Walden University

Within the next few weeks, I will not be a student at Walden University. As an institution of advance learning their administrative business practices are inefficient and unprofessional. I have always thought that once an educational institution's main focus is on increasing profit margins and less so on the welfare of its students, and the quality of its pedagogy then there is bound to be a conflict of interest. The university's "unethical" practice to recruit as many students with a failure to explain the financial aid process in details prior to and even during enrollment is deceptive. This is particularly so for international students whose country of origin financials aid's practices and rules differ from that of the United States. Upon self-discovery of the latter, rather than the university trying to help me in a professional manner, I was made to feel ignorant and the blame was cast solely on me for not having the initial detailed information from the university. This is despite my many attempts to obtain the same. Each time I attempted, I am transferred to another department of which people are either unaware of what I am relating or I am told my information lacks credibility. Then there are the insensitive, rude undertone emails and telephone conversations that reflect the "after the fact" limited information. If I was that ignorant, would I have become a student of higher learning in the first replace as suggested by the reactions of the university's staff? At one point I was not given an academic advisor because the university was not aware that they had not given me one following the departure of the previous academic advisor. Who incidentally had lacked advising and professionalism skills, small wonder she departed from the university. As if to punish me for some unknown crime, fate caused me to self-appoint a new an equally ineffective academic advisor. What behooves me is that these people have master's and doctoral degrees, many from Walden university. Yet they lack basic common sense as well as advanced thinking skills that ought to be reflective of their educational attainment and maturity. Did I also mentioned that when a person telephones the university, you are advised and reminded that calls are monitored for "quality [guarantee]purposes, " a script that is embedded in the psychic of the university's staff and that is all there is to that action. Also, the university request that you complete these survey so that "we can improve the delivery of our services," really,? That is so ironic! An educational institution cannot be teaching its students how to act professionally responsible while its administrative and academic support staff are being inefficient, incompetent, and unprofessional. This spells, hypocrisy and deception, therefore I do not want to be connected with an institution that engages in not only such practices but also bias and discrimination. I believe that good reputation is still important so PLEASE, PLEASE reconsider carefully before choosing Walden University, I had to learn the hard way after receiving initial warnings. Please do not make the same mistake as I did.

I am amazed by the number of people that enter into a PhD program and then get angry when they don't measure up. In my opinion the biggest difference between Walden and the Brick and Mortar School where I completed my Masters Degree is the Walden Graduate Students were of a slightly lower caliber. If you want your Doctorate expect to pay in lost sleep, broken relationships, and a healthy does of misery. That is why so few people have the degree. Is Walden a for profit? Absolutely! Does that mean they are mercenary? Not at all, unless you are a quitter who thought that acceptance into a PhD program somehow meant you were promised a degree in the future irrespective of your perseverance.

A living educational nightmare! That's right, it's for profit all the way. I initially boasted about Walden on a daily basis. I have experienced 2 excellent professors out of 12. How did this world come to the point when teachers do not instruct, guide, answer questions and explain? There are incompetent teachers nationally (not globally), but this is a disgrace! They only give assignments and most do not want to be questioned by any means. One told me where to go( not Hades) and in return I told him/her what he/she needed to hear. I do not pay tuition to hear their crap, I actually do pay tuition to learn, to improve, to grow and to be able to offer and to provide to my students quality instruction and to prepare them for real-life experiences in the real world. I am well pleased to read all of the negative reviews because my review falls into the same category. It's an educational nightmare! There is little or no communication. The hypocrisy there is "dominate"! We are taught to be the "finest" in education. Well, I am here to tell you that it takes the finest to instruct one to become the finest. Who instructs us? There is no instruction. As a teacher, I ask questions, answer questions, instruct according to the need of the students, promote engagement in learning, reward and above all, as a lifelong learner, whatever it takes for me to improve my strategies in learning, I may every attempt to fulfill it. Certain departments will detain you as long as you will allow it. The other departments (except administration and academic advising)have been positive. At least the public school administrators work for their salaries and I have seen them fulfill this throughout multiple years in education. The high caliber administrators don't care at all and the academic advisers are rotten to the core. This school has an ongoing interest in "feedback". Why insult yourself!! You know what you represent! Just in case you don't know, you are incompetent in most categories. I would never take away from the few who are doing an excellent job. I wish that I had not ever had anything to do with Walden.

I earned my PhD from Walden in 3.5 years. My goal was to finish in 3 years. I am pleased with the education received at Walden. It was a roller coaster ride and one of the toughest challenges in my life. You can expect any PhD program to be challenging and even frustrating. Would you want to attend a university for a PhD that wasn't rigorous?? You can expect any PhD program to have some instructors who care and others who seemingly do not. Just as there were some classes I liked and others that I did not. But I pressed on and kept my eyes on my goals. As a working parent, the program and accessibility at Walden was exactly what I needed. The dissertation process was long and grueling but I was relentless and faced every obstacle with the notion that those issues would not last forever and there is a solution for everything. Completing my program was a test of every skill I could muster up from pacing to collaborations. I lost my entire dissertation committee and had to seek out a brand new committee, Walden IRB and the community organization for my research were at odds about procedure (putting me square in the middle to figure out how to fix the issue), my research seemed endless, the stress was at an all time high, and I was nervous about the presentations and expectations of me as the "expert". But these are not unique issues to Walden and I suspect they are not unique to me. During the same time I went through my Walden doctoral program, a friend of mine went through a PhD program through our local large brick-and-mortar university where I obtained my undergraduate degree. Our doctoral program stories, concerns, frustrations, triumphs, and educational process were the same. We leaned on each other constantly for support and guidance. The only exception was she did comps for candidacy and I did not. However, I consider the difference between her passively sitting in her graduate classes versus me actively researching and writing weekly in scholarly online discussions to be huge variants but valuable. I don't concern myself with how many people have heard of Walden. There are thousands of colleges which folks have never heard of. I'm still Dr. P and I worked hard for it. After numerous applications, I was hired at a local college to teach in my field of study. Graduate studies is not easy but most things worth having are not easy feats. Best wishes to all, wherever you choose to attend, on your future goals. Excuse any typos, it happens :-)

Wanted a change from one psychology program to another. It took six-weeks to get a response; and it was not a very professional one, then the dept. head of psychology wrote me a nasty-gram. Following the change which took the full of 3 months my grades dropped through the floor. I went from an a average to C- and Ds immediately following the change from one program to another. I wrote the letter to withdraw, I was ignored, wrote another, ignored. I finally called - was given the phone run-around and ignored. I finally got a response more than 3 weeks later, and was "allowed" to withdraw. I found another online school who wanted to take me but Walden messed with my refund for the last semester I was there - they were stringing me along. 7 weeks after I requested my refund and after I had withdrawn completely from the school I wrote to the Department of Education's [Veteran's] Ombudsman. 36 hours after I wrote everything had been taken care of, refund was transmitted etc. Just so folks know who are here; they list themselves as a "for-profit" which means they are required to help place you in a job until you get one - insist on it, or report them to the Department of Education. Do not waste your time with the state functions; seems they have those organizations hoodwinked.

My dissertation committee approved my dissertation. Then the IRB Board rejected it and refused to allow me to complete the study I worked for 4 years to develope, design and obtain approval from a committee of experienced faculty members. The problem was, the IRB does not want students to use instruments that assess difficult topics such as suicidal ideation, gender issues, LGBT issues. There is no coordination or communication in this institution. One set of faculty approves a student's work, yet another set of university administrators rejects the students work and tells them they must go back to the drawing board, after 4 years of arduous work and $100,000 of tuition passing into Walden University's coffers. This institution should be unaccredited and I will make my complaint appropriately.

I have attended Walden University as a full-time student enrolled in the clinical psychology program since Dec. 2009. I have completed all of the coursework and I'm now writing my dissertation. While I was very hesitant to enroll in a program that offered an online forum, attending Walden is the best decision I have ever made. Not only are the faculty and the instructors readily available to assist students at all times, but I have found that the courses are much more challenging that my undergraduate degrees and my Masters degree I obtained from private "brick-and-mortar" universities. I also feel that I have learned much more as a result of attending such a hybrid program, as Academic-Year-in-Residency also allows students to network, perform assessments, meet in person with faculty and their advisor, etc. Walden is ahead of the game with regard to the future of offering an academically challenging forum for professionals who want to learn in a manner that allows them to still work. In light of the current economy and the lack of adequate funding for educational benefits offered by various corporations (to include government entities, such as the military), it is nearly impossible to attend a brick-an-mortar school while also continuing to work so that one can pay for their education and day-to-day living. The traditional focus of APA accreditation should be revised, as it is archaic and very biased. I commonly train APA credentialed psychologists and mental health professionals as a requirement of my military position. These professionals are very eager to work with me; however, once they ask me where I attend school they become very defensive and biased in the assumptions they make about non-APA accredited schools. These "professionals" should be more open-minded and willing to hear what APA equivalency schools (such as Walden) can offer.

I've been working on a PhD in clinical psychology at Walden since 2009. I have completed all of my coursework and am currently working on my dissertation and practicum. I received my BA and MA from brick and mortar schools and, in comparison, Walden has been MUCH more difficult. This program is intense and is NOT something that you can skate through. For those who believe that online means easy, think again...this is not the case at Walden. With the exception of a couple,the faculty at Walden have been top notch-knowledgeable, experienced, and caring-especially during the face-to-face residencies. Now that I am in the fieldwork portion of my program, I am grateful for the rigor of the program at Walden because I feel as if I have been prepared to be a professional in the field. I am satisfied with the education that I am receiving at Walden. I know that the issue of APA accreditation is relevant to many people and Walden's not having accreditation has limited my choices as far as finding a practicum site but I did find one. As long as I know that my state (CA) will license Walden graduates, I am okay.

I have attended Walden since 2010. I earned my masters degree at Walden, and am now working toward my doctorate. I would not still be there if the educational quality was not excellent. I have read a large number of reviews knocking Walden. No institution of higher education is perfect. Nor are all the instructors, I've had my share of losers-the majority do care about their students AND their success. Reading the negative reviews is rather amusing. Walden is hard work, if one wants an easy ride it is obviously not the university for you. The written word is respected, and in reading a number of these reviews it is obvious why these students did not find Walden to their liking. Whether in the minority or majority all students are given the opportunity to excel, but one has towork to earn the distinction. I have had many minorties in my classes, I would be considered a minority-by the way the Hispanic student has the highest majority of students in higher education. White students are a minority in 2012, not necessarily at Walden, but in the statistics for the United States. So if someone have a complaint against Walden,it is usually because they were low perfomers and wanted an easy ride. Before reading all the negative complaints and making a decision about attending Walden, think about the post. Is it literate, do the errors in the post exceed the rest of the post. If so you know that the person writing the post has an axe to grind--they were not offered a free ride. I have not been given a free ride--I have my share of loans, you only accept the loans YOU want, no one forces anyone to accept them. Beware of axe grinders, throwing to many slings with them dulls them.

I am completing my Ed.D. very shortly, and quite frankly I can see both sides of the discussion. I have had some very frustrating moments with Walden, but what would I expect if I am in a doctoral program? The more I became involved in the dissertation process, I realized that I was being held to high scholarly standards and academic integrity. As for those who had Chairs who did not seem to care, my Chair one of my biggest cheerleaders, and we forged a bond for life. That's how closely my Chair worked with me. When I wanted to quit, my Chair inspired me to move forward. Even my URR reviewer took the time to have phone conferences with me when normally URR reveiwers are hands off in regard to student interaction. My process was not easy, and I am thankful that it was not. I say with full confidence that if I was enrolled in a traditional brick and mortar university I probably would have been finished a while ago, but I am fully satisfied with my Walden Experience.

Having completed my undergraduate from a really strong (highly ranked) traditional brick and mortar institution, I was originally very skeptical of Walden. However, it was one of the few places who's format fit my lifestyle and offered a social psychology socialization so I decided to give it a try. I'm really glad I did! The format is perfect, materials are up-to-date and a lot of the discussions/assignments allow you to relate the topics back to your own field (which is fantastic). You spend about 10-15 hours a week per course and it's not easy. I'm about to start my third course and I'm really happy with the work so far. Don't enroll here if you aren't a self starter and aren't organized. Nobody is going to hold your hand. As for the other reviews that criticize professors - I'm pretty sure you would get the same feedback regardless of the institution. Learning how to deal with teachers/bosses/clients etc that we don't like is just a part of life.

I contacted Walden as an international student already in the US looking to study for a Bachelors degree. Needless to say just for the college to have my documents evaluated took forever, well over two months. Keep sending documents and then no one even calls you back to give an update on the progress. I really put me off was everytime I call the enrollment counsellor to find out about the progress, she would in turn ask me to hold or wait so that she can too call and find out. Its as if she would remember only when I phoned. In the end the evaluation came back very disappointing in the fact that out of the three evaluations I have done theirs was the most outrageous. I am glad I didn not proceed to join the college. If just enrolling is an indication of how the program is run, well, am better off somewhere else. Good luck to you all unsuspecting students proceeding to join the college. Very Very disappointing!!!!

Walden is a scam. Was stonewalled over and again from completign dissertaitonwith stream of 'mentors' mysteriously dying, retiring, - vanished. Have been abused and ignored. The govenmnet has hefty portofolio on them. APA will not accpet them. They target disadvanataged people, mostly immigrants and are after one thing: MONEY Am almost $200,000 in debt because of them.

Current PhD Student If you are considering enrolling at Walden, please read all the reviews. They are helpful, and for the most part very accurate. Walden's strengths- the I/O programs and content. Some of the faculty are excellent. My chair is superb. He is not easy, he is demanding, but he is top notch. Choose committee members that have positions at Walden other than just being an adjunct as there tends to be turnover. Walden's weaknesses are their administrators. They refuse to assign advanced graduate students academic advisors, they do not return e-mails or phone calls, they will not give you their name when you call, and they even sigh on the phone. This is unacceptable given the cost of tuition. I applied for scholarship money and it is been like pulling teeth to get even the smallest amount of assistance. They would not verify information for the organization, and each department tells you it is another department's responsibility. I am glad I am close to being done, but I am sorry that I have spent so much money. I live in an area of the country that has a lot of colleges, but few doctoral programs. When I coach undergrad students, I have stopped having them consider Walden as a choice.

My experience at Walden has been anything but wonderful. I would have left Walden for another university, but by the time I realized I had made a big mistake it was too late. It was too late because the laws in my state regarding accreditation and licensure changed. If Walden had been up front and honest about the changes in the licensure I would not have enrolled there. While it is not their job to keep me abreast of the laws, it would have been nice if they had shared information which they were privy to way before I and other student like me could have known. Once confronted on the matter, they started telling other students about the licensure changes. I should mention, because Walden is not APA accredited, my state would no longer accept the doctorate degree as eligible for full licensure status. I am aware of five students who begin to tell student in their classes about the changes so that anyone who had not already invested too much time would be able to enroll in a program that would lead to licensure. We were completely mortified at the fact that Walden knew, admitted it (I still have the email of conversation between administration and myself), and did not tell enrolling students. In all honesty, I believe the education at Walden is comparable to any brick and mortar university. There are also some excellent instructors. However, the turnover rate was high. It seemed many of the instructors that were good ended up leaving. Overall, my experience with instructors has been good. It is not the good experiences that make me want to pull my hair out, it is all of the bad experiences at Walden. If finding out that I would need to take way too many classes per quarter to get done in time to meet the licensure requirements of my state weren't enough, the administration at Walden and the dissertation process was enough to drive me crazy. The only comfort I have in that comment is that I heard the same thing from several other students without soliciting negative feedback. Administration seems to have varying different answers to questions; it simply depends on which person talked to on what day. My advice, always, always, always get it in writing. It is amazing how forgetful administration is there. Apparently, their ability to keep notes on the computer does not work very well. As for my dissertation, well I have been working on it for over two years now. One might think presume I am a bit slow for it to take so long. However, the truth of the matter is that I believe Walden wants as much of my money as possible before I graduate. I went an entire quarter without a methodologist. I had one, a very good one; he resigned from Walden after a year being on my committee. He agreed to continue to help. Walden would not allow it! Walden also had not one single faculty member who was willing to be on the committee. The interim department head eventually found someone, someone who up to that point had not responded to one of my emails requesting her to be on my committee. It took the interim department head about eight weeks before he finally had the time to find someone. I guess it did not matter to him the laws changed in my state and I had a limited amount of time to complete my dissertation. It also does not matter to my Chair that my time is limited. She has asked me at several different times where we left off in the process. What? She also asks me what the IRB said needed to be changed. I am confused. Did she read the email the IRB sent her? Did she read the comments I posted in the document I sent her (which was what the IRB said). I have been waiting since July 1st for IRB approval. The IRB is a pain, but the real hold up is my committee at this point.

I had some positive experiences with a few instructors and administration at Walden. However, I believe the majority of my experience has been negative. Information was withheld from me when I enrolled at Walden. By the time I received the information, it would have been finacially too late for me to leave the program. If I were to list all of the issues with "miscommunication" or lack of communication it would be a nightmare. Actually it was a nightmare. More students than not who started when I did were in the same boat... lot of tears literally during this process. The dissertation process is enough to make you lose your mind. I had a committee member leave Walden, a wonderful instructor and very committed to helping me. It took 12 weeks to find someone else after sending emails to the entire department requesting someone. Walden charged me for the quarter and said it was not their responsibility. I filed two appeals. They still said they would not refund my money for the quarter. What? Even the interim department head was obnoxious and mean about it and made me wait to schedule with him because he was at residency for two weeks. So, I guess he has not access to his calendar while at the school's residency weeks. Furthermore, my chair needed me to tell her what she had already approved and bring her up to date every quarter. What? My methods person very seldom returned my emails, even when I asked for help. I could go on and on with reasons for disliking Walden and even being embarrassed to say I attended there. I will never recommend Walden to anyone. I believe the education was good, but all the problems that go along with it, is simply not worth it.

Texts are a higher rating because they are the same texts in other doctoral programs. Half the teachers care and the other half don't. Institution, Support, Value, and Use of Technology are poor in all respects. The Dissertation process is dragged out for every student for a reason-money. It felt very strange that I had many professors drop midstream from their roles as a chair, university research reviewers, and methodologists (no kidding lots dropped the university midstream or could not fulfill a role because not completing Walden driven courses). I had an IRB nightmare of failed communication delays that led to an additional 3 quarters despite immediate turn arounds of drafts and revision requests with the support of my committee.

I received my BS and MS from a traditional school. Currently, I'm enrolled in the Health Psychology (PhD) program and hear me on this: IF YOU EXPECT AN EASY ROAD BECAUSE YOU PAID YOUR MONEY, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done school wise. The professors are helpful, but remember, this is a PhD program. You'll find support, but no hand holding and no excuses. I want to choke people when I hear distant learning is easy.

Induction into Psi Chi, a chance to work in an NSF funded program, respect of my peers from brick and mortar universities, and a chance once I complete an MS in mental health (and internship hours) to practice in the real world.These are just some of the benefits of attending Walden University. I am conducting research and broadening my skill sets. These are the same goals many other students have, irrespective of the university they attend. Some brick and mortars do a great job in such development and some do not. The same is true of some online institutions. Maybe Walden is not for everyone, based upon temperament and the Big 5 personality traits, but for me it is has been and continues to be a very rewarding experience.

I have been delightfully surprised and pleased with Walden. In truth, this school was last on my list but I am so glad I enrolled. This school is not to be snubbed because it is online. The course work is challenging and I have learned quite a bit. There is a lot of writing and reading. I am in classes with some very intelligent individuals and have learned as much from them as I have the materials and in doing my own research for discussions and essays.

The lack of support, systems and competent instruction is appalling. Faculty and staff do not return emails nor are they concerned about anything but the tuition. The faculty are not competent, no feedback, faculty unavailable, emails go unanswered, classroom posting go ignored, tons of admin problems, every one blaming the other department and no one helping to solve problems...total disorganization...it was a joke. I would not recommend walden university. My experience there in the past several years has been very disappointing. There is no motivation to support graduation...in fact they have employed systems to make graduation impossible or difficult and expensive at best. The departments do not collaborate or back up their promises... Save yourself the headache.

No more remarkable than most on-campus programs except it's online. I think it is more scholarly than other online programs based on discussions with other classmates who transferred in. The classmates I know that transferred, did so because the other programs required less statistics, and had less requirements. That tells you something about the difference in online schools. Simply people get what they put into it. Read my comments at the bottom of the page under "ToGraduate2013" I left details to consider before attending this or any online school.

I have always studied in the traditional class-room univeristy. I was skeptic about studying a PhD on line. I am so pleased to be a Walden student. I like to study and I have to wrok very hard to get good grades. This is no degree mill and I am happy to see that becase, although it has been hard work, I am learnin a lot. I recommend Walden. It is not cheap but you get the best student support and I have had fabuolous instructors.The residencies are immaculately organized.You are always guided through the information. I am an MD and have a Masters in Science in Immunology and I am very happy to be a Walden Student!

I graduated with an MS in General Psychology in December 2007. Overall, my experience at Walden was rigorous. Courses were in-depth and challenging and expectations were exceptionally high. Some students interpret this as "rude" or "unsupportive"; however, it is meant to raise the students' academic performance. Profs were accessible via email and offered contact via phone. Most of my profs provided useful feedback on coursework in a timely fashion. Walden offered a survey at the end of each course to allow students to rate their course experience. Coursework at Walden is self-directed. You MUST actively participate in the on-line forum in order to gleen anything from the course. The 30 page research papers due at the end of each course are no joke; profs will hold students to APA (or MLA) criteria as well as academic honesty (plagiarism). I had one course that required I fly to MN for a week. I found that experience to be very professional. The lecturers were relevant and willing to assist in my learning. Fellow students were serious about their education and were hard working. I did not find the in-person experience to be "a joke" as some reviewers have stated. Reviewers have indicated that Walden allows the "bottom of the barrel" who are desperate into their degree programs; I found the opposite. I had to speak with an advisor at length, provide a résumé as well as a detailed essay about why I wanted to be in the program, provide my GRE scores AND then interview with the Board of Regents of the university. Also, I knew of several students who were asked to leave the program because of poor work quality. I also knew of one student who had submitted her thesis and was denied her degree because of academic dishonesty. The only low area was that the thesis process was confusing and disorganized. I had difficulty reaching my Chair; however, when we were able to communicate, her expertise was valuable! But, my thesis turned out to be the best work I had ever done at 125 pages, which included an innovative research project. Everyone I have ever shown my thesis to has been impressed with its subject and content. I NEVER experienced any Walden staff to be discourteous or simply trying to "get more money" out of me. I never experienced Walden changing my degree program on a whim and holding me to the new standards. As a matter of fact, the thesis process for my degree was changed while I was well into writing my thesis, but I was informed that the changes would not affect me. It My degree has allowed me upward mobility in the Human Services sector, and I highly recommend that if you are an over-achiever, who is unafraid of high standards and aggressive learning and are a self-motivated self-starter, then Walden is the place to get your higher education.

If you are considering taking a master's or doctoral program that requires a thesis or dissertation......you might want to think again. I experienced all of the following: • Committee members, Academic Reviewers, IRB reviewers, and URR personnel have clearly been schooled in the "stall as long as you can so we can get more money" department. You receive very little guidance and there is always something else to hold up progress. • Walden will stall your completing the program to get more money from you, • ANY ASSISTANCE WAS SUPERFICIAL AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE DISSERTATION NO ONE WILL HELP YOU AND THE CHAIRS ARE UNAVAILABLE. • Some instructors are good, some are terrible - most do not contribute anything but grading. Financial Aid and Academic Advising departments are NOTHING like they are described by the school: Do not expect them to pay attention, know the facts you need, or call you back. Do not rely on information given to you, even about your own records, without speaking with at least three different people from the same department. • Professors do not help their students pursue their degrees. They often give very limited or vague information that provides no help to the students. They constantly change their policies. There is no consistency in the courses. If it was done correctly, students would be able to finish without any or little difficulty. • Other instructors never post to the discussion board and provide no feedback on your papers. Whenever there is a policy change they do not keep former students on the plan they came in on but they make you change to the new plan (i.e., more money for laureate corporation). Students are a source of income to the school and nothing else. • The instructors and faculty have been known to be unethical and rude if you point out their mistakes. Their tone can be unprofessional as they urge you to stop complaining and get back to the process. However, you will come to many stops because what is satisfactory for one member of your committee may have to be changed to satisfy another. You are caught in a cycle and won't finish until they say so despite the quality of your work. • Instructors are lying to students and are not meeting the 7-10 business day requirement for returning papers with comments, which prolongs students' abilities to move forward and ultimately complete the program. There is no instruction provided. • If you have struggled they are not like most normal universities that care or are concerned about retention... they just kick you to the curb even though you have spent a lot of time and a LOT of money and have done well in the actual courses.

PLEASE I would not recommend Walden University to anyone. Everyone tells one lie after the other about what it means not to be accredited by APA. Basically there is no talk about APA for clinical psychology majors some jobs and employment agencies and teaching opporunties are limited without APA accrediation from schools. Walden University never informs their students that they must travel and be out of their jobs 7 weeks during the year for a residencies. Within the state of New York no residencies are required yet Walden University can still force all students to pay for residencies they do not need for licensure. Some of the professors are very rude and disrespectful. Yes if you have any problems issues are concerns you will be ignored and disrespected. I had a STAT professor tell me to call the President with my concerns and she is claiming to be a clinical psychologist. Please do not waste your time and money. I regret not paying attention to the reviews and I have to pay back money to the government for loans. I have not gained anything from this school but disrespect. Also there is another women who teaches HISTORY And Systems I thought she might have been on drugs, but she was not appropriate for the classrooms. Please waste your time and money with this program or school. Walden University is one big JOKE.

I have no idea what other people are talking about! I think Walden University is an exceptional univeristy. As a member of the military, I had to find a school online and Walden was a perfect match. Not only did my degree require completion of 61 credits, but it also required a thesis to graduate. Very few other online schools provide such a demanding program. The professors are also great. They are easy to talk to and available on demand. I have enjoyed every minute at this university and recommend it for those who want a quality education from an online school. Thanks.

Walden is excellent school but within Academia Traditional colleges and universities most faculty and administration are bias from hiring graduates from Walden and other online schools due to online graduates competitive edge both experience and professional experience.

The general staff at Walden do not value you as a student and it shows in the way they talk to you. They are nice enough but you hear a faint "I don't care" attitude that comes through rather than the "You can do it" attitude that should come through.

I am a PhD. student in my second class at Walden and I have been to Milestone 1. So far, I like Walden. I find it challenging, and the instructors have been good. Like anything else , you have to be motivated and a good self-starter. There is lots of reading and writing. I find it annoying when people tell me that it's not a good school. Well...EXCUSE ME ! It is NOT a diploma mill. I work on school work almost everyday for several hours. It is expensive, I won't argue that. It isn't Harvard or Yale, but I'm not a young person going to college either. For older, working students, online is the only way to go.If not for online schools, many people would not be afforded a higher education. I have found the Walden staff to be very good, They always call back. The writing center is helpful too. I can honestly say that I met some very intelligent and educated people at the Residency(Milestone 1 ). There were people from all over the world amd in various fields. I would recommend Walden at this point. According to the information; Walden has some excellent instructors, but just like any other university(online or not), there will be some bad ones. The books are expensive too, so I buy mine on Ebay if possible. Once again, it comes down to being a good self advocate. You make your education, not the university ! I would say if you're in your early twenties, go to a regular university for the social contact as well as the education. But if you're like me, middle aged , and you want a higher education, Walden is a good place.

I recently graduated and my overall experience in learning has been positive. I have worked hard and learned a great deal. I have become a better writer and researcher and learned to be objective and more organized. All but one of my professors has been exceptional. I was challenged by most of the material, but they often required "packages" that could be bought through them and were much more expensive than if you bought it used at an online site, such as half.com. However, in all other departments I have been greatly disappointed. The financial aid department is a nightmare and it is close to impossible to get a response or satisfactory answer from any department regarding any type of question or problem. It was a nightmare getting my thesis reviews back in a remotely reasonable time period and everyone "in charge" had the attitude that is was no big deal if it dragged on for another quarter (at my expense, of course), even though I finished ahead of their recommended time line. I was also misled about the program requirements by recruiting. Still, I feel it was worth the money, but not worth the frustration. I did learn a great deal and I am glad I did it and am also glad it is over with.

This school might suffice for those who are secure in their jobs and need a higher degree to get promoted. If you are serious about your higher education experience, find another way. I can only speak about the psychology program AND the administration/support services. Walden was a very costly mistake for me. Some instructors are good, some are terrible - most do not contribute anything but grading. Financial Aid and Academic Advising departments are NOTHING like they are described by the school: Do not expect them to pay attention, know the facts you need, or call you back. Do not rely on information given to you, even about your own records, without speaking with at least three different people from the same department. Walden is essentially teaching yourself, which you can do without paying so much and being subjected to so much distracting frustration. To reach the graduate level, you must be hardworking and dedicated enough to deserve better than this.

I received a call from Walden University to give me information about their school psychology program. I was already hesitant about even considering Walden due to the reviews I have read, however I decided to do my own research. The school psychology program Walden offers is not APA certified. The woman I spoke to told me they did not spring to have their program APA certified because it basically is more work and they have stricter standards. I told her I would have to speak to her later on and set up an appointment. She called me back within 20 minutes telling me that APA accredited schools need a 4.0 GPA on Masters degree and do not accept many students so I probably wouldn't want to try get into an APA program. She called back at our appointed time and sounded almost disbelieving that I wanted to try to get into an APA program and again stated that I needed a 4.0 on my Masters (which I have not yet earned). I told her that I thought I was up to the challenge and she told me "well if you don't make it you can come back here." She also told me I should consider pursuing my doctorate in clinicial psychology so I have more opportunities and then admitted that not many people that call look into school psychology - she was uneducated in my field of interest, tried to direct me in a new path that I am not interested in and then assumed that I am not either capable of or motivated enough to achieve a 4.0. I strongly recommend Walden get a different sales tactic than presuming potential students would not work to their full potential and would take the easy way to get their DOCTORATE. Very disappointed and slightly insulted by this sales woman - I'm sure there are competent sales people, I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of speaking with one and it has solidified my decision to not enroll in Walden University. I rated each 10-point scale item a 5 because I have not experienced them and would not want to alter the rating one way or the other.

I am currently a PhD student at Walden and the only thing I am disappointed in is how long it takes for some people to be weeded out (and how much they complain about it when it happens). In order to be successful here you have to do something and be a self-starter. Having attending two other well known and well respected universities prior to enrolling here (and turning down admission to APA accredited programs) I am satisfied. Education is a business no matter what school you go to..people complain no matter what school you go to..people refuse to buy and read the books and brag about it when they graduate no matter what school you go to..and this place is no different. When you can REALLY see the difference is in the workplace when the true test of competence is revealed. I think this is not a school for everyone (especially the whiners, the lazy, those who don't ask questions before enrolling, those looking for an easy degree, and those interested in snobbery). As with anything in life it is all about what you make of it! Pretty soon all colleges and universities will move to offering online courses and degrees and then maybe the attitude will come out of the dark ages.

This is a waste of of money. If you have any question, each person you reach after going through a pick a number phone system will give you a different answer. The people that work there have no idea what the policies are. They say they will reply in 10 days and you will wait 3 months for an answer. Some of the instructors are horrid. I paid a fortune to attend a seminar in Dallas. The instructor spoke for an hour and then just gave us the whole time off. Other instructors never post to the discussion board and provide no feedback on your papers. Whenever there is a policy change they do not keep former students on the plan they came in on but they make you change to the new plan (i.e., more money for laureate corporation). Students are a source of income to the school and nothing else. Save your money and do anything else with it.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who says positive things about Walden works for the company, or receives a benefit for saying something positive. I am writing this of my own volition. After reading the reviews on this site I felt compelled to share my opinions. I would first like to say that I am not “bottom of the barrel”. I hold my BA and my MA from traditional universities, both with a cumulative GPA well over 3.7 and received many offers from traditional PhD programs. I chose Walden for the flexibility. It boggles my mind that those who seem to have the harshest comments also have posts that are riddled with spelling, grammar, and typing errors. I cannot help but feel you had a difficult time because your work lacked the focus and skill required of a graduate student. You may have presumed that because this was an online program that it would be easy. This was proven to not be the case, so it makes sense to place the blame on the school for not bending and allowing subpar work to be submitted. I am working on my PhD in clinical psychology and have found the courses thought provoking and challenging. I admit I have had one professor that left a lot to be desired, but when I brought this to the attention of the program heads, they promptly handled the situation. They did not however just go on a witch hunt. Documentation of the situation needed to be offered, and after supplying this documentation they worked very quickly to rectify the problem. My professors have been great, and have pushed me to further explore ideas beyond the course presentation and requirements. I have met quite a few graduates of this program in the workforce all practicing in the field of psychology and all holding licensure. The school is not considered a diploma mill by those who actually have the ability to make such a decision. I have found in my experience that those individuals who feel the school is not worth their organization, generally also have no clue what the school is actually about when you probe the issue further. The residencies’ were great experiences, if you participated. The school was not chasing you around to make sure you were participating. There were many opportunities for learning, exploration and discussion with not only your peers, but the professors as well. This however required initiative. I would urge anyone looking at the school to ensure that your state will offer you licensure if your field requires it. I know in psychology many states require APA accreditation. This however does not mean a lot. To put it into perspective, NUY recently voluntarily dropped their APA accreditation. I can say for myself that if a state will deny a talented psychologist over something so ridiculous, I am happy I do not reside there. If you are serious about learning, have the skills necessary to explore and research without being hand held, and have a desire to go further I would urge you to look into this fine school.

I just finished my PhD in Psychology (Clinical & Academic) and I found Walden to be wonderful! My Masters degree is from the University of Florida (Gainesville) and I found that I got much more out of my program at Walden than I did at the traditional brick and mortar universities that I attended. Let's face it--online education is not for everyone. You only get as much out of it as you put into it and some people's learning style preferences just don't meld well with an online environment. The best things that I got out of my education at Walden are 1) my writing skills have reached professional levels (I was an English major in undergrad and learned more about writing here); 2) I am now a wiz at researching. For those who complain that they didn't get enough attention from faculty and staff, question how you approached them. Obviously you couldn't talk to them face to fact but I have found that the majority of them will help you--they just won't hold your had throughout your educational career. However, at the level of Masters and PhD programs, faculty and staff should not have to do this. If you need help have your thoughts and questions well organized and make sure that you are willing to come up with a plan with those that you are asking for help. As far as the value of the degree...I was hired at a Big 10 school because I was getting the degree from Walden.

I have just completed my doctoral degree in health psychology and couldn't be more pleased with my experience. A lot of the complaints of my fellow reviewers also are expressed by people attending B&M schools. I know, as my husband recently completed his master's at a B&M school and sometimes it was a real nightmare to register, pay bills, apply for financial aid, get calls back on questions, etc. We compared level of effort required for our respective Master's degrees and he really viewed my coursework as far more intensive and demanding. As noted by others here, writing skills are vital if you are to succeed at Walden. I have no doubt some people will look down on my degree, but so do people look down on community college and state college degrees, depending on their own educational experiences. Yet, I do sincerely believe I have received a quality education, well worth the pending student loans!

This is a very good school. I have two more course to go before I start my dissertation. The experience has been great. The coursework is challenging and the student-student interaction have been wonderful. The professors are professional and engaging. I can say with the courses I have taken only two professors were terrible and I believe that is because they just didn't give a damn. I am proud to tell people I am going for my PhD at Walden. Walden is changing. They now offer student services in which you can be involved with the school. They hold conferences on different topics from career counseling to disaster response from professional people. Their residencies are filled with people who are there for you. to encourage you and to listen to you. Anyone tells you that this is a diploma mill is wrong. For my last class I not only had to do my weekly assignments and respond to fellow students. I also had to do a article summary for all to read, and take a topic for one of the weekly discussion, and finally a annotated bibliography. I am working my butt off and I know when I am I will be proud to have my PhD in Psychology. :)

This applies to Clinical Psychology: Beware! Many of the people from Michigan recently found out that since the degree is no longer accepted for their state, they will not even be grandfathered into the system. Basically, all of their work has been a waste of time. This could happen to any of the other students from other states also. If you want to become licensed, I highly suggest that you do not attend this school! If you can, attend a school that is APA accredited! It has also been expressed by faculty and students that even after you get the degree others in the field consider the school a paper mill, and the lack of respect is apparent. Do your research, be careful, and make the decision for yourself! Good Luck!

Emotions run so hot both ways on this topic that I'm hard-pressed to say anything I think will matter to anyone. Is Walden rigorous? Without a doubt. Are there good faculty? I have met faculty who have my utmost respect and personal affection. Are there bad faculty? You would not believe my first professor there, except that several of us with professional experience in Addictions Counseling suspected that instructor of TUI -- "Teaching Under the Influence." It was as bad as it could possibly get. In my experience, that one rotten apple was fortunately an exception to the rule of good faculty. Are there others who are a tad temperamental, touchy, and who react emotionally, making it fairly clear there are students who can do no wrong, and others who can do no right? I'd have to say yeah, but not noticeably more so than were in my traditional B.A. or masters programs, at two different state universities. I hate to say this, but as much good as I have to say about Walden, I recently recommended two individuals to steer clear of it. One is a male with disabilities, like me. The Disability Office took 4 months to process my application and “lost” countless emails, phone calls, and faxes in the process- some containing sensitive personal medical information. If I told the whole story, the Believers here would probably accuse me of being an Infidel and lying about it. I recently saw a different forum that described Walden in terms of "academic excellence" but "administrative incompetence." I am not so worried about the incompetence. What worries me is the denial, coverups, and bullying that take place when I try to work through the problems. An administrator, admonishing me about my "attitude?" Nope, sorry, that's outa line, that's the purview of a behavioral health consultant, if I choose to hire one. Walden administrators are supposed to handle paperwork, and any who lecture me about my "attitude" or otherwise attempt to get overly personal with me in any other way, are engaging in harassment. The problem with harassment? It's slightly illegal in 2008, and that's because it is so destructive. That's my best effort at being objective. There is opportunity at Walden. There are also things at Walden that can damage a person. You can to walk through a minefield in hopes of getting awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor after it's all over. Just don't go there with your eyes closed assuming you'll be OK because Sergeant Audie Murphy did it.

I cannot express how much you should not attend this school. Anyone who says that this school is better than merely good enough either works there (remember it is a for profit school and the admissions people or like salesmen) or has never been to a school where students are treated with respect and given a curriculum that is actually set in place to assist them in the future. I have talked to fellow students in the psychology program. Many of them are worried about licensure in their states as Walden U cannot make the guarantee that you will be licensed after graduation. The advising....well let's say they too act as sales people who constantly give students the run around and incorrect information. The professors are not held up to any kind of standard and after meeting a few of them I wonder how they graduated and are employed. BUYER BEWARE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME. I know traditional schools are inconvenient but as far as education is concerned you will get your money's worth. Take this from a PhD student who has been to both types of school.

Walden is a great way to pursue an advanced degree. If you are studying to get a license you need to check first if your degree will be accepted for license in your state. Walden's Psychology degrees are accepted by more than 25 states. However, there are at least 18 states and 3 territories that will not even allow online learners to take their licensure exams. One thing that you can see of the Walden alumni and is that they are already employed as psychologists, or doing similar work. Some are working in other areas and study a PhD just to obtain more knowledge or to have another diploma on their wall. There are few students like me that would like to obtain a PhD in Psychology to be licensed and practice this profession, without previous or current employment or training in the area or similar area. I live in Texas, where state and private agencies are recruiting psychologists; even doctoral students of Psychology in their last year! And they have enough time to finish their degrees and get licensed. And their salaries and incentives are not bad at all. Walden is my opportunity to make a difference, obtain a doctoral degree and work as a psychologists. This journey is expensive, and sometimes demoralizing. You find many obstacles(low grades, family problems, financial problems, academic progress problem, etc), but overpass them and continue to the finish line. Walden's costs of study are still low compared to a traditional campus based PhD!

First of all, Walden (nor any other online school) is for everyone. If you are unmotivated and waiting for someone to "hand you" something, you will not do well. I have just finished my last academic class at Walden and will be starting my practicum in Clinical Psychology soon. I am doing my practicum and internship at a very prestigous medical school and feel that Walden prepared me for my upcoming duties as an intern. I have enjoyed the support that I have received from professors and administrators. As for licensure, there has never been any secret that Walden is not APA-approved. They highly stress that potential students check with their individual states regarding licensure requirements before they enter the program and before it is too late to make changes. Engaging in an online program is the only way that I could have obtained a Ph.D. since I worked full-time as a teacher. There are no Ph.D. programs available in my town (one was just added in the Educational Field but....) and I could not uproot my family and relocate to an area that offered a program, not to mention quit my job for 6 years to attend school full-time. I will be very happy to display my Walden Ph.D. and feel that the education I have received is just as good, if not better, than any brick and mortar school!

Please be very careful when choosing this school for the clinical PhD in applied psychology if you have any hope of becoming licensed to practice. Note: Walden is NOT APA accredited. During consultation with the enrollment counselor, I was given a list of approximately 12 states that I was told "look favorably" at Walden graduates and permit students to take licensure exams, including two which I am interested in, namely Florida and New Jersey. I was even told that NJ State Board of Psychological Examiners was “highly impressed” with the quality of Walden graduates. First a little background information about what you can expect from the time you inquire online. You WILL receive a phone call in 24 hours. You WILL have a difficult time making direct calls back. You WILL be contacted several times a week, for at least two weeks. Once you submit your application you WILL be pressured to enroll at the next quarter. Part of the sales methodology of Walden is to push a person to commit to beginning studies quickly. The process from time of first consultation to when they first asked for a commitment, in my case, was two weeks. The enrollment "advisory" personnel will NOT provide any information about faculty, research interests, or allow any form of contact outside of the sales department. Also, they like to speak in terms of states ultimately "having" to accept online learning schools credentials, citing a lack of human services professionals in the future. I wrote to two State Licensing Boards and received the following responses: Florida Department of Health writes, "I am unaware of any instance in which the Board has looked favorably upon an applicant, outside of the above exceptions, who did not graduate from an APA-accredited program." The exceptions are listed on the website and do not pertain to Walden University. The Executive Director of the NJ State Board writes, "to be honest, very few graduates of Walden University have obtained a license to practice psychology in the State of New Jersey." I shared with the Executive Director my intention to STAY AWAY from Walden and was given the following response, “I'm glad you have been so diligent in exploring the possibilities. Would that others had been so careful.” Although the door is not closed to Walden students, it is not exactly common, or even likely. Don't even get me started on what I was able to uncover about the faculty turnover at Walden.

I am one year into my PhD in clinical psych. Walden is extraordinarily up-front with regard to the process of licensure. One of our first assignments was to go through our state licensure requirements step-by-step and show how the Walden program met or didn't meet state requirements. No surprises. The teachers have been great, if a little brutal. The rigor of the program is about the same as law school. My only real complaint is with the bursar's office. Working with them is like working with a lump of rock. I do feel I was soft-sold with regard to the number of hours per week I would have to devote to the program. Plan on a minimum of 30 if you want to succeed. The response of professionals in my geographical has been generally good. I know many therapists and psychologists from my days of practicing law. One of them recommended me to the program.

I started at Walden hoping to complete a PhD. I have been constantly disappointed with my professors. Over half of my professors have been hard nosed, arrogant, wanna be intellectuals who have no ability to teach and no interpersonal skills. The students who provide little to no intelligent work earn high marks, while others who attempt to be innovative (or God forbid inspirational) get attacked. It is an incredible thing to behold. The good professors are excellent and make you wonder why they can't get a better job. The bad professors are the worst, and most of them are Walden alum. Academic Advising is a joke, there is none. You are not even assigned a personal academic adviser. If you need to ask a question your email goes into a general box and it is a crap shoot about who will answer and what kind of information you will receive. Now I am stuck with half a degree in a non-accredited program and about $45,000 in student loan debt to show for my effort. By-the-way, be sure to check the programs. Neither the Masters or the PhD program in Psychology meet most state licensing requirements in coursework. If you follow the degree plan without first knowing your state's course requirements, you will not get licensed when you are finished. Walden is totally all about making money with no thought for the welfare of the students. The services and the professors SUCK (for lack of a better word). The only thing good to say is the online classroom form is better than others I have seen.

I have utilized online education to obtain all of my degrees and have to say that I completely disagree with the assessment of some of the naysayers who have written sardonic reviews. I have always enjoyed complimentary reviews and comments from potential employers toward my online degrees. They are accredited, so why wouldn't they be? And while we are on the topic of accreditation, lets address a problem which seems to be running rampant through these reviews. Walden has it plastered all over their website that their Psychology programs are not accredited for licensure. So, if the state of Florida demands that you be licensed and you you expect that from your program, then transfer to a Florida-based school. They will probably take most, if not all of your credits. The classes and courses are accredited through one of the six accrediting authorities which are accepted worldwide, so guess what? They are, kind of, obliged to, in general terms. So, you may have to take an extra course or two...big deal. At least you will be licensed upon graduation, right? Here's some unsolicited advice for the would-be online learner: self-discipline is the key. If you are a person who has great self-discipline and can subject themselves to the rigors of an online program, then great! Online learning may be just the thing for you! However, if you are a procrastinator who has trouble with deadlines, cheated your way through high school, or even college, to some extent, then guess what? You are probably going to waste your time and money. Online learning takes a constructivist approach, whereby the learner acts as their own agent in constructing their own learning. You will get out of learning, whatever you put into it. If you apply yourself and give it your all, you will be the benefactor for it. If you give it a half-hearted effort, you'll be quickly discovered and exploited for your efforts. Not publicly, as ethical practices would encourage you to do better. But, the grades you received will be emblematic of the effort that you provide.

A very disciplined and outlined framework for achieving a doctorate. A full time student can expect to spend roughly 30 hours a week on research and papers. There are Walden professors teaching at other top university sites as well as campuses in the United States. My classmates sometimes originate as far away as Iran, China, and Africa to name a few. We are all coordinated on mountain standard time. I would suggest any other institution if you cannot put your best effort into this university. I am telling you, it takes some work...and you will never look at someone on the naster's or doctorate level the same after being in this program a couple of years. There is a difference.

From time to time I have read various posts about concerns about Walden’s accreditation. For Psychology students the biggest confusion centers on accreditation with The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association and accreditation with American Psychological Association (APA) or designation by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards/National Register (ASPPB/NR). These last two are requirements for licensure in some states, but not all. There is a history at Walden of the decisions around pursuing APA accreditation or not. This does not make Walden a “bad school”. Not all schools, and not all Psychology specializations within a school, will have these accreditations. Walden makes it explicitly clear in several places on their website and in the program guides what accreditations it holds and what it does not. I realize that this is easy to get confused about at the beginning of a program, but come on – this is grad school, and by now you really should be able to ask questions. It really is up to you to understand the licensing requirements for your state before you enroll anywhere. There are several practicing, licensed psychologists from Walden – again, depending on the state. Walden’s general psych program is geared either to the educational arena or research. If you want to be a counselor don’t pick this program. I am almost finished with my doctoral program at Walden and have to say that overall it has been a good experience. Many people like myself, with full time jobs and life demands could never pursue higher education if we were limited to traveling to and from a regular institution. So many traditional universities are now offering several courses online, if not full degree programs. Being among the first to tap into technology at the accredited graduate school level, does not make Walden a diploma mill, nor make the degrees awarded useless.

I am currently completing my thesis to obtain a MS in Psychology. I agree with recent reviews, Walden uses the term "accredidated" very loosely. Although the psychology program is accredited, the MS in Psych is basically a generic degree. You cannot use this degree toward getting any type of licenses in the Psychology field. Basically, I would need to do another program that is geared toward licensure. Also, I have found the staff to be lack-luster and the program to be thesis based. I wish I would have taken my money to a traditional university that would grant me a more respected degree.

I am working on my PhD in psychology and have found the program to be wonderful. The instructors are top notch and the support is very good. I attended a traditional college for my BA and MS and find the level of work and interaction comparable if not superior to my brick and mortar experience. In online education you must participate, you cannot sit in the back of the classroom quietly. At Walden the expectation is to be a scholar practitioner. The only caution I can advise is to be sure that you are dedicated to learning and excellence as the expectations of the university are higher than one would presume.

I am a Walden PhD student in the Psychology program and can not say enough good things about the school. The professors are great and knowledgable. (Having attended Capella and UoP, I can not say the same). I would and do recommend Walden to anyone and eCollege is a standand learning environment much like BlackBoard or WebCT. All of which UoP and Capella do not use, while other Brick and Mortar Colleges/Universities do.