<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Hoping I can get some helpful advice here. I’m currently a student in the biochemistry department at California State University, Northridge just beginning my second undergraduate degree. My first degree was in philosophy from UCLA. Its my hope to get into the sciences, and specifically neuroscience, cognitive psychology, or pharmacology. At this point in my life, though I am enamored with these fields and have been since I was 12 years old, I need to choose a track that won’t take me 8+ years to complete. That’s too long to spend without entering the job market. If there was a way I could make income while going to school so I can help support my fianc</p>
<p>You will have to take additional classes, but you don’t necessarily need to earn a second bachelor’s degree nor do you need to stop working. It’s just that it will take you longer.</p>
<p>Many students want to switch fields. You can work full-time and take classes as a non-degree student at a nearby public university. One way to do this cheaply is to work at the university and take 1 or 2 non-degree courses a semester. Usually one of the benefits of working at the university is free coursework.</p>
<p>But before you start any coursework (including your second degree) you need to decide what field you want to pursue. If you intend to continue that second bachelor’s program you need to decide now. The classes you will take to prepare for a PhD in cognitive psychology will be very different from the ones you need to prepare for neuroscience. For example, a BS in biochemistry will not really help you in applying to cognitive psychology programs; you need to take significant coursework in psychology.</p>
<p>You can skip the second bachelor’s but you can’t skip the coursework. No PhD program is going to just let you walk in without any undergrad preparation, and most MA programs won’t either. (There aren’t many MS programs in cognitive psychology, BTW, and getting a master’s in psychology is not necessarily a career-producing move.)</p>
<p>You also need to get research experience - at least 2 years of part or full time experience, but more preferably 3-4+.</p>