Are any other psych PhD applicants considering a few “backup” masters programs? I don’t even know where to begin looking. I am going into social psychology.
One other area I was interested in is quantitative psychology, but I am having trouble finding psychology-oriented programs that are at the master’s level.
Don’t do it, unless your grades are low (<3.0) and you need to show that you can succeed on the graduate level. (My PhD is in social psychology + public health, btw.)
Most PhD programs will not accept credits from an MA program. If they do, sometimes they accept one semester’s worth, so the MA will not substantially reduce your time to the PhD. On the other hand, most psychology MA programs are NOT funded. So you will pay a lot of money to get the MA in psychology, when it doesn’t necessarily help your chances of getting into a PhD program that much, and when it won’t help you graduate faster.
If you don’t get into PhD programs in my opinion the best ‘back-up’ is to prepare to find a research job to do in the interim. You could work as a lab manager or research coordinator for a variety of university research labs - psychology to be sure, but also at a medical school (doing psychological research, like in psychiatry); at a school of public health; a school of education; a school of social work, etc. You could also get a job as a research associate at a think tank or nonprofit, like RAND or the Urban Institute.
If you are interested in quantitative psychology (great field!) you could be well-served by a master’s in applied statistics, especially if your BA is in psychology. An MA in statistics is more useful on it’s own than an MA in psychology. There aren’t any quant psych MA programs, which is why you are having a difficult time finding them, but many of the early quant psych stuff you will learn is applied statistics anyway.
Thank you for the advice.
It is definitely true that a master’s in stats is more valuable. That said, would I be able to get in without extensive stat courses? I’ve taken a slew of research method courses, but those have been under the psych department.
I also don’t know feasible a lab manager position or research associate would be. I do not have many connections and am at a low-level uni.
Most MA programs in applied statistics would require a minimum of three semesters of calculus and a semester of linear algebra; many of them are designed for non-math, non-quant undergrad majors who want to switch careers or enhance their research profile.
You do have some connections. You go to a university, right, and surely you have professors in your psychology department? Ask them if they are on any listservs or know of any colleagues who need lab managers or research associates. Check out the websites of professional organizations like the American Psychological Association, Society for Behavioral Medicine, Association for Psychological Science, and the one for your subfield (like Society for Personality and Social Psychology) to see if they have bachelor’s level listings in research. Visit the websites of universities to see if they have postings for research coordinators, particularly at medical school and health sciences campuses. And check out resources like idealist.org, the websites of local nonprofits, and any think tanks in your area or that you would be willing to move to. You don’t need to have extensive connections to get a job, nor do you need to have gone to an elite university.