Masters or PhD in Psychology?

Graduate School
1

<p>I am interested in applying to either a masters or PhD program next year and I would like to know what is the best route for me. As for my background, I majored in political science and finished with a low 3.0 gpa. The only research experience I have is a poli sci research methods course in undergrad. I have not yet taken the GRE, but if there is any correlation at all, I did score a 160 on the LSAT when law school was being considered. I am studying for the GRE now and it seems quite easy for the most part. I am currently 30 years old and I have worked in medical software sales, import sales for overseas manufacturers and pharmaceutical sales; where I work now. </p>

<p>Considering my educational background (or lack thereof in psychology) and my work experience, what would be the best option for me? Is work experience even considered or weighed much in the application process? Should I non-matriculate at a 4 year school and take intro to PSY, PSY statistics and research methods, then apply to a PhD program? If that doesn't seem feasible, should I take cheap classes at a community college and apply to a masters program?</p>

<p>As for the field I intend to study, I am interested in neuropsychology. I would prefer not to spend 2 years in a masters program knowing that it is likely that none of the credits will transfer into a PhD program. Would it be wise to non-matriculate and take a couple graduate level courses to improve my candidacy? This is based off the assumption that non-matriculated graduate courses have a more lenient admissions acceptance for someone like myself with no psychology background.</p>

<p>I am looking for the best options to improve my application. I intend to volunteer or find paid research jobs in the meantime so I can have my letters of recommendation lined up while getting research experience. I realize I am not old, but I am not young either so time is a bit of concern. If it is possible to take courses ( possibly for a year) to get some psychology/research/statistical experience and then apply to a PhD program instead of spending time taking prereqs for my masters (a longer stepping stone), I would much prefer the former of the two.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance for any advice.</p>

2

<p>Your best bet for getting into a program is to volunteer as a research assistant for a professor on the selection board at a quality Neuropsychology program. If you impress him/her, then that’s going to go really far towards getting you into that program especially if they use a faculty-mentor system. You will probably need the research position plus one or two undergrad courses in psychology which you should need to get an A in. Exact course requirements for entry should be listed on each school’s website. If you do well on the subject test of the GRE, that combination should do well towards overcoming your low GPA disadvantage.</p>

<p>Your second best alternative to a PhD or PsyD is probably going to be nursing. The top of the line degree there would be a Psychiatric Nurse Practioner, but an RN also has a lot of avenues into mental health. Over in the Psychology Master’s area, your state will have some sort of generic counseling license such as an LPC, but that’s probably a bad idea. There may also be some obscure specialty licenses in your state that require only a Master’s which can sometimes be in high demand (Example: BCBA), but you should check with someone who works in mental health in your area to get a feel for the local job market.</p>

<p>If you have zero interest in doing clinical work and are expecting to just do research, then you should consider a different career path. Jobs in academia are extremely competitive. You will likely need a year of post-doc after getting your PhD or PsyD to get tenure. You will be in your late 30’s before you are taking home a decent salary again and can start paying off your debt. That’s if things work out perfectly. If they don’t work out, then you could easily end up in clinical work anyways. The next best alternative for psychology-related degrees is going to be in education (public school districts). Education jobs don’t pay as well and tend to be slightly more competitive, but you do get a ridiculous amount of vacation. There is also the counseling track and a few different jobs in social work, but I know the least about those, and I doubt that would entail a Neuropsychology degree anyways. If you don’t have a lot of experience interacting with people with serious mental disorders, then you definitely should get some. This can be an unnerving experience for some people. Although many jobs do not entail providing direct care to clients, you will still likely be interacting with those individuals on a semi-regular basis.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your reply. That does give me a little more insight on what is expected, however I am curious about how much research experience is necessary for a master’s program vs a PhD program. Would I need one year of research to be a good candidate for a master’s program and 2 years for a PhD program? Will 2 psy courses and a semester of research be sufficient?</p>

<p>I feel as if I should take 2-3 classes and do some research to just get into a master’s program. Is it possible to take a couple classes with some research for one semester and apply to a PhD program? It seems as if my bad gpa will still overshadow that one semester of psy classes and research. I know how competitive it can be so I would like to be as prepared as possible while finding the most efficient route to grad school.</p>

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<p>You need more than 1-3 classes in psychology. Just intro, research methods and statistics won’t be enough. If you want to get into a psychology PhD program, at minimum you will need</p>

<p>1) Intro to Psychology
2) Psychological Research Methods (sometimes called Experimental Research Methods or something like that)
3) Intro to Statistics (in a psychology department)
4 & 5) At least two electives in a psychology area. It is preferable if one of them is a psych laboratory class, but they should be in your research area. Since you want to do neuropsychology, you should take for example a class in biological psychology (usually a lab course) and a class in neuroscience (sometimes called mind, brain, and behavior).</p>

<p>These are BARE MINIMUMS. Most successful psychology PhD applicants had a major or the equivalent in psychology, which is generally about 10-12 classes. Also, many psych programs don’t require the psychology GRE - none of mine did. So investigate that before you take it.</p>

<p>You have two options. You can either take the psychology classes as a non-degree student, or you can take a master’s program.</p>

<p>The upside to the master’s program is that you get everything you need in an all-in-one 2-year package. The classes, the research experience, and the recommendation letters from professors. The downside is that you have to pay for it out of pocket, since funding for psychology MA programs is rare, and that you are unlikely to transfer any classes into your PhD program. You would still need a few prereqs to be competitive for an MA program (maybe 2-3 classes). I normally don’t recommend psychology master’s programs unless the person has zero or very little background in psychology because of the cost + transfer issues, but they are sometimes a good idea for a person who can afford them (or get funding) and needs research AND coursework.</p>

<p>The other option is the non-degree classes. You can take at least the 5 non-degree classes listed above (more is better) and volunteer to do research with a professor in your spare time. The upside is the likely lower cost - even non-degree classes at your local four-year will be cheaper than an MA - and that you only take exactly what courses you need. Time isn’t an upside here, since you’ll need at least 2 years of research experience to be competitive (part-time is ok).</p>

<p>I guess option 2.5 is to get a full-time job as a lab manager in a neuroscience/neuropsychology lab. Then you could take the non-degree classes you need for free. Most people who do these jobs do them for 2-3 years with the goal of getting into a PhD program after that.</p>

<p>No, your work experience won’t count unless it is directly related to neuropsychology research.</p>

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<p>You won’t be a competitive applicant at all if you do this. Most competitive applicants have the equivalent of a major in psychology (or neuroscience), which is about 10-12 classes, and about 2-3 years’ worth of research experience. 2 classes and one semester of research will put you far behind the most competitive applicants.</p>

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<p>Hi Juillet, </p>

<p>Thanks for such a detailed reply. This is very helpful with understanding what is necessary for me to become competitive for a master’s or PhD program. </p>

<p>As for choosing to take some classes and seeking out a research position or going the masters route, I will choose a masters program. I can’t afford to pay for classes without student loans while a master’s program will allow me to use grad loans to fund it. Just one class at a local 4 year school is $800 per class for undergad. </p>

<p>I realize you mentioned it would be ideal for me to take 2-3 basic psychology courses for a master’s program but would it be possible to be admitted with no psychology background but a good gre? Thanks. </p>

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<p>It depends on the program - some psychology MA programs are designed in part for students who want to transition into psychology from some other undergrad major, and so they have few to no requirements. Others will let you in as a conditional student while you take the prerequisites. You’ll have to investigate individual programs in your area, and perhaps talk to some professors or the departmental secretary there.</p>