<p>i just started community college and i am considering my options. one of my ideas to get a phd in psychology to be a therapist or maybe a teacher. can i get through my schooling off of loans?</p>
<p>i am talking in a general sense. is it possible for someone like me to get a phd? my parents aren't going to help pay for college because they have a lot of debt.</p>
<p>i have a 4.0 now with 40 credits in community college, and my last year of high school i had straight As, which included AP classes.</p>
<p>i guess i can always join the army as a last resort.... ?</p>
<p>That depends a bit on the type of program. If you enter a clinical program I am guessing that it will be quite expensive, as professional degrees are generally self-financed and pricey. If it is a research degree then there should be a large number of programs that are funded - you would see reduced tuition (or none) and would receive a painfully small but theoretically livable stipend, and should be able to get through it.</p>
<p>Just bear in mind that if you are not flush with cash you should certainly keep an eye on the relationship between your realistic future earnings and your graduate expenses. It is quite possible to amass loans beyond your ability to repay.</p>
<p>^ Most clinical PhD programs are actually funded, not self-financed. Scientist-practitioner and clinical science programs are both generally funded by the university through a combination of fellowships, research assistantships and teaching assistantships. This is because the majority of clinical psychology programs actually prepare students for a combination of individual/group therapy AND doing research and teaching as a scholar.</p>
<p>If you think you want to be a therapist but maybe also teach, I strongly recommend a clinical psychology PhD program with a scientist-practitioner model (rather than a clinical science model, which is going to focus primarily on research). I would not recommend a PsyD program, as these programs are 1) usually focused exclusively on therapy and <em>consuming</em> research as opposed to producing it, and 2) self-financed degrees that cost a lot of money.</p>
<p>Another thing you can consider is getting a PhD in counseling psychology (same opportunities, but less competitive than clinical psychology) or getting an MSW and then a DSW/PhD in social work (you can get an MSW and conduct clinical social work for years, and then decide after that whether you want to get a PhD in order to teach and do research - and even then, you can choose whether you want a PhD in social work or one in psychology). There’s even the option of getting a BSN/MSN to practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Nursing is unique in that you could teach at a community college or even a 4-year public university with an MSN, but you could also choose to get a DNP or PhD in nursing later and become a full-time nursing professor. Unlike psychology and social work, there is a shortage of nursing professors.</p>
<p>But a PhD in any of these fields would be funded. An MSW or an MSN would cost you money, though; you could attend a public university in your state of residency to save you some money.</p>
<p>thank you julliet, that’s really helpful. i’m going to print off what you said and talk to an adviser about it.</p>