Psychology pre-req at community college?

Graduate School
1

<p>I earned my master's degree from a well known graduate school in 2010.
After working in my field since then, I realized that pursuing a career in psychology is really what I want.
Although I have a master's degree, I don't think it's possible for me to get into a psy doctoral program.
So I looked at several graduate level programs and their application requirement, which include some pre-requisite.
Since I've always been interested in psy, I read some books but was able to take only 1 psy course in my undergrad which was about "substance abuse." - not on the pre-req list.
My goal is to earn a doctoral degree and continue researching and writing. I love interacting with people and listen to their issues but I'm a bit stronger on the scholastic side.</p>

<p>Do I need to go back to undergrad and take Introductory Psychology, basic Statistics class and such?
I looked at undergrad psy programs in my area but due to the CA budget cuts, most schools don't accept post-bacc student, which leaves me with pretty much one option to take the pre-req at community college.
In a case that I do need pre-req, would classes from community college hurt my chance of admission to a grad program?
What if my GRE and Psy subject test score is pretty high? Would community college still look bad?
Oh, and how about an online college?
My GRE from undergrad is 3.6/4.0 and grad is 3.9/4.0 btw</p>

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<p>Do I need to go back to undergrad and take Introductory Psychology, basic Statistics class and such?</p>

<p>Yes. A doctoral degree is for advanced study in a field; the assumption is that you already have a basic level of knowledge about the field. So a psychology PhD program is not going to accept you without a major or the equivalent in psychology.</p>

<p>In a case that I do need pre-req, would classes from community college hurt my chance of admission to a grad program?</p>

<p>Well…yes. Caveat: that doesn’t mean that you won’t get in anywhere, it just depends on other factors in your application. It’s always better to take your prerequisite courses at a four-year college, especially since some of the courses you’ll need are upper-level courses. I also browsed and some of the CA CCs don’t have statistics, research methods, and/or laboratory-based psych classes - all of which are necessary to be a competitive candidate for a PhD program.</p>

<p>It won’t look bad - lots of psychologists get their start at community colleges - it’s just not as ideal as going to a four-year school for the prereqs.</p>

<p>Definitely don’t do them at an online college.</p>

<p>And oh, what you really should worry about is research experience. If you want to go to a research-based PhD program, you really need to get at least one but preferably 2-3 years’ worth of research experience. It can be part-time, but the way to do this is to either get a job as a research associate/assistant for some organization (university psych lab, medical center, nonprofit, think tank, government) or to volunteer with a professor or other researcher a few hours a week.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the prompt reply. </p>

<p>I don’t want to go to CC for full 2yr. It’s a waste of my time. I was thinking just taking 3-4 classes for 1 semester and get out. 2 CCs in LA actually do have statistics and maybe research method during summer. So that was my plan. </p>

<p>As I mentioned, it’s just not possible for me to go back to 4yr undergrad even for 2yr, especially because CA is going through a serious budget crisis that delays the graduation of even currently registered college students. They literally state on the website that they don’t take post-bacc student. I double checked this by sending an email to admission office.
Some says only if they have an opening which means most unlikely… I can pay gazillion for a private school but it’s a lot of money to take 3-4 courses…
One option I can think of is that going back to a private school as a transfer student, take 3-4 courses for 1 semester and drop out.
The problem is that, if they don’t have those courses available all in 1 semester, I’ll be stuck for a few more semesters which is risky for me financially…
Do you think submitting a paper that shows drop out record?</p>

<p>I actually looked at lots of research assistant/volunteer position last year when I thought of quitting my job back then. Soon I realized it’s not going to happen because of my educational background that’s lacking ANY psychology or even social science related.
I don’t know how I’m going to get this done.
But is this important for graduate school admission, and not for a phd program?
Do you have any advice how I’d get a volunteer position for a research project?</p>

4

<p>Well, yes, that’s what I was talking about - taking a few classes, not the full 2 years. Although 3-4 classes will probably not be enough for a PhD - you’ll need 5-7 at minimum.</p>

<p>Now I see your issue. You may be looking up information to be a post-bacc/second-degree student, as in getting a second bachelor’s degree, but you don’t need to do that. All you need to do is be a non-degree student to take a few classes for credit. The Cal States call this “open university.” For example, CSULA has an “open university”, where anyone in LA can tale a Cal State class simply by filling out a form and paying the fee ([Extended</a> Education CSULA](<a href=“http://web.calstatela.edu/extension/sub/openuniv/openuniv.htm]Extended”>http://web.calstatela.edu/extension/sub/openuniv/openuniv.htm)). So does CSU-Dominiguez Hills ([Open</a> University](<a href=“http://www.csudh.edu/open/]Open”>Open University • Extended Learning & Education | CSUDH CCPE | Carson, CA)), CSU Long Beach ([Open</a> University](<a href=“http://www.ccpe.csulb.edu/openuniversity/]Open”>Open University | CSULB)), and CSU Northridge ([OPENU</a> - Homepage | Tseng College](<a href=“http://tsengcollege.csun.edu/programs/openuniversity]OPENU”>University Access (Open University) - Overview)). I’m pretty sure all of the Cal States have this program. You can also take non-degree classes at UCLA through their Extension School.</p>

<p>You also wouldn’t go to a private school as a transfer student; you would go as a non-degree student. Most universities will allow you to take up to a certain amount of credits (usually 24-30) without being in a degree program.</p>

<p>But is this important for graduate school admission, and not for a phd program?</p>

<p>I don’t 100% understand this question, but yes, it’s very important for graduate school. It’s pretty much required for admission to any research-based PhD program, which will be required for you to have a career doing research and writing. Even if you just wanted to get an MA in psychology though, you’d need at least one year of research experience to be competitive.</p>

<p>One way is to look up the profiles of psychology and related professors of nearby universities. UCLA is a prime one, of course, as it is one of the top psychology departments in the country and all of their professors do research. But most of the professors at the Cal States probably also do research. There’s also USC, Loyola Marymount, Azusa Pacific, Pepperdine, and the Claremont Graduate University - all of their professors of psychology likely do some kind of research. There’s also the top private colleges like Occidental, Pomona, Scripps, and Pitzer.</p>

<p>Look on their websites and see if you find a professor doing research that’s deeply interesting to you, then contact that professor (or their lab manager, if you can find their contact information - at UCLA, USC, and perhaps CGU every professor will have a lab manager. At the other schools, the professor themselves is probably the best contact, as most of them won’t have a lab manager) and ask if they need or want a volunteer research assistant. Explain briefly who you are - a student who wants to learn about research because you’re interested in getting a PhD in psychology. This is how students find research positions all the time, so it won’t be unexpected or untoward. You also live nearby RAND, so you may see if RAND has research associate positions open for someone with a master’s degree or a bachelor’s, even without a social science degree.</p>

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<p>Wow, Thank you so much for all the details!
Sorry to keep you online but I just want to clarify 2 things.</p>

<p>1) Were you talking about 5-7 prerequisites to apply for a Ph.D program, not a master’s?
Yes, my goal is to move forward towards phd program after earning a master.
Is that why you mentioned “for phd?”
If not, what kind and how many prereq would be competitive enough to apply for a master’s program?</p>

<p>2) I did look at open university and UC schools’ extension program but I didn’t think that’d count as completing courses at an undergraduate level as it’s technically not in the undergrad.
I did not look for a post-bacc programs at those schools. I just saw and was confirmed by an advisor that they do not accept students who already has a bachelor’s degree…</p>

<p>On a side note, I got an email from one of CSU schools that said I don’t need to take prerequisite right now but I’ll have to take those once I accepted into the program.
It wasn’t a very well known school for a psy program so I don’t think this is the case for other competitive schools. You probably agree, right?</p>

<p>Lastly, thank you so much for great tips on getting a research position. I was simply asking if research experience is an important fact for a master’s program admission. RAND is indeed very close to me. I’ll look into them as well as other school labs. I was very much discouraged about getting even a volunteer position because of my education background. You’re helping me a lot with days of my headache! :D</p>

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<p>1) Were you talking about 5-7 prerequisites to apply for a Ph.D program, not a master’s?</p>

<p>Yes, for a PhD program. You will need some, but fewer, prerequisites for a master’s program - it will really vary based on the program. Some programs are tailored for people who didn’t major in psychology in undergrad so you may need very few if any; other programs are tailored more as an advanced build upon undergrad concepts so they may expect 3-4 at least. I would recommend taking at least 1-2 classes even for a master’s program that doesn’t require any, as most of your competition will have taken some - and also that’s a way to demonstrate that you actually know what you are getting yourself into.</p>

<p>*2) I did look at open university and UC schools’ extension program but I didn’t think that’d count as completing courses at an undergraduate level as it’s technically not in the undergrad. *</p>

<p>…well yes, it does. As I understand it the “open university” classes are just the Cal State/UCs terms for taking a class as a non-degree student. The classes are the same classes as you would take as a full time undergraduate student.</p>

<p>On a side note, I got an email from one of CSU schools that said I don’t need to take prerequisite right now but I’ll have to take those once I accepted into the program.
It wasn’t a very well known school for a psy program so I don’t think this is the case for other competitive schools. You probably agree, right?</p>

<p>There aren’t very many standalone master’s programs at very top/competitive programs. Most top departments offer just a PhD program. But yes, I would say on average the best MA programs in psychology will be accepting students who already have their prerequisites finished and will be prepared to take graduate-level classes the first fall they begin.</p>

<p>I was simply asking if research experience is an important fact for a master’s program admission.</p>

<p>Oh! Well, yes. Not as important for PhD programs, but I think some MA programs expect to see a little experience. The thing to remember is that while programs will say that you don’t need to have this or that before you enroll, their most competitive applicants will have many of those things. But the expectation will be less - while it’s about 2-3 years for a PhD program, it’ll be more like 6 months to a year for an MA program.</p>

<p>I also just want to note that you don’t have to get an MA before you do a PhD in this field. Most students don’t have one - you can take the classes you need as a non-degree student (~7 would be good) and then do 2-3 years of research volunteering, and have good letters of recommendation and the rest - and get admitted. You save money that way (MA programs are rarely funded) and you save time (most PhD programs do not accept much if any credit from MA programs).</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>I can’t thank you enough for such detailed advice, Juliet. </p>

<p>I found out that MA is not necessary to apply for a phd program. But since I’ve been out of school for 3-4 years now, I thought it’d be good for me to go back and study as well as aiming to get good recommendation letters from profs. But yes, taking classes as a non-degree student definitely saves money. </p>

<p>Again, thank you so much Juliet for putting so much time to reply to my ignorant thread. :slight_smile:
If I do get into a PhD program in the future, I definitely owe you a lot!</p>