Fielding Graduate University (previously Fielding Graduate Institute and The Fielding Institute) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. It offers postgraduate and doctoral studies mainly in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, and

organizational studies Organization studies (also called organization science or organizational studies) is the academic field interested in a ''collective activity, and how it relates to organization, organizing, and management''. It is "the examination of how individ ...

, primarily through

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

programs. Fielding Graduate University was founded in 1974 by Frederic M. Hudson, Hallock Hoffman, and Renata Tesch.

Academics

The university offers graduate-level degrees (certificate, master's, and doctoral programs) in

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

media psychology Media psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the interactions between human behavior, media, and technology. Media psychology is not limited to mass media or media content; it includes all forms of mediated communication and media t ...

educational leadership Educational leadership is the process of enlisting and guiding the talents and energies of teachers, students, and parents toward achieving common educational aims. This term is often used synonymously with school leadership in the United States a ...

organizational leadership Leadership studies is a multidisciplinary academic field of study that focuses on leadership in organizational contexts and in human life. Leadership studies has origins in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, psychology), in humani ...

, and

human development Human development may refer to: * Development of the human body ** This includes physical developments such as growth, and also development of the brain * Developmental psychology * Development theory * Human development (economics) * Human Develo ...

. , its School of Leadership offers accelerated PhD degrees that can be earned in as little as three years, and its School of Psychology offers a PhD in Clinical Psychology that can be earned in five or six years. The average (mean) time to complete a PhD program at Fielding is 7.5 years. The university is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

(WSCUC). The Clinical Psychology PhD program is accredited by the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...

(APA Commission on Accreditation).

Partnerships

Fielding offers a doctorate in Creative Leadership through the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), is developing a doctoral program in urban leadership and entrepreneurship with the University of the District of Columbia and

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

's Payson Center for Global Development, and established the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL) with UVI, North Carolina A&T, and the Association of American Colleges & Universities. The latter earned a $9 million

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

grant in 2018. Additionally, Fielding has three other centers, in addition to CASL: the Institute for Social Innovation (ISI); the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education; and the Alonso Centers for Psychodynamic Studies. Fielding University Press publishes several publications per year on subjects including clinical psychology, neurology, leadership studies, phenomenology, philosophy, human development, and art history. Fielding faculty, students, and alumni have contributed to several publications. In 2015 the university was granted special consultative status to the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

(ECOSOC).

Notable Alumni

* Evelyn Torton Beck – Writer and feminist * Randall Bell – Real estate economist and author *

Tara Brach Tara Brach (born May 17, 1953) is an American psychologist, author, and proponent of Buddhist meditation. She is a guiding teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, D.C. (IMCW). Brach also teaches about Buddhist medi ...

– Psychologist and meditation expert * Dave Caplan – Producer and television writer * Salud Carbajal – United States Representative from California's 24th congressional district * Marshall Colt – Television actor, psychologist * Anita Perez Ferguson – Speaker, author, international consultant * K. Drorit "Dee" Gaines – Neuropsychologist and radio host * Steven Hassan – Founder of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, author, speaker, de-programming expert * Devon Jersild – Psychologist and author * Janja Lalich – Sociologist studying cults * Gina Loudon – Republican activist * Lyle Nelson – Four Time Olympian in the Biathlon, 13-time United States or North American Champion *

Marilyn Price-Mitchell Marilyn Price-Mitchell (born March 1, 1949) is an American psychologist, author, columnist, speaker, and youth development expert. She is the co-founder and serves on the Advisory Board of the Washington State Family & Community Engagement Trust ...

– Psychologist and columnist *

Cara Santa Maria Cara Louise Santa Maria (born October 19, 1983) is an American science communicator. She hosts the podcast ''Talk Nerdy'' and co-hosts ''The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe'' podcast, and was a co-host of TechKnow on Al Jazeera America. Santa M ...

- Psychologist and science communicator

Notable faculty

* Don Trent Jacobs – Education, leadership, and psychology scholar * Tiffany Field – Psychologist * Ruthellen Josselson – Clinical psychologist *

Malcolm Knowles Malcolm Shepherd Knowles (August 24, 1913 – November 27, 1997) was an American Adult education, adult educator, famous for the adoption of the theory of andragogy—initially a term coined by the German teacher Alexander Kapp (German educator ...

– Adult education scholar * Jeremy J. Shapiro – Psychologist and social theorist

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 1974 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1974 Fielding Graduate University Graduate schools in the United States Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges established in 1974 Universities and colleges in Santa Barbara County, California