<p>I'm set to graduate with a B.A. in Biology at the end of this year. My question is, is it possible to jump disciplines in graduate school? Reason I am asking is because I'm becoming more interested in social work, especially helping those with addictions (my family has a history of drug addictions...)</p>
<p>I know that social work requires a BSW, which would mean I would have to go back for another bachelors. But I'm also looking into counseling, or clinical psychology, which is a graduate level degree. </p>
<p>Can I be considered even though my undergrad degree is pretty far removed from my new interests? My GPA is around 3.7, and I'm certain its going to stay around there (or increase) when I do graduate.
What about other interests? Occupational therapy, dietetics and physical therapy have all been ideas I want to explore further.</p>
<p>Short answer: yes it is possible.</p>
<p>Longer answer: search around on here, there are literally dozens of threads addressing this issue.</p>
<p>Social work graduate programs (and you probably mean MSW programs, which is the degree needed for practicing social workers, as opposed to research and academic oriented PhD programs) do not require a BSW for entrance. If you have a BSW you can enter MSW programs in “advanced standing” and basically complete the MSW in 1 year. Many people enter without a BSW though, in which case they complete the MSW in the standard 2 years (although there are programs like the University of Michigan’s that let you do a 16 month program where you continue straight through the summer). </p>
<p>Check out some MSW progam websites. They have a fairly detailed list of prerequisite courses for admission because they are all accredited by the same organization (the CSWE). Your only issue might be the number of social science classes.</p>
<p>Also, many of the better programs (UC Berkeley, Univ. of Michigan, Univ. of Chicago, Wash U, etc) like to see substantial work experience prior to applying. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but it is something to consider. I think the University of Washingon - Seattle has statistics on mean age of matriculating students and number of years post BA of work experience. </p>
<p>As far as other degrees, Clinical and Counseling Psychology PhD programs (especially clinical) are much, much harder to get into and are more oriented toward research. There are Psy. D programs in psychology that are practice oriented, but they are also more competitive than MSW programs and the degree is newer and maybe not as well known. At the master’s level it seems like the MSW is the most respected and the most flexible, although opinions other than mine should certainly be sought out. </p>
<p>My spouse is currently applying / has applied to MSW programs, that’s where I get my info.</p>
<p>I am in my second year of an MSW program and did not major in social work or in a related field as an undergraduate. I would say that in my class less than 25% of the class had a BSW as their undergraduate degree. You may have to take a couple of prerequisites if you don’t have them (eg a statistics course, a research methods course), but I definitely wouldn’t waste our time getting a BSW. Instead you’re better off getting work experience in the field. With an MSW you will get better pay and have far more job options than with a BSW.</p>
<p>You can get an MSW with a BA in biology. Entering a clinical or counseling PhD without a background in psychology will be very difficult to impossible; your best bet would be to take some pre-requisite courses in psychology (all the basics they will want you to have - at least 20 hours in psychology I’d wager, and take intro to psychology, abnormal, research methods, statistics, and maybe a class in the population you’re interested like children or women) and get some experience volunteering with psychologists or working in a university research lab. Those kinds of positions usually open up at the end of the academic year, after current research coordinators have agreed to attend PhD programs.</p>
<p>Don’t go back for another bachelor’s in either of those fields - it’s a waste of time to acquire another bachelor’s when really all you need is some pre-req courses. There are also post-baccalaureate programs designed to prepare you for study in clinical psych PhD programs - my psychology department at Columbia has one, for example.</p>
<p>Your Biology BS will be great preparation for the other interests you listed (occupational therapy, dietetics and physical therapy). Look around at some websites and see what kinds of classes they require you to have before you enter, and take those. Likely with a degree in biology you will only need 2-3 or maybe none. (One that you will have to take is anatomy, unless you’ve already taken that.)</p>