<p>I'm looking into graduate school programs for general psychology (or, if I had to concentrate, something similar to behavior psychology). However, I have some specifications, and I'm having a hard time finding schools to look into. In May, I will graduate with a B.A. in Communication Studies. I'm really looking into a program that offers: </p>
<ol>
<li>Online Ph.D degree in psychology (general psychology, if possible) </li>
<li>Does not require Master's degree for admission (can also be a dual-degree program)</li>
</ol>
<p>There are no reputable online PhD programs in psychology, for a variety of reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li>Graduate-level classes thrive on discussion, seminar-style. You can’t get that from online classes.</li>
<li>PhD programs work on an apprenticeship model, in which you work closely with senior colleagues. They get to know you, and they are the ones who help expand your network and write you letters for jobs. That doesn’t happen with online programs.</li>
<li>Psychological research usually involves some on the ground work that can’t be fully done online.</li>
</ol>
<p>Why would you want a PhD in “general” psychology, anyway? PhDs are about specializing. When you go to look for a job, they’re not going to want a “general” psychologist - they want a social psychologist, or a cognitive psychologist, or an experimental psychologist, etc. “Behavior psychology” isn’t a subfield of psychology. All psychologists study behavior; it’s in the definition of the field.</p>
<p>Now, do some for-profit programs offer a PhD in psychology? Certainly. You could go to Capella or Walden. There’s also Northcentral U. The only semi-legitimate school that offers a fully online PhD program in psychology is the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.</p>
<p>But with that said, what are your eventual career goals? If you want to be a professor of psychology, you are very, very unlikely to get hired with an online PhD.</p>