California Southern University is a private, for-profit, university in Costa Mesa, California. California Southern University is currently a member of the American InterContinental University System. It offers

associate's An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

, bachelor's,

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and doctoral degree programs online in psychology, business and management, risk management and regulatory compliance, criminal justice, nursing, and education.

History

The university was established in California on December 27, 1978, by Dr. Donald Hecht as a traditional

correspondence school Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

, and received its initial approval to offer degree programs from the California Department of Education. It originally offered associate level programs, then expanded to bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. During the 1990s, the university added distance learning programs in the fields of business, psychology and law. The university is now recognized as an online degree granting institution. Until June 2007, the university was known as the Southern California University for Professional Studies (SCUPS) and was located in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

. In 2022, the university was acquired by the American InterContinental University System and joined into the overall AIUS community. California Southern University offers bachelor's, master's and professional doctorate degrees entirely online without physical attendance on campus. The university was institutionally accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

(WASC) before acquired by American InterContinental University System. The

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

(”the Commission”) provides regional accreditation for a diverse membership of public and private higher education institutions throughout California, Hawaii, and the Pacific as well as a limited number of institutions outside the U.S. Through its work of peer review, based on standards agreed to by the membership, the Commission encourages continuous institutional improvement and assures the membership and its constituencies, including the public, that accredited institutions are fulfilling their missions in service to their students and the public good. The

is recognized by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (

CHEA Chea is a surname in various cultures. Origins Chea may be a Cambodian surname ( km, ជា; ). That surname is derived from the Chinese surname Xiè (), specifically Southern Min pronunciations of that surname, e.g. Hokkien Chinese (). Other sp ...

) for certifying institutional eligibility for federal funding in a number of educational and vocational programs, including granting student access to

student financial aid Student financial aid (or student financial support, or student aid) is financial support given to individuals who are furthering their education. Student financial aid can come in a number of forms, including scholarships, grants, student loans, a ...

. The California Southern School of Business received programmatic accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (

ACBSP The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), formerly the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, is a U.S. organization offering accreditation services to business programs focused on teaching and learni ...

). The California Southern School of Nursing's baccalaureate and master's degree programs received programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education ( CCNE).

Memberships

California Southern University is a member of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools ( CAPPS), and "Silver Sponsor" in the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). The California Southern University School of Business is an "Educational Member" of the

International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), formerly the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, is an educational accreditation agency for college and university business programs founded in 1997. It ...

(IACBE).

Programs

Most Popular Programs: California Southern University offers 12 degree programs and 10 post-baccalaureate certificate programs. The most popular programs are the master's degrees in business and psychology, and the Doctor of Psychology and the Doctor of Business Administration.

School of Law

The California Southern University School of Law is an unaccredited correspondence law school which offers two graduate-level degrees, the Master of Science in Law ( MSL) and the Juris Doctor (J.D.). However, the university is not currently enrolling new learners in the School of Law. The school is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as a "Registered Unaccredited Correspondence Law School", which is sufficient to qualify its graduates to sit for the

California Bar Examination The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

provided they complete 864 hours of preparation (per year) and study over four years. A typical JD degree at an accredited institution is three years. It is not registered with or accredited by the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

Bar Examination Pass Rate

In the February administration of the California Bar Examination in 2020, one of 14 takers passed the examination, for a pass rate of seven percent. For the years 2008 through 2013, 20 graduates have taken the California Bar Examination as first-time takers; of that number, five passed the examination for a pass rate of 25 percent.

Commencement

The 2022 California Southern University Commencement Ceremony in Anaheim, California had been set for Friday, October 14, 2022. 2022 Commencement Recap on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tt-zZ37xvs

Notable alumni

* Pam Blackwell - Educator *

Clifford Mayes A Jungian scholar, Mayes has produced the first book-length studies in English on the pedagogical applications of Jungian and post-Jungian psychology, which is based on the work of Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961). Jungian psychology is also called ...

- Scholar

References

External links

* {{Authority control Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Education in California Distance education institutions based in the United States Educational institutions established in 1978 For-profit universities and colleges in the United States 1978 establishments in California Costa Mesa, California Private universities and colleges in California