The answer, under current legislation, is that you do not need a Doctoral level degree. Although registration varies by province, the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) licenses two titles for practitioners.  The first is the well-known title of Psychologist and the second is that of Psychological Associate.  This designation is for practitioners with a suitable masters level education. In other provinces such as Saskatchewan, the title Psychologist, is used for both Masters and Doctoral level practitioners.

4-year undergraduate degree with a 3.0 cumulative GPA, “B”(on a 4-point scale) or better.  We do look at all four years of your degree. However, we do understand that sometimes first & second year don’t go as well as planned. You may also have personal circumstances that impacted your grades. At ADLER, we look at the entire package and focus on the individual.

Short answer:

Yes. AGPS has been granted consent by the Minister of Colleges and Universities to offer
the Master of Psychology** degree, and it has been accepted as educational requirements that qualify students to apply to the College of Psychologists of Ontario to become Psychological Associates.

Longer answer:

There are two aspects to accreditation at the postsecondary level. The first aspect is whether and where the organization* is allowed to offer the degree. In Ontario accreditation is governed by the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act. The Minister of Colleges and Universities grants consent to offer degrees based on whether the offering institution meets standards such as the degree level and organizational capacity and stability. The Minister grants consent based on a review conducted by the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB), an arms-length body whose members are appointed by the government. Most jurisdictions worldwide have a similar process: governments require degree-granting institutions and their degree programs to be evaluated by a government-appointed or private body before they are considered "accredited" and allowed to operate in that jurisdiction. PEQAB reviewed the ADLER organization and its Master of Psychology program, and the Minister initially granted consent in 2011. We have successfully renewed that consent once and are presently in our second renewal cycle.

The second consideration has to do with whether the degree program fulfills the educational requirements for registration with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). The ADLER degree is designed specifically to meet the requirements of the CPO. To meet the educational requirements for membership, the CPO prefers the degree to be accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). CPA accreditation is limited to doctoral degrees and to degrees granted by public universities, neither of which applies to ADLER. However, CPO does accept a master's degree program that "...is considered by a panel of the Registration Committee to be substantially similar" to CPA accreditation requirements. ADLER has submitted its program description and received confirmation from the CPO Registration Committee that its Master of Psychology program is substantially similar to its requirements and thus allows graduates to enter the process of becoming registered as a Psychological Associate, the master's level designation for psychological practice. Ultimately, the proof of whether the MPsy leads to registration with the CPO is whether ADLER MPsy graduates have registered with CPO. We are pleased to report that several graduates have been accepted by the CPO for registration and are at various stages. Furthermore, several have completed all requirements for registration and are autonomous practitioners practicing as Psychological Associates in Ontario. From graduation to full registration takes five years.

There is one further consideration. The College of Registered Psychotherapists (CRPO) is the regulatory body for psychotherapists in Ontario, as outlined in the Psychotherapy Act. The CRPO recognizes ADLER's MPsyas providing an educational program that meets Entry-to-Practice criteria, meaning that graduates have an expedited path to membership in that body. Becoming a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) in Ontario allows one to practice psychotherapy but not access advanced assessment tools to communicate a diagnosis, whereas Psychological Associates may do so.

For a discussion about whether the MPsy degree will meet your own individual goals and background, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*Degree-granting organizations are typically called "universities". However, in Ontario, the only organizations allowed to call themselves universities are publicly supported, that is, funded by taxes. As a private institution, ADLER receives no government funding, even though it is subject to the same standards as universities, so we name our school what it is: a graduate professional school.

**This program is offered under the written consent of the Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development for the period from August 8, 2017 to August 7, 2022. Prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs (e.g., acceptable to potential employers, professional licensing bodies or other educational institutions).

The ministry has a page on their website called Go to College or University in Ontario. As described above, ADLER falls in a unique category as a private graduate school. If you click on the link Find a private postsecondary school, which is our closest comparison listed on the website, you will find the quote "Other institutions, in addition to the schools listed below, have the authority to offer specific degrees with Minister’s consent." We fall under the category of "other institutions". At the bottom of their website page you will find a section titled "Find schools offering degrees under Minister’s consent on the PEQAB website." On the PEQAB website you will see Adler Graduate Professional School listed as having been granted consent.