Palo Alto University (PAU) is a non-profit, private educational institution in Palo Alto, California, United States. The school was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (PGSP).
Palo Alto University offers two undergraduate degree programs (Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and B.S. in Business Psychology) and 6 graduate programs: a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology; a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology as part of a consortium with Stanford University Ph.D. in Counselor Education and three master's degree programs: an M.A. in Counseling, M.S. in Psychology, and MSW in Social Work. PAU subscribes to the practitioner-scientist training model, a variation of the Boulder scientist-practitioner model, which emphasizes clinical practice along with scientific training.
PAU has an interconnected relationship with Stanford University and the Stanford University School of Medicine. PAU maintains its Psy.D. program in conjunction with Stanford University, often employs its students in Stanford research laboratories, and houses faculty members who teach at both institutions.