Complaint Review: California Southern University TRUSTED BUSINESS | Ripoff Report Verified™ …businesses you can trust. CalSouthern University mission to provide high quality undergraduate degrees graduate degrees & educational programs to adult learners throughout the world using distance learning methodologies. California Southern University dedicated to 100% Student Satisfaction. - Santa Ana California

As far as national vs. regional accreditation goes, regional accreditation does validate consistency across regionally accredited schools within a geographical region; but even in this system, a student can lose credits and time when they move from region to region - - so their students are not all happy campers. Having taken over 80 college level courses in both systems , my advice for all students is to always finish a degree before moving on to another school. With a completed degree, you have more bargaining power towards your next academic goal (degree). From an employer’s perspective, a degree must be nationally accredited for an employee to get reimbursement. This is evident with most corporate tuition reimbursement programs, as it would be a bad investment for an employer to pay for their employee’s education at substandard schools.

Secondly, regionally accredited schools are typically more expensive. While low cost is important, value is far more important.  The curriculum of CalSouthern programs is very balanced. Many of the regionally accredited schools are soft in the middle academically in my opinion. I prefer CalSouthern’s straight shooting presentation. Since I work for a defense contractor, Congress’s sequestration decisions on military programs have impacted my employer greatly. We have gone from an $8 Billion per year industry to $3 Billion in just 2 years.  Since I respect my employer’s money and my career sustainability, I cannot justify asking for $60 – 70K for a doctoral degree.  CalSouthern’s business model makes perfect sense.

Lastly, the bottom line is it’s up to you what you do with a degree. It’s not where you go to school, as much as it’s what you learn along the way and how you use the knowledge you gain.

You must be very young and inexperienced.  Ask around.  Unless you want to teach at a university or live in a state which only allows graduation from an APA school, the APA piece is not a big deal. And for teaching at a university, you want to obtain a PhD - not a PsyD.  Is the poster relating his experience?  Probabaly but as they say if it looks like a duck and acts like a duck, it's a duck.  He's obviously very upset and as such not very reliable.   Unless and until he calms down and can actually substantiate his claims, he's dust in the wind to me.

Good luck. 

In response to the rip-off report, you couldn't be more wrong in so many ways.  I am online however to address two issues - second language learners' posts and being a CalSouthern student.  As an ESL teacher, I am very aware of broken English.  Yes, we do have folks from other countries who attend online schools.  And guess what?  They may not be very adept at writing in English!  There are four areas of mastery in English - Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.  These students may not be good at ANY of them.   However, they are forging ahead translating everything they can into their native language so that they may better their lives by obtaining a degree.  Do you know the commitment and fortitude that takes?  It's beyond commendable.  It's over-the-top fantastic!  I am flabbergasted at the level of ignorance, naivete and lack of human kindness our poster exhibited toward folks who do not speak, read or write the language well.  Go to the Sorbonne and see if you can understand what they are saying (for reference to our poster - that's the first university established in Europe located in Paris, France).

Now on to the business of being a student.  I find that wherever there is change, there is resistance...hence, our poster's lowbrow post.  I love the assignments at CalSouthern and the instructors are real...I've spoken with five of them so far!  There may be folks who slide through but that is true in ANY university - even Stanford.  However, if you apply yourself to the assignments and focus, you learn a ton!  I am in the PsyD program for Clinical Psychology. So is our poster.  All, I can say is yikes!  The last thing we need is someone in a "helping" position helping him/herself to the bitter taste of sour grapes!

I'm not a big Bible-thumper but for heaven's sakes, "Physician, heal thyself"  found in Luke 4:23.  Then I dare you to come back and throw a stone or two!

I recently graduated from Cal Southern in the School of Business.  While I can not comment as to the School of Behavioural Sciences (as referenced in the inital report), I was very satisfied with my education and the School of Business.

I did not encounter any of the issues experienced by the person filing the initial report.  I never had the sense that there were people from outside the country who were planted in order to give the impression of a larger student body.

With regards to the assertion that the faculty's credentials were fabricated and/or the credentials of certain individuals were used to give an false impression of the faculty, I can not disagree more.  For example, Dr. Dani Babb is a member of the facuty and I know that she is also a commentator on various networks.  I can definitely say that 1) she is a memeber of the faculty and 2) she is an incredible mentor.  She served as my faculty mentor for a couple of courses and also served as my dissertation chair.

The only complaints I could raise about Cal Southern are ones that are applicable at all online schools.  Some mentors are slower to respond than others and sometimes I did not like the grade I received on an assignment.  Whatever other minor issues I may have had throughout my program were quickly resolved by the School of Business.

I recommend Cal Southern to anyone seeking a business degree and would choose it if I could do it all over again.

Many institutions of higher learning, including the one I am a professor at, seek, attain, and market the numerous forms of accreditation certifications possible. Regional accreditation is often necessary to not only be credible in the region served, but also in many places legal to serve as an institute of higher learning. WASC is such a regional accrediting body. National accreditation as a college or university may offer many features to a program, including marketability, credibility, and Title IV funding, necessary for financial aid serviceability. However, programmatic accreditation is not always required for an institution to carry on business, to receive financial aid from government resources, nor for valuation of the degree(s) offered. However, what is often the case,  programmatic accreditation (e.g., APA accredited PhD or PsyD) offers the institution's graduates credibility and marketability to employers and other graduate programs as being programmatically acceptable and trusted.

As CalSouthern is likely to be WASC accredited soon, business can be conducted beyond Online(distance education), CalSouthern is already accredited for distance education, and national accreditation. However, what many of the concerns penned into this site are about, is regarding APA accreditation, as many graduates may have concerns that a future employer or additional graduate study institutions will not accept their training received at Cal Southern as programmatically acceptable and therefore not considered trustworthy. This is the sad reality of the accreditation processes faced by many institutions of higher learning. Hopefully as distance education only programs become more prevalent and more trustworthy, APA accreditation will follow. But as of now, if the program is not APA accredited, some graduates will find their employment opportunities or further education opportunities hampered. Note, I did not state they would not have any potential job or academic opportunities, but, it is without a doubt, a potential hamper to the opportunities for some.

CalSouthern is nationally accredited by the DETC, and has applied for candidacy for regional accredidation by WASC.  CalSouthern makes no secret about this.  This iformation is readily available on their website, and a call to CalSouthern's admissions office conirms it.  Since CalSouthern is likely to be WASC accredited by the time many of the current students graduate, this concern might be a nonissue.

Thank you all for your perspectives on this program; I am a potential student researching my options for PsyD programs and this has been a good resource.

I am surprised by how many people were not able to validate the experience of the first post above. Just because your experience was a certain way does not mean another person can't have a different experience. We don't know whether her experience is real or not, but let's consider the possibility. After all, isn't this what psychologists are trained to do?

What I have found in my search for PsyD programs is that no online PsyD programs exist that are APA accredited. Yes, the school itself may be accredited now, but the program itself is not accredited by the APA. This concerns me, and because of this issue, I will likely seek my degree at one of my local universities that are APA accredited, such as University of Minnesota or Argosy.

The PsyD degree at CalCouthern is extremely inexpensive compared to other PsyD programs (more than half the cost) and has fewer credit requiments. The time to complete the program is shorter, as well. This is appealing, but it seems that these facts are related to the program mot being APA certified.

I am not willing to spend years of my life toward something that may be rejected by the institutions I wish to work for. I want to be credible to the broadest base of employers as possible. I am curious which kinds of institutions hire graduates of this program, other than online schools like this one? I haven't found much information on this.

I also find it interesting that I came across this institution by searching for University of Southern California, which is a highly regarded and ranked institution. It took me a little bit to realize that this particular school, Cal Southern, was a completely unrelated institution which doesn't have the status I was looking for that USC can promise. Do not confuse the two.

Rearding California Southern University PsyD program, if you check out the California Board of Psychology website you will find that it is listed as an approved program meeting the board's requirement to sit for the clinical psychologist licensing exam--a valid claim made on CSU's website.

You can also see the number of applicants who have taken the two licensing exams and past and failed.

DETC is only accreditation for online (distance) programs, it is not specific to psychology programs. Unlike APA, which provides programmatic accreditation. Schools of higher education require regional accreditation, Title IV accreditation if they wish to provide government backed financial aid, and certain porgrams require national organization accreditation for lincensure in that discipline. As PsyD can work as MFT's, it is not required by the BBS to be APA accredited, but to take the Psychologist licensing exam, it does. Additionally, one can get hired as a professor with just a degree of PsyD, without it being accredited, but some universities require it to be specifically APA-accredited. Which, again, CalSouthern is NOT

DETC is only accreditation for online (distance) programs, it is not specific to psychology programs. Unlike APA, which provides programmatic accreditation. Schools of higher education require regional accreditation, Title IV accreditation if they wish to provide government backed financial aid, and certain porgrams require national organization accreditation for lincensure in that discipline. As PsyD can work as MFT's, it is not required by the BBS to be APA accredited, but to take the Psychologist licensing exam, it does. Additionally, one can get hired as a professor with just a degree of PsyD, without it being accredited, but some universities require it to be specifically APA-accredited. Which, again, CalSouthern is NOT

It is true that w/o the "regional accreditation" one is unable to get hired to teach for a college most of the time. I've applied to many online schools and that is the feedback I get. I have even applied to SCUPS (CalSouthern) and haven't even heard back from anyone there about my job inquiry. In the past, they had some disclaimer that they don't hire former students. Yet, in their catalog, I see some former gradutes are now teaching for them. 
The  PsyD from this school does not allow for one to get licensed as a psychologist." The only jobs I get in the mental health/psychology field are based on my MA degree and subsequent licensure.  Online schools were not created w/ the regional accreditation in mind in the 70's. Now it is a big deal though. Maybe one day CalSouther will get that accreditaiton as well. Otherwise, there will be this overt prejudice.  Most schools don't really care about the distance learning accreditation but regional one; at least in my experience so far.

You are correct that California Southern University is not regionally accredited.  CalSouthern is nationally accredited through the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) www.detc.org.

This accreditation is the exact same as regional accreditation as it is approved by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) www.chea.org.

Now there are some that say national accreditation is not the same as regional accreditation and make postings like this person.  I would like to point out that the Higher Learning Commission (LAG) is a regional accreditation agency and they have approved over 80% of the "FOR PROFIT" universities that are currently in operation.  (University of Phoenix, Colorado Technical University, American InterContinental University, Argosy University, Ashford University, Kaplan University, Everest College, ITT Technical Institute,  and the list can go on and on and on)  It is the business practices of these universities that have LAG in trouble with the US Department of Education.  It is these universities that have caused Congress to pass legislation holding them more accountable for what they have done to students.

So you tell me just how good regional accreditation is??????????

I am a graduate of CalSouthern and I received a GREAT education!  I was challenged and had professors that were top quality.  I would strongly recommend CalSouthern to anyone.

California Southern University was founded in 1978. It's on par with University of Phoenix, or any other non-traditional online university. Wikipedia is not the final word on anything, as anyone can go into the system and post about anything, on any subject. It's an open forum, with little, if any, oversight.

What really is upsetting is that the original post, which was anonymous, took place three years ago. If you look at the follow-up rebuttals, it's clear that folks affiliated, either as students, or professors, are quite please with CalSouthern. It's time to put this anonymous dog to rest. It's unfair, misrepresentative of the university, its professors and its students. One of
the biggest problems with abuse of the Internet, is that you can slam anyone or any organization, anonymously, without having any responsibility for what has been said. Frankly, I think its a competing educational institution. I have no
proof of that, but, if you look at how our politicians are running for the office of President of the United States, it's clear that negative propaganda is used to sway the populous. Sadly, it's done because it works.

In doing research for online degree programs, I came across this report for California Southern University.  I can't help but feel that the person in the original report actually went to Cal Southern University.  These two schools are NOT the same.  The latter of these schools is a diploma mill, per the Wikipedia article posted in this thread.  I think the original poster has the wrong school (but this is just a guess, as I have literally no experience with either school).

I'm a little concerned that this same old complaint, by a disgruntled person from Beverly Hills, keeps popping up on the Internet.  I recently received an e-mail, presenting this old complaint, as if it were a new one.  I can tell you with assurity that the complaint is not valid and no one considering going to CalSouthern should be swayed by this individual.  I received two degrees, my bachelors and my MBA at CalSouthern and I found the experience to be on par with University of Phoenix.  There is no difference, as both are non-traditional, distance learning Universities.  In fact, I've attended brick and mortar institutions and didn't receive the education and support that I received at CalSouthern.  It's like any other program, you get out of it what you are willing to put into it.  As for the repeated broadcasting of this invalid complaint, it's time to put it to rest.  It's dirty laundry that isn't worth consideration, which would only tend to detour someone from getting a good education at CalSouthern.  If this were truly a problem, you wouldn't be seeing the same old complaint being passed on, year after year, like a bad penny.  The original complaint was posted in 2009 and it keeps being broadcasted as though it just happened.  You can't get any more phoney than that.  This person definately has an issue with CalSouthern, and in my opinion, probably wouldn't be happy anywhere, always blaming someone else for their failure to succeed.  Most likely, it's been posted and promoted by a competing university, which would be pretty low, if this is, indeed, the case.


Respectfully,

Joe Atkins, RN,MBA,CNN,CHT

CEO/Owner

Medical Concepts & Innovations, LLC.

Vandalia, Ohio

The person who filed the report about CalSouthern not being accredited has not done their homework.  CalSouthern is indeed accredited through the DETC.  This accreditation is granted to distance education programs and is recognized by the HLC and the US Office of Education.  I work as a professor, received my Psy. D from CalSouthern and have never had a problem getting employment in higher ed. 

Please do your due diligence and look up the DETC and the institutions granted accreditation from this accrediting agency.

Cal Southern is DETC accredited and regionally accredited as an institution of higher learning. However, it is not APA accredited. Although this may not cause one problems, as long as employers and/or other institutions of higher learning you wish to apply to, do not require an APA-accredited PsyD. APA requires an internship and Cal Southern provides only an 80 hour practicum. This will not be enough to get licensed in some states as a psychologist. If you want a Dr. attached to your name, and don't mind that it isn't a licensed psychologist title, then you should be just fine. As the program requires MA level courses, one can still get licensed as an MFT or LPC, but this still requires 3000 hours of experience with strict guidelines. APA-accredited PsyD programs require a full year of full time experiential training, which may be conducted over as long as 2 years. This replaces self-arranged experiential training and is acceptable for licensing boards. Additionally, if one cares to specialize post-doctoral, usually the University offering these post-doctoral programs require an APA-accredited PsyD or PhD, some accept an EdD. I too am interested in what people have to say about PsyD accreditation, but only from an educated perspective, not from those with personal vendettas, or who are blowing off internet- anonymous feces. 

I am a 2005 graduate of Cal Southern University, with doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

I had a five year relationship with this school and was never, ever, subjected to the things the person who felt ripped off by the University went through. Every interaction with the University was totally professional, no one I ever met or spoke with was a non-native English speaker and my fellow students, while Some were from other countries, were all professional and pleasant. The faculty were all educated at the places found on their CV's (I checked) and every class was very well planned and well facilitated. Moreover, the classes were beamed from their buildings in Santa Ana. Where this disgruntled student got the idea they were being scammed by someone in India is beyond me. Frankly, that's bizarre. The school has a lovely campus in Santa Ana and anyone is free to visit. Visit Southern California University either in person or on Facebook.

I received a wonderful, useful education at Cal Southern at half the cost of The University of Phoenix. As a college professor, I would-and have-suggested this University to others who are unable to attend a traditional brick-and-mortar school. I owe a great deal of my success to California Southern University.

I am not employed by California Southern. I am just a very thankful and successful graduate of their program.

I've attended brick and mortar universities and the fact is that they could care less about their students.  Instructors/professors are no where to be found, usually on coffee breaks, socializing, or working on getting published.  At California Southern University, you're not only a student, but you are a customer.  This is something brick and mortar schools forgot a long time ago, which is why distance universities are flourishing.  I think it's fair to say that CSU is no worse than any other, brick and mortar, or online.  We all get out of a program what we are willing to put into it.  As well, people who are not self motivated need to attend a brick and mortar institution.  As for my experience with CSU, all my instructors and counselors spoke English and were very helpful; more helpful than their brick and mortar counterparts.  As for this complaint, it's old news that seems to keep popping up all over the Internet.  So, I felt we needed to keep things "fair and balanced."  I love CSU and feel it was the very best educational experience of my life. 

I am a current student in the JD program at Cal Southern. While you may be correct that there are only a few students in each class at a particular time, the posts are there from previous students...see the dates there? Your ranting and wild theory leads me to think that you simply did not do the work and/or did not want to do the work. Also, they have a book store associated with teh school, but they also say you can use whatever other source you have to buy books. I suggest trying (half.com/ebay) you can even sell them right back to somebody when you are done. I will state unequivocally I am a living breathing student in their JD program and I will be taking the Cal-Bar Exam in about a year. Also I have several professors that I have contacted "in the flesh" as you say and I have even managed to find them through their own law firm websites outside of the school.... I seriously doubt the truthfullness of your statements and I will suggest in the future you just put in the necessary work and not go online and post some garbage because you failed to do the work.

I feel sorry for the Beverly Hills author who was so unsatisfied with the educational process at California Southern University.  My experience was quite different and perfectly suited to my busy schedule and personal requirement for academic rigor.  When I walked with my class last month, I know my classmates were as satisfied as I have been and we all experienced the demands not only of our program, but the challenges in navigating the new world of online education.  Maybe it wasn't a good fit for the disgruntled Beverly Hills student, but as for this single mother who wanted to maximize her available dollars and translate that into a solid foundation for a career in psychology, I believe I got the bargain of the century!  To each their own life experience, I guess...  

The complaint against California Southern University (CalSouthern) is not true, misleading, deceptive, slanderous, and bias.  I am currently an active student in a program at California Southern University.  I am pursuing a doctorate education.  My acceptance into the program was based on my past academic achievements and other admission requirements. I attended a traditional university for two years on a doctorate level, and there are no comparisons between the qualities of education that I received at the traditional university and at Cal southern. Calsoutherns curriculum is by far the best.  The curriculum is excellent; the expectations are high; and the on-line resources are abundant.

Additionally, I attended (on campus) another top ranking university.   I would place Cal Southern Universitys faulty, visiting Web-Seminar lecturers, learning materials (selection of text books), and other support staff on the top of the list for distant learners Cal Southern is supportive of diversity, and encourages students to learn how to be culturally competent. Yes, the
faculty and students are from different ethnic groups from all over the world, which makes this educational experience even more exciting. There are no obstacles in the way of acquiring a lifelong goal at Cal Southern University.  Cal southern is about learning, and success. 

This university is not about taking advantage of students for monetary gainstuition is made manageable.  I have purchased my books from various places. In fact, CalSoutherns Book Store will buy back my books at almost the original price, (that is if they are returned in excellent condition) if I decide to do so.  However, I prefer to keep my books, for future references.  When I called the store to get assistance on my first book purchase, I was informed about the buy back option, and was encouraged to use a promo key word to get a discounted percentage off of my books if I purchased them anywhere else. I was informed and given names of other places that I could save money.  

Lastly, California Southern University is accredited (The university is listed among accredited colleges). The,  professors are accessible, qualified, respectful, and professional.  Professors keep in touch, and contact me when it is necessary, and I contact them. I feel like I am supported to acquire my goals at Cal Southern.  I can only image how wonderful my on campus learning experience would be (the location is on-line and can be viewed on the map). I am looking forward to a visit in the future to California Southern University, located in Irvine, California.  I am looking forward to graduation day, gliding down the aisle, and floating up the stage to collect my degree! I am fascinated by my experience as a distant learner, and I feel honored to be a student at CalSouthern.  Anonymous, July, 2011.
    

I am a Professor at the school and know first hand the original complaint is untrue, just as others have stated who have earned valid degrees from the institution. Based on Rip Off Reports own guidelines posted below this response, an original poster cannot remove his or her complaint.

I have been in their offices and see how they operate. Maybe the original poster has the school confused with another one. Holli you asked about accreditation and DETC. Yes they are accredited and this is a valid, nationally recognized accreditation. You can read more about DETCs accreditation process online. A mill is an UNaccredited  institution that grants degrees without
ensuring students are qualified. This is not the case with this school. This is a solid choice for the program you are looking at and I would recommend that you call 800  477  2254 Ext. 1 and talk with their advisers.
___
7. What if the original author asks us to remove a report? Why doesn't Ripoff Report have to take a report down when the author requests this?

There are many reasons why Ripoff Report does not remove reports even if the original
author has asked us to do so. First of all, if someone contacts us and claims to be the author of Report #1234, we have no way of knowing whether they really ARE the author.

Second, as stated above -- as a matter of policy, Ripoff Report does not want big companies
to bully individuals into asking us to remove their truthful reports. To prevent this, we simply will not agree to remove reports, ever, thus eliminating that incentive.

Third, every time a report is submitted to us, the author must read and agree to the
following terms (under "Step 6 - Submit Report"): "By posting this report/rebuttal, I attest this report is valid. I am giving Ripoff Report irrevocable rights to post it on this web site. I acknowledge that once I post my report, it will not be removed, even at my request. Of course, I can always
update my report to reflect new developments by clicking on UPDATE." Since this statement is clear, our users should understand that by submitting a report, they are creating a permanent record. If this isnt something they want to do, they should not submit a report in the first place.

I am not educated very much about accreditation, however, I thought that California Southern University was accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council.  Is this not appropriate?

Also, I noticed via internet "research" that there is a listed unaccredited "diploma mill" called "cal southern" that is based in another country (source: wikipedia.org "List of unaccredited institutions of higher education").  It is common for diploma mills to market with names that are similar to more legitimate places.

I am searching for a PsyD program and I came across California Southern University.  I hope the complaint is not true as i find it disturbing.

I really can't believe this report - it's shocking!! I just graduated from CalSouthern and I can say that it was the best academic experience of my life for sure!! My Doctorate degree was very solid and I personally met many of the faculty when I went to the university last year - beautiful (and very large) campus I might add!

The university is Nationally accredited now (DETC accreditation) and has been for almost two years. It is recognized by most licensing bodies and many many graduates have gone on to become licesnsed in their area of practice. I am friends with 4 local students who are North American born and raised and we have met and become friends in real life not just
online; not that it should matter where they are born unless you are racist.

Anyway, I owe a debt of gratitude to this university for the excellent education I have received as a and I felt obligated to set the record straight. The writer of this post obviously has some personal issue with the university that led them to make up this ridiculous story, maybe they couldn't handle the academic requirements of the university?!

I graduated from CalSouthern, when it was still called Southern California University, with a BBA (1994) and an MBA (1998).  The education I received was excellent.  Back then, it was all through the mail.  My instructors were excellent and I learned allot.  The point is, that when you are working online or through the mail, you have to be self directed.  Most people have difficulty with this concept, because most people are not, by nature, self directed.  CalSouthern is not better or worse than the University of Phoenix.  All these universities popped up, due to the fact that not everyone was able, or willing to attend a traditional college or university.  For me, it worked well with my family life, as, at that time, my wife worked evenings and I had responsibility for our children.  I worked day shift as an RN.  Any program you enter, traditional, or otherwise, is only going to be as fruitful as you want it to be.  And, not everyone is going to have a wonderful experience.  Things happen.  In that case, it's better to move onto another college or university that you can be comfortable with.  There isn't a university or college in existence, that hasn't had a complaint.  I think the biggest ripoff in the world is traditional universities and colleges, where you don't even have the real professor teaching the class.  I've been in tratitional universities and colleges where a tape recorder was put in front of the class and you had to take notes.  There was no one to ask questions of.  Let's be honest, colleges and universities, in general, are a waste of time for many people.  Millions graduate from these institutions and jobs are not available for them in their chosen specialty.  These days, most are graduating without any prospect of a job, period.

I'm sorry that this person had a bad experience with CalSouthern, but my experience was the total opposite.  One more thing I'd like to discuss is the price of higher learning.  Traditional colleges force students to go deep in debt.  By the time one graduates, you have so much debt that you may never be able to pay it back.  CalSouthern is a reasonably priced school that the average person can afford, without going into debt.  Was my MBA successful?  Well, it provided me with enough knowledge to create a business that was purchased by a national company for millions of dollars.  They bought the business, because I was making money, at a time when most of my peers, in the same localities, were operating in the red.  I was  not only making money; I was blowing the competition out of the water in quality.  Without the knowledge I received from my education, I don't think would have been able to do as well as I did.  Now, I've started a new company and work a full time job as an RN (two full time jobs).  I have multiple patents on medical devices.  I'm a successful product of a non-traditional school, known as CalSouthern University. 

This school is not regionally accredited, and that is a very big deal. If you look it up online (regional vs national accreditation), you'll see why. I work for a university and we cannot hire faculty from this school nor can we accept their students' transfer credits. Why would you earn a degree from a school that isn't academically recognized?

This school is not regionally accredited, and that is a very big deal. If you look it up online (regional vs national accreditation), you'll see why. I work for a university and we cannot hire faculty from this school nor can we accept students' transfer credits. Why would you earn a degree from a school that isn't academically recognized?

I was shocked to see this complaint. I graduate Magna c*m Laude From Southern California University for Professional Studies in 2003 with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology before the institution changed it's name to Cal Southern. My experience was very positive. I found the program challenging, life changing and interactive. My Faculty Mentors were wonderful clinicians, Professors and availed themselves to me via email, telephone and through written modality. My program existed before "online courses" were developed to the degree that they have evolved presently. My program of study was totally distance learning. I was not obligated to buy books from Cal Southern/SCUPS and purchased my texts from a variety of sources. The course guides and Syllabi were well developed. The exams were challenging. My program was writing intensive. As a nationally recognized specialist in my field I felt compelled to clarify my experience and defend the institution which has assisted me in growing professionally, personally, and spiritually. Unfortunately, it appears that the individual who complained about this institution possesses an aversion to people who potentially are nationalized citizens and/or bi-lingual. I wonder how one can equate email responses as "non-native" or "broken english?" This notation is concerning and appears to include derogatory reference and application of negatives to nationalized citizens, resident aliens and/or any person that this individual deems inadequate based on race, language and overall differences. That is very sad.  As a Professor, I find communication with peers and students diverse and different via email rather than through face to face interaction. As a Professor who teaches in both the traditional modality of lecture as well as through rigorous online course structure [not associated with this university] I find communication through online learning as well as the diversity of adult and non-traditional learners amazing and interesting.

Furthermore, the individual indicates they paid $1,000.00 for their program. It is my recollection to concur with some of the other rebuttals that my program was more costly as would be any doctoral program and if one desires to set such a goal, one should understand the fiduciary responsibilities and outcomes associated with such an undertaking. Lastly, as a result of completing this program I have been able to work towards advanced and specialized credentialing and licensure in my state. I maintain a growing private practice and employ 5 therapists at the Master's and Doctoral level as independent contractors. My assumption regarding the basis for the complaint is that the individual did not realize how different and intensive distance and online learning is and/or was unable to use time management effectively to successfully complete his/her program.

I am a graduate of California Southern University, School of Behavioral Sciences.  I spent 5 years pursuing and eventually obtaining a Psy D.  At no time did I have ANY interaction with anyone, instructor or otherwise, who weren't native English speakers.  I spoke with instructors and other students on-line and over the phone on a regular basis.  
  I got both my undergraduate and master's degree from well-known "brick and mortar" schools.  California Southern's PsyD program was the most academically rigorous program I had attended.  As for spending $1,000.00, well, I don't know what this poster spent $1,000.00 on, because the program costs a great deal more than that.
  I was never pressured to buy textbooks from CalSouthern--I was free to buy them on-line, from Amazon or from anyone I chose.  I spoke with instructors on a regular basis, as well as the Dean of my department, financial aid people, the librarians and admissions.  Everyone I spoke with was well educated, kind and, not that it matters, American. 
  I would ask this poster to provide evidence about student interactions being "monitored by people in either India or the Philippines."  Sounds like he/she might have been calling At & T instead of CalSouthern.  I never, in 5 years, EVER spoke to anyone who sounded like they were from India or the Philippines.  That's patently ridiculous.
  I have NO idea what this poster is talking about or what school he/she got roped into attending.  But I can say with some authority it WASN'T CalSouthern.
  And no, I don't work for the University.  I'm just a very satisfied alumni.

I graduated from Calsouthern University in 2007. The person from Beverly Hills who posted the false statements appears to be someone who has a personal issue with the school. I had many classmates who I conversed with, and the faculty gave timely feedback. I even conversed on the phone with them. This report posted here about Calsouthern University located in Santa Ana, CA is absolutely false and unjustified. I continue to have contact with faculty at the school and with the President of the university. It is a great school and the School of Behavioral Sciences is outstanding in quality of education.

Visit the university's webpage and view the "front" students and graduates' testimonials. The majority of the students are here in the USA.

Tony