quarter credits.
You also need to finish at least three doctoral practicum series classes, and also must complete a site-based practicum.

#2 Walden University

Walden University features an online Psy.D. in Behavioral Health Leadership that offers leadership and cross-disciplinary abilities to improve and manage the delivery of mental and behavioral healthcare in many healthcare environments.

The modern healthcare system needs behavioral health professionals who can manage how quality behavioral health and mental health services are delivered in a growing integrated setting. This Psy.D. program in leadership will prepare you to meet this vital need.

Highlights of this accredited program are:

Applicable to your workplace: This doctoral degree program is designed, but not limited to, practicing behavioral health workers, such as therapists, social workers, counselors, therapists, and health agency workers, who want to develop the skills in management and leadership, financial management, and instruction and training.
Six specializations: These are healthcare management, health psychology, international practice, public health, teaching, and industrial and organizational psychology.
Two residencies: An in-person consulting skills workshop provides the hands-on practice you need to develop your new abilities, while the virtual doctoral project residency will help you with your capstone class.
Interactive case studies: Cutting-edge learning tools that allow you to apply new leadership skills to real-world issues and problems.

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Required courses include:

Behavioral Health Management
Consulting for Organizational Change
Behavioral Health Social Entrepreneurship and Advocacy
Governance, Law, and Policy for Healthcare Leaders
Leadership and Leader Development
Healthcare Financial Management and Economics

Students must complete approximately 90 credit hours to graduate. They also must complete their doctoral dissertation. Most students complete the Psy.D. in four years but you can take as long as eight years.

Walden University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. This accreditation validates that the university offers programs that are academically rigorous and that the faculty are academically qualified.

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#3 NOVA Southeastern University

The major goal of this accredited Psy.D. program is to provide academic, internship, practicum and research experience that is directly relevant for your career, while also keeping the key scientific base upon which your professional competence and knowledge rest. The clinical skills in the program will be formed by a course sequence in both intervention and assessment, which are in both theory and practice. You have the option of taking most classes either on campus or online, but you will need to fulfill residency requirements in your local area. NOVA Southeastern University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

You can focus your studies in these concentrations:

Forensic Psychology
Health Psychology
Long Term Mental Illness
Neuropsychology
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology

Program Requirements

All doctoral students in this accredited Psy.D. program must finish at least 119 credits, and have to pass the Clinical Competency Examination. You also must finish a one year internship. Some of the classes that you will need to complete include:

Adult Psychopathology
Developmental: Child and Adolescent
Developmental: Adult and Older Adult
Professional Issues and Ethics
Assessment: Intelligence Testing with Lab
Diversity in Assessment and Intervention
History and Systems of Psychology
Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Psychobiology
Assessment: Interviewing
Diversity in Assessment and Intervention
Adult Intervention
Objective Personality Assessment
Behavioral Assessment
Clinical Practicum I
Supervision I

#4 Touro University Worldwide

Touro University Worldwide offers an online Psy.D. in Human and Organizational Psychology. In this four year, 100% online program, you will learn how to gain a superior understanding of what motivates a workforce to boost their productivity, reduce turnover and increase profitability. This doctoral program promotes a better understanding and more effective use of psychological principles in the workplace.

This program provides the following benefits to students:

Offers you the psychological skills and tools that are needed to design evidence based solutions in a professional workplace
Doctoral level academics provide you with detailed faculty research guidance, learning opportunities and technology.
A support system that gives you the maximum opportunity for student success in your Psy.D. program.

Other important aspects of this program are:

100% online with no residency requirement or campus visits
No GRE scores are needed for admission
Accelerated admissions for professionals with significant work experience and master’s level work
Tuition is affordable at only $700 per credit hour

#5 Alaska Pacific University

Alaska Pacific University offers a Psy.D. program that prepares students who are culturally competent, and will be able to reduce suffering and empower groups, individuals and communities so that they are healthier, and in a state of better well being.

This Psy.D. program was devised in 2011 when it was determined there was a greater need for doctoral-level psychology programs in Alaska. Most of the state qualifies for the Health Resources and Services Designation (HRSA) known as Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. This Psy.D. program is one of just two such programs in the state.

The core faculty in this partially online Psy.D. program have highly diverse skills and interests in many clinical, research and cultural areas. The areas of expertise of faculty reflect the unique landscape of Alaska, and enhance student development to work with the diverse needs in the state.

Regarding the online program, these features stand out:

Program has face to face and technology supported doctoral instruction that meets the needs of students who live from from campus.
Each course meets for three days weekends three times, and six, two hour, live eLearning sessions in the evening during the semester.
The three day weekends involve time for planning internships, practicums and interacting with students and faculty.

#6 University of the Cumberlands

The University of the Cumberlands offers an online Psy.D. in clinical psychology that consists of 103 semester credit hours. It is a blended program, with 73 credit hours offered in a weekend format, which meet once per month Friday through Sunday. Also, 16 credit hours are offered online in a bi-term format, and five credit hours are offered online in a full semester format. Nine credit hours are offered for your predoctoral internship. (UCumberlands.edu).

Required classes include the following:

Cognitive and Behavioral Approaches to Treatment
Practicum in Psychotherapy I-II
Practicum Assessment I-II
Advanced Practicum
Supervision, Management and Consultation
Psychodynamic Approaches to Treatment
History and Systems of Psychology
Extended Doctoral Research Project
Clinical Applications
Clinical Neuropsychology
Forensic Psychology

Benefits of Getting Your PsyD Online

Students considering earning their PsyD degree online as opposed to attending a traditional brick-and-mortar university could see several advantages to this approach, depending on the school they choose and other factors in their lives. These benefits range from spending less money to maximizing flexibility.

Here are a few of the biggest benefits to earning an online PsyD:

You’ll spend less on tuition and fees

At many schools, online tuition is less expensive than on-campus tuition, and online students don’t need to pay for things like parking or labs, since they will quite possibly never step foot on the campus, depending on whether or not the program is 100% online. It’s important to remember, though, that you may eat into any savings that you could have seen if it takes you longer than expected to complete your degree and tuition costs rise. In addition to being able to avoid certain fees that are required for on-campus students, you’ll also avoid temptations that can often come with a campus visit, such as hitting up restaurants, bars and school bookstores filled with campus merch. Plus, students with children may be able to save on childcare costs since they won’t need to find a sitter for their kids while they have class.

It’s easier to balance your life and school

In addition to saving money on things like childcare, an online PsyD allows you to have the ultimate degree of flexibility while still providing you with a rigorous academic experience. Provided that you complete all your work, internships and other requirements, for the most part, you can complete your school work at the time of your choosing, rather than having to mold your life around an on-campus schedule. It’s certainly not an easy balancing act, but earning an online PsyD puts you in control of scheduling decisions rather than the school being in charge. After all, if you’re attending a traditional on-campus program and have a course that happens to conflict with, say, a work obligation, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the work obligation will need to take a backseat.

You’ll lower your carbon footprint

Your mileage will vary here, but if you don’t need to drive to a campus several times per week, that will likely add up to hundreds of miles of travel that you’re not doing and will offset at least some of your carbon footprint. Not only is driving less without a doubt great for the earth, but it’s also good for your wallet since you won’t need to fill up your gas tank as often (that’s also good for the environment). Also, many college campuses are heavy polluters thanks to industrial air-conditioners and other heavy-duty machinery. If fewer students are on-campus, over time, that will likely lead the university to reduce the amount of energy it’s consuming.

It might help your technical skills

A PsyD certainly isn’t a STEM degree, but successfully completing your education online will mean mastering several online tools for communicating with your professors and classmates, conducting and organizing researching and keeping yourself on track. While programs generally are fairly consistent throughout educational institutions, certain professors may have their favorites, and often students have to learn a few by the time all is said and done. All of that work builds hard skills that not only translate to finishing your degree but also will help you once you’re out in the workforce. Technical skills aren’t the only ones you’ll be building, either, since earning a degree online requires a great deal of personal motivation that more traditional delivery methods don’t, and the productivity and time management skills built through earning an online degree are invaluable, not just in the professional world but for life in general.

You’ll likely have greater access to faculty

Might seem counterintuitive, but online students could actually experience more regular interaction with faculty members than traditional on-campus students. That’s because a professor is going to establish a set schedule for office hours, and they may not even have office hours every day, so many on-campus students may miss their chance if they don’t get to the office in time. But because online communication can take place at any time of the day or night, professors may be more inclined to send or receive messages at home, even very late into the night. Many people also find it easier to communicate ideas via written messages, such as emails and chat programs, and this could lead not only to more regular communication but more profound and helpful guidance from faculty members.

*Indicates school is a Featured Partner. Click here for disclosure on Featured Partners.

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