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California Southern University

72 Reviews

Locations:   Irvine (CA) 

Annual Tuition: N/A

68% of students said this degree improved their career prospects
65% of students said they would recommend this school to others

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May

Reviewed: 1/20/2024

Degree: Clinical Psychology

The PsyD program offers a rigorous and pragmatic curriculum, demanding a high level of commitment. I selected CSU's PsyD Program because of its practical and interesting courses, which significantly enhanced my knowledge and practical skills in areas such as motivation, cognition, psychopathology, psychopharmacology, neuropsychology, and research methods. The professors are responsive, knowledgeable, and hold high expectations, contributing to the program's intensity. The faculty of the PsyD program... Read More

Cecilie Garcia

Reviewed: 12/23/2023

Degree: Psychology

I am currently in a terrible situation. The school at first was perfect but as time goes on it has become terrible. I am currently in my practicum I and I even did a 30 day extension. I turned my final paperwork to my professor a few days before the deadline to make sure my paperwork was correct before turning into my portal. My professor never responded so I believed my paperwork was correct. I had my supervisors and myself turned in all my paperwork a day before my deadline. My professor responds... Read More

Co522

Reviewed: 12/14/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

The school started off okay, but after about a year into the program they went from flexible due dates (where everything was due by the end of the 8 week term) to very strict due dates that are weekly. This was tough since I overlapped classes. In just one year I have been through 3 different advisors. This seems to be common at CSU. The majority of mentors were okay, except for one that was rude to me about my work. This is a very self-reliant program and there are no lectures, the mentors just... Read More

Josh J

Reviewed: 11/14/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

The PsyD program through CSU is a rigorous program and the instructors I have had so far have been responsive, engaged and provide fair grading and feedback. My assigned advisor has also been responsive and extremely helpful. I think the CSU PsyD program is best suited for individuals who already have clinical experience and a Masters in Counseling Psychology or a degree closely related. If you don't already have this experience, I think you will probably struggle in this program. I know students... Read More

Martin Lerchner

Reviewed: 10/22/2023

Degree:

I have been a student at the California Southern University for six years and was overall a pretty happy student. But over the last year all of my doctoral committee was replaced without consulting me as a student. I paid in total over the past few years tens of thousands USDs and have been for the last three years in the final doctoral project courses with most chapters / modules (s)uccessfully graded of the entire dissertation at this stage. By the end of August, I had to learn overnight that my... Read More

Elizabeth

Reviewed: 9/24/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

This is a diploma mill, plain and simple. There is no real instruction or interaction with teachers unless you request an appointment, and there do not appear to be any minimum standards in terms of the quality of work submitted by students, or quality control on the part of the school in general. I had one instructor who was engaged and actually gave me decent feedback on my work. That's it. I would highly recommend that folks interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology bite the bullet... Read More

Derrick

Reviewed: 9/20/2023

Degree: Psychology

I wish I could write a great review for this school, but it has truly been a nightmare. Especially this last year. Some of the mentors are great, but the bad one's are just ridiculously petty and get frustrated when asked for timely grading. I even had one back-shelf my work and purposely take longer when I asked politely for my final grade. Most mentors are here for an easy second paycheck and do not care at all. Accounting is next impossible to get through to and you cannot get your degree awarded... Read More

Ming

Reviewed: 7/30/2023

Degree: Psychology

This is a great school for individuals with a full schedule. The professors responded quickly when I needed assistance and clarification. I appreciate how the professors graded my assignments with actual feedback. Not only were the feedbacks constructive, they also expound on the subject matter. They even corrected my grammar and ensured that I fully understood APA. I've enrolled in other programs, and the feedbacks seemed very generic. I highly recommend this school.

Orinda Palmer

Reviewed: 5/16/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

California Southern University mentors I have encountered lack professionalism and lack of communication. I have sent numerous emails asking for help, and the mentors lack providing me with the necessary assistance for the dissertation program. I was told when I enrolled in the program that I would obtain the necessary help from the mentors, and the program was guided to help me succeed in the dissertation program, which the mentors lack. California Southern University would need to look into whom... Read More

Dr. W.

Reviewed: 5/1/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I’m so sad to read all the negative reviews about the decline of CSU. I attended from 2014-2019 and it was an amazingly rigorous, compassionate, and thorough Psy.D program that I would recommend to anyone. There was turnover then but I had a wealth of support from my advisors, professors, and my doctoral project committee. This program truly helped me to carve out my area of focus and contribution for the remainder of my career.

TJ

Reviewed: 3/14/2023

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I was prompted by an associate who was thinking about attending the school. They were concerned about recent negative reviews. They asked if I would attend again. I thought, hey I want to read some of the reviews. I read about all sorts of positive and negative issues. In some cases people who had complaints seemed to be dismissing situational factors like covid or even personal choice of others, meaning that blaming a school for changing a case manager or for that employee leaving when we have no... Read More

Irene Portillo

Reviewed: 1/29/2023

Degree: Psychology

Horrible experience during the Practicum section of the psychology program. The clinical director came up with due dates at the last minute, putting at risk our registration for the next class. An extension was required 2/3 times because of several last minute changes that were never written or verbalized during the course. The IT department is intermittent with solving issues. The staff is non-responsive to student issues. No luck getting any concerns resolved! Don’t waste your time with this school.... Read More

Jason S.

Reviewed: 12/23/2022

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I see a lot of negative responses about communication and advising. I don't understand this. I have had great experience with my advisor. When there is a question the advisor is prompt and either answers the question directly or puts me in touch with the person who can. Communication with Professors has been amazing. Again, if I have a question the professors are quick to answer and even offer Zoom calls if requested. The subjects and assignments are engaging and the classes are designed for students... Read More

Dr.Claude

Reviewed: 12/21/2022

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I started as just tipping my toes in there, but I ended up taking my PsyD degree. It was rigorous and worth it. Downfall, the academic advisors were in and out ( resigned or something). Another thing: The university waived my tuition, and it was reset to $0.00, instead of paying in $16,000.00s, I paid less than $2,000.00. I am glad for the decision I made. Good luck to you all.

Sara Russ

Reviewed: 10/14/2022

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I attended this school from 2012-22 for their PsyD program. The quality of the education is horrible. They eliminated all personal contact and students are completely on their own. They also moved to Arizona. What? Recently I tried calling three different numbers and extensions and got only voicemails, which is thought was odd. I also didn’t get a return call. They have made some incredibly shady changes in recent years, which is why I withdrew. I no longer have any faith in this PsyD program. Trust... Read More

Dr. Edward Ramirez

Reviewed: 6/27/2022

Degree: Business Administration

CalSouthern University offered a great experience and increased my passion for research. The dissertation process was very challenging and rewarding. My chair Dr. Maria Schellhase was nothing less than amazing! This school will challenge you, so if you are looking for an easy degree without paying the price and sacrifice required, this is not the school for you. Overall, I rate my three-year journey a 5 with academics that transformed my career! I commend the school and recommended it to every serious... Read More

A.

Reviewed: 6/17/2022

Degree: Clinical Psychology

I am completely dissatisfied with the level of administrative support I receive from the university. They switched from one platform to another (CANVAS) platform and the level of support I started with just vanished. I currently have no idea who my advisor is, nor do I know how to find that information. Also, I have left messages on the CANVAS board for advisement (as I'm almost done with coursework and want to prepare for the exam) and have had no return messages. The library is missing a lot of... Read More

Steven Mendoza

Reviewed: 5/28/2022

Degree: Psychology

After exploring many avenues to attend a PSYD program, I enrolled at California Southern University. This was the best decision, and I am delighted and motivated to participate in the Online classes. My experience in this academic institution has been phenomenal. Currently, I am taking Clinical Interviewing, and the assigned textbook comes with an access code to videos. The videos and the content are fabulous, and I find myself actively learning from the assigned text. Also, the videos and other... Read More

Rachel

Reviewed: 4/19/2022

Degree: Psychology

I chose California Southern University because tuition is affordable, and I get to work at my own pace. You will be just fine if you can self-motivate and are responsible for keeping track of time and pacing yourself. I don't recommend this school if you have terrible time management. Don't think you can pass without doing the work either. I feel the courses are vigorous and you will learn a lot. I love that I do not have to work with other learners in completing assignments. I have had to do that... Read More

Marianne

Reviewed: 3/27/2022

Degree: Business Administration

For a study-at-your-own-pace experience, I am self-motivated and this program was great. I liked not interacting with classmates or relying on the instructors, I prefer researching for myself, studying, then writing my analysis of the work. You get what you put in. They did a major overhaul of the platform in summer of 2021 and are still making improvements. My thesis committee was great, my chair was excellent, and she pushed me. As for the coursework, it was on par with my MBA work from another... Read More

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