2023 Most Affordable Online Colleges for a PhD in Psychology

California Coast University (CCU) is a private, for-profit institution offering an online EdD Educational Psychology for students with a minimum of three to five years of professional experience working in an education-related position and a master's degree in education for those who are interested in career advancement. Courses are self-paced, and students can start at any time. Graduating requires completing 66 credit hours (13 courses), a comprehensive exam, and a research dissertation.

Online students access CCU's proprietary student portal to view their schedules and course requirements and download course materials. Online doctoral students in the educational psychology program take classes such as Group Dynamics, Educational Measurement, Motivation and Learning, and Organizational Behavior and Adaptive Leadership.

Regent University Online is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online PhD in Counseling and Psychological Studies as an advanced degree for mental health research, scholarship, and psychological science. Students can choose from 11 concentrations, such as Life Coaching, Grief Counseling, Addictions Counseling, and Trauma and Crisis Counseling. They must complete 51 credit hours to graduate.

Regent delivers its online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Distance learners enrolled in the online counseling and psychological studies PhD program enroll in classes such as Addiction Intervention, Life Coaching, Grief and Bereavement, and Community and Crisis Counseling, depending on the concentration chosen. To graduate, students must also complete a capstone project in Psychological Science and Christian Thought. Career opportunities include researcher/writer, guidance director, and nonprofit administrator, to name a few.

Liberty University is a private, nonprofit, Evangelical Christian school offering an online PhD in Psychology for students interested in understanding the human experience using a biblical worldview. They can choose specializations, such as General Psychology, Theology, and Developmental Psychology. Graduating requires completing 60 credit hours through eight-week courses, which takes approximately three years. It's important to note that Liberty University's 2022-2023 code of conduct says that "statements and behaviors that are associated with LGBT lifestyle are prohibited." OnlineU also features LGBT-friendly schools, so you can explore other budget options if interested.

Liberty's online curriculum is delivered via Canvas. Online psychology PhD students can enroll in courses such as Teaching of Psychology, Psychological Research and Biblical Worldview, and Theories and Research in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online PhD in Integral and Transpersonal Psychology that provides a "whole person" approach (mind and body) to psychology. Students must complete a minimum of 36.2 credit hours to graduate, which can take four to seven years of study.

CIIS uses Canvas so distance learners can complete assignments and participate in online classes. Those enrolled in the transpersonal psychology program take courses such as Origins of Transpersonal Psychology, Critical Thinking with Integral and Transpersonal Psychologies, Scholarship Writing and ITP, and Integral Psychology. Graduates pursue advanced careers in areas such as social work and counseling, nursing and healthcare, activism, and teaching.

Touro University Worldwide (TUW) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Doctor of Psychology in Human and Organizational Psychology with a concentration in organizational leadership so students can develop a deeper understanding of behavioral psychology in the workplace. This 66-credit program generally takes three years because courses last only eight weeks. Students can transfer up to six credits, which can also help save time and money.

Distance learners access TUW's online coursework and instruction via its learning management system. Those enrolled in the human and organizational psychology program take classes such as Applied Cognitive Psychology, Applied Media Psychology, The Scholar-Practitioner Model, and Psychology of Human Resource Management.