California School of Professional Psychology

Alliant International University is an independent, not-for-profit, upper-division university formed in July 2001 as a result of a merger between California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and United States International University (USIU). Drawing on the legacies of both CSPP and USIU, Alliant continues to be dedicated to multiculturalism and internationalism. The University develops applied social scientists and professionals for practice in a global context. In 2005, US News & World Reports ranked Alliant International University the most international among national doctoral-intensive universities. Doctoral programs are currently being developed in collaboration with universities in Hong Kong and mainland China in an effort to aide in the advancement of the psychology profession in Asia. In 2006, the School of Management was named after University professor, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.

The University is regionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Schools and educational centers

 * California School of Professional Psychology
 * Center for Forensic Studies
 * Center for Undergraduate Education
 * Graduate School of Education
 * Marshall Goldsmith School of Management
 * Presidio School of Management

Research and public service

 * Center For Applied Research in Education, San Diego
 * Center For Applied Behavioral Services, San Diego
 * Center For Integrative Psychology, San Diego
 * Center for Innovation and Change, Los Angeles
 * Cross Cultural Studies Institute, University-Wide
 * Family Violence Institute, San Francisco
 * GlobalMind Center for Strategic Consulting, San Diego
 * Institute for Intercultural Studies in Emerging Markets, Mexico City
 * Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, San Diego
 * International Renewable Resources Institute, Mexico City
 * Organizational Consulting Center, San Diego
 * The Psychological Services Center, Los Angeles
 * The Rockway Institute For LGBT Research in the Public Interest, San francisco
 * W. Gary Cannon Psychological Services Center, Fresno
 * World Council for Curriculum and Instruction, San Diego
 * Golden State Psychology Internship Association, Fresno
 * Violence Prevention Institute, San Diego

United States International University
California Western University was the original name of United States International University (USIU), until the name change in 1968. The law school retained the name California Western School of Law (popularly known as California Western or Cal Western).

California Western was originally chartered in 1924 by Leland Ghent Stanford as a private graduate institution called Balboa Law College, the first law school in San Diego. His brother, Dwight Stanford, served as one of the first deans. Leland Ghent Stanford is not related to the founder of Stanford University, Leland Stanford, though he did earn both his undergraduate and law degrees at Stanford. He also received a M.A. and Ph.D in Government Administration there. Balboa Law College expanded to include undergraduate and other graduate studies and changed its name to Balboa University. The law school was closed in 1946. In 1955 the License was transfered to Balboa Corporation, to open Balboa University in New Mexico, now school in distant education, based in Santa Teresa, Dona Ana County, New Mexico.

In 1952 Balboa University became affiliated with the Southern California Methodist Conference, changed its name to California Western University, and relocated to Point Loma. The law school was reopened downtown. In 1960, the law school had 6 full-time faculty and 23 students. In that year, it relocated to Rohr Hall at Point Loma. It received accreditation from the American Bar Association in 1962.

Following the name change, USIU moved to Scripps Ranch. Point Loma Nazarene University currently occupies the Point Loma site.

California Western University was the first university being accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges to offer a doctorate in Clinical Psychology for off-campus study and practicum. From 1970-1976 this program offered students the opportunity to study, work and do a practicum all while living out of California State, and with only infrequent brief visits to the campus, earn a PhD. The school applied for the accreditation process, which was never completed because of mergers with other universities and because of low enrollment caused by a lack of public knowledge of the program. Nonetheless, this program pioneered the fully accredited PhD programs from such schools as Humanistic Psychology Institute (today Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center) and California School of Professional Psychology.

Misleadingly, the CWU name was also used by California Coast University, a state-approved distance-learning school, until losing a name-infringement lawsuit in 1981. CCU, which opened in 1973, should not be confused with the California Western University which operated from 1924 to 1968. The two schools were never associated in any way, and CCU only gained accreditation in January 2005.

California School of Professional Psychology
California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), was founded by the California Psychological Association in 1969. At the time of its founding, over 90% of psychologists in the U.S. state of California were trained at institutions outside of the state, and primarily as researchers. The school became the first freestanding school of professional psychology, and remains the largest school of professional psychology in California. Over thirty schools throughout the US now use the school's training model to develop professional psychologists.

The school's history has been particularly marked by innovation, and has trained approximately half of the licensed psychologist in California. Today the school offers degree programs in clinical psychology, marriage & family therapy, counselling psychology, and psychopharmacology at campuses in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, Irvine, and abroad in Tokyo, Mexico City, and online.

The San Francisco Bay campus is home to an innovative post-doctoral masters program in psychopharmacology that is on the forefront of advancing prescription privilege for psychologist. In 2004, the American Psychological Association Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) selected the psychopharmacology program to train 100 public service psychologists to prescribe psychotrophic medications. On February 18, 2005, the first civilian psychologist to write a drug prescription in the U.S. state of Louisiana was a CSPP graduate and current faculty member.

CSPP became accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 1977. By the mid-1980s all of its existing Clinical Psychology programs became accredited by the American Psychological Association.

In 2001, California School of Professional Psychology combined with United States International University to form Alliant International University, an independent non-profit upper-division university specializing in the applied social sciences.

Notable alumni

 * Linda Durre - Clinical Psychologist and Television Personality
 * Victor Yalom - Psychologist
 * Jon Wallace - President, Azusa Pacific University
 * Carola Suárez-Orozco, Associate Professor, New York University
 * Ron Karenga - Founder of Kwanzaa
 * Shane Bush - Neuropsychologist
 * Douglas Treadway - President/Superintendent of Ohlone College
 * Andrew Mattison - founder, University of California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research
 * Ken James - Educator
 * James Harper - Distinguished Practitioner Faculty in Psychology, University of Alaska
 * Kevin F. McCready - Psychologist, noted for involvement in Anti-psychiatry movement.