PsyD Degree means four or five years of school study, followed by internship and eventually by the license as doctor in Psychology.
The psyd degree could be an applied/clinical practical degree, as well as a research degree. There are large differences between the two areas of specialization.
University and professional school programs are also very different, not only in studies, but also as financial expenses. Professional schools though may not always be the best offer in all the area of specialization that one might choose. But there are many pros and cons regarding the best choice for a Psyd degree study and people who are interested in the subject should always find their personal inner judgement and argumentation in order to have the most suitable solution.
You may attend these courses in the university or in special professional schools, preferably going for a Psyd degree after having a MS degree. It is not a rule. You may also choose to take your Psyd degree without a MS one, even though some people may find this a longer and wasteful process. This might actually become acceptable as time spent studying if you can take your Psyd degree faster than the average student.
There are programs which allow you to skip some classes and shorten your Psyd degree study time, even though the process is not always easy and you have to submit a syllabi waiver on time. PsyD degree programs may not entirely accept shorter studies, but if your syllabi lines up, you may have the possibility to take off between two and four classes per semester in the first year or two. Another solution would be to transfer some of the classes from MS, although the type of program you’ve chosen might be important for the information you can transfer, as you should also check the sequence of the classes in your program.
Usually, universities and professional schools do not allow transfer of such classes as long as you didn’t get to attend them. Particularly in the first year, the PsyD degree student may be limited by when classes are offered. The student must always take the required classes first. Most of the classes that could be waived in several university programs were Stats I, Adult Psychology, Child Psychopathology and Research Methods. So if you’re looking to do an MS and afterwards apply to a Psyd degree program, you can also choose research-based MS programs which have a good history of getting people into doctoral programs. And if you are interested in shortening your study time in PsyD degree study, check your syllabi in time and submit your waiver as soon as possible, starting with the first years of study.