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The California Graduate Institute is graduate school of professional psychology in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1968. It is "independent" in that it is not affiliated with a university. It is currently one of 12 unaccredited schools in the state of California that are allowed to operate and grant higher degrees within the state through approval by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE). A bill effective Jan. 1, 2001 requires the California Graduate Institute and other unaccredited schools to provide to each prospective student an "Unaccredited Graduate Psychology School Disclosure Form" that discloses, among other things, the following:

"Prospective students should be aware that as a graduate of an unaccredited school of psychology you may face restrictions that could include difficulty in obtaining a teaching job or appointment at an accredited college or university. It may also be difficult to work as a psychologist for some federal government or other public agencies, or to be appointed to the medical staff of a hospital. Some major managed care organizations, insurance companies, or preferred provider organizations may not reimburse individuals whose degrees are from unaccredited schools. Graduates of unaccredited schools may also face limitations in their abilities to be listed in the National Register of Health Service Providers or to hold memberships in other major organizations of psychologists."^[1]

According to the California Board of Psychology, the two-tiered system was developed after World War II in order to "expand vocational education opportunities for returning veterans".^[1] It was later expanded to also apply to four-year colleges and universities as well as graduate schools that offer doctoral degrees. No new institutions will be approved within this system; the new rules introduced in 2001 stipulate that only schools initially approved before 1 July 1999 may be approved without being regionally accredited. Psychology's accrediting body for doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, school psychology and combinations of more than one of those areas, is the American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation (CoA)^[2] Accreditation of schools offering Baccalaureate degrees and above is also provided by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges & Universities. Students at non-accredited schools are not eligible for federal student loans.

The school was denied accreditation in the early 1980s. In 1999, Marvin Koven, president of the California Graduate Institute, said that he anticipates that the school will seek accreditation again, with the help of California Psychological Association (CPA).^[3] In the meantime, students are told upfront, according to Koven, "that if they want to practice in some state other than California, then they better go to a school accredited by the Western Association for Schools and Colleges".^[3]

California Graduate Institute is an "accredited member" in the Society of Modern Psychoanalysis, a corporation in New York which accepts membership from institutes after review by a Institute Membership Committee. On approval, the institute becomes an accredited member of the corporation.^[4]

California Graduate Institute is approved for continued education (CE) in various subjects by the following organizations:

• Veteran Administration - approves for GI Bill inclusion a wide range of educational programs (including graduate level education) .^[5]
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW) - a member association that offers approval of social work programs in continuing education for its members. However, the association's approval program (NASW CE approval) is not approved by the official Social Work Licensure Boards in several states, including California. ^[6]
• California Board of Registered Nursing - approves registered nursing and advanced practice nursing programs in California.
• California Board of Behavioral Sciences - approves continuing education providers (such as schools, associations, health facilities, governmental entities, educational institutions, extension programs, individuals, etc) in behavioral science in California.^[7]
• Division of Allied Health Professions of the Medical Board of California - approves research programs in Psychoanalysis, the first such program approved by the Allied Health Professions is offered at CGI.^[8]
• California Psychological Association - a professional association in California which approves sponsors for continuing education for psychologists. The individual courses are approved by the MCEP Accrediting Agency.^[9]
• American Psychological Association (APA) - approves sponsors of continuing education for psychologists. Graduates of unaccredited state-approved schools like CGI are limited to associate membership in APA.^[3]

The APA Model Act for State Licensure of Psychologists requires that "all applicants for licensure must minimally be graduates of a regionally accredited institution of higher education"^[3]. Since California is the only state that allows graduates of non-regionally accredited schools, including California Graduate Institute, to sit for the Board of Psychology and the Board of Behavioral Sciences licensing exams, the reciprocity agreements among the various states do not apply to licensures granted in California. Graduates are therefore required to take a state psychology exam if they want to practice in another state.^[3]

1. ^ ^{a b} The California Board of Psychology. Unaccredited California Approved Schools: A History and Current Status Report. Government, State of California. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
2. ^ American Psychological Association. Frequently Asked Questions about Accreditation in Psychology. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Thomas, John. "Brouhaha brewing over nonaccredited programs in California". The National Psychologist, Vol. 8, No. 2, March/April, 1999.
4. ^ Society of Modern Psychoanalysis. Mission and Purpose, Section 3: Review Procedures; Criteria for membership: Institutes; and Modern Psychoanalytical Institutes/SMP Members. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
5. ^ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Education programs: IHL. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
6. ^ NASW. Social Work Licensure Boards’ Response to the NASW CE Approval Program. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
7. ^ Board of Behavioral Science. CE Provider FAQ's. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
8. ^ CGI. History, Licencing and Approvals. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
9. ^ CPA. Which courses count toward the continuing education requirement for license renewal?. Retrieved 2 March 2007.

• California Graduate Institute