Advice: Counseling Psychology PhD or Clinical Psychology PsyD

[psychvice]

Hi folks, so I'm currently in a predicament and could use some input and perspective. I am currently deciding between a clinical psychology PsyD (Wright State University) and a counseling psychology PhD (University of Iowa).

I have been offered admission to both programs (both APA accredited, both have consistent 90%+ accredited match rates over the past 5+ years). My goal long term is to work with underserved populations (particularly military and rural), likely in a VA setting, with a particular interest in trauma-related pathology. Additionally, I'd love to work in academia somewhere down the line.

One of the big factors is, of course, funding. The PhD program is not automatically funded, but historically all students in the past 7 years who have applied for and sought out funding have received full funding. The PsyD is affordable as it is at a state school in my residential state with some funding opportunities, but is not funded. I do have undergraduate student loan debt, so I would not be going into this debt-free.

The counseling psych PhD program is specifically geared towards and centralized towards rural mental health. The PsyD is generalist with no official focus/specialization per say, but has many practicum sites geared towards military etc.

The PsyD is closer and in a smaller town (which is my personal preference over a larger city + proximity to family), whereas the PhD program is several states away in a large university town. I know that's a lot, and I apologize in advance, but would be beyond grateful for any advice/input/insight into opportunities beyond what's generally available on the internet. I'm a first gen college student, therefore I'm also first in my family to pursue a doctorate, and have limited sources for candid advice. Thank you!

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[summerbabe]

Congrats on holding 2 offers.

From one first gen student to another, I would 1000000000% go with University of Iowa and not look back. There's no reason to saddle yourself with even more debt. And if you'd like to adjunct or do something else in academia, having a PhD may be quite helpful since PsyDs largely don't work in this space.

These days, I don't think there is much difference in overall foundational knowledge taught at reputable counseling vs clinical programs, just maybe different content focuses. And even then, those lines are very much blurring IMO. Plus, once you're licensed, just about nobody cares.

I work in the VA and since the Iowa City VA has an internship program, I imagine they have prac opportunities as well.

 

[psychvice]

Congrats on holding 2 offers.

From one first gen student to another, I would 1000000000% go with University of Iowa and not look back. There's no reason to saddle yourself with even more debt. And if you'd like to adjunct or do something else in academia, having a PhD may be quite helpful since PsyDs largely don't work in this space.

These days, I don't think there is much difference in overall foundational knowledge taught at reputable counseling vs clinical programs, just maybe different content focuses. And even then, those lines are very much blurring IMO. Plus, once you're licensed, just about nobody cares.

I work in the VA and since the Iowa City VA has an internship program, I imagine they have prac opportunities as well.

Thank you for the insight and advice!!! They do have VA prac options, and while they are for more advanced standing students, still pretty early exposure in the setting.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I briefly tried to find information on the cost of the Wright State program, but couldn't turn anything up other than that the fees are "modest" compared to other such programs because it's state-supported.

But all things considered, it sounds like the counseling Ph.D. program (Iowa) is a better fit for your interests and career goals overall, particularly considering the potential goal of academia. That the Ph.D. program is also funded and is geared toward rural care seems to seal the deal, at least in my mind.

 

[R. Matey]

The counseling program at U Iowa is great and I highly recommend it. I've met and worked with several people from Iowa and have been pretty impressed with what I've seen. I've also worked with people from Wright State, and have encountered the variance you would expect from a semi-unfunded program though Wright State I think is closer to the top of the distribution than, say, Fielding or WJC. It seems like Iowa is more in line with your interests, as others noted, so I think it's a slam dunk.

 

[calimich]

The counseling program at U Iowa is great and I highly recommend it. I've met and worked with several people from Iowa and have been pretty impressed with what I've seen. I've also worked with people from Wright State, and have encountered the variance you would expect from a semi-unfunded program though Wright State I think is closer to the top of the distribution than, say, Fielding or WJC. It seems like Iowa is more in line with your interests, as others noted, so I think it's a slam dunk.

this is nearly identical to my experience

 

[psychvice]

I briefly tried to find information on the cost of the Wright State program, but couldn't turn anything up other than that the fees are "modest" compared to other such programs because it's state-supported.

But all things considered, it sounds like the counseling Ph.D. program (Iowa) is a better fit for your interests and career goals overall, particularly considering the potential goal of academia. That the Ph.D. program is also funded and is geared toward rural care seems to seal the deal, at least in my mind.

They are modest compared to a few other programs I applied to/was offered admission for ($27K/year for tuition only, not including any COL support).

Thank you!

 

[psychvice]

The counseling program at U Iowa is great and I highly recommend it. I've met and worked with several people from Iowa and have been pretty impressed with what I've seen. I've also worked with people from Wright State, and have encountered the variance you would expect from a semi-unfunded program though Wright State I think is closer to the top of the distribution than, say, Fielding or WJC. It seems like Iowa is more in line with your interests, as others noted, so I think it's a slam dunk.

Definitely, thank you for your insight! Professional reputation is an important factor to me, so I appreciate you touching on your experiences!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

They are modest compared to a few other programs I applied to/was offered admission for ($27K/year for tuition only, not including any COL support).

Thank you!

$27k/year is what Wright was charging, or what the other programs typically charged? If the former, I would even more strongly recommend the funded option, even if it didn't seem like the better fit career-wise (which it does).

 

[psychvice]

$27k/year is what Wright was charging, or what the other programs typically charged? If the former, I would even more strongly recommend the funded option, even if it didn't seem like the better fit career-wise (which it does).

$27K/year is approximately Wright's yearly in-state tuition charge; sorry, I see how what I said could be confusing 😂

 

[AcronymAllergy]

$27K/year is approximately Wright's yearly in-state tuition charge; sorry, I see how what I said could be confusing 😂

Ah, understood, and no worries. I hadn't realized tuitions had gone up to the point where $27k/year is now modest. Oof. For a typical training duration, that works out to about $130-160k, sans living expenses and interest. Iowa is sounding better and better.

Although again, not to make it entirely financial. Iowa also sounds like they offer stellar training, and they're a good fit for your goals.

 

[summerbabe]

They are modest compared to a few other programs I applied to/was offered admission for ($27K/year for tuition only, not including any COL support).

Thank you!

$27,000 is only modest when compared to other PsyDs or places like Grinnell College which has an undergrad sticker price of $80,740/year for tuition, room & board, fees, and books.

But $27,000 (which might be higher if you need to borrow for living expenses) x ~5 years at maybe 6ish% interest that compounds while in grad school adds up to mid-6 figures of additional debt and represents money that you will surely prefer to spend on things like a mortgage in the future.

 

[psychvice]

$27,000 is only modest when compared to other PsyDs or places like Grinnell College which has an undergrad sticker price of $80,740/year for tuition, room & board, fees, and books.

But $27,000 (which might be higher if you need to borrow for living expenses) x ~5 years at maybe 6ish% interest that compounds while in grad school adds up to mid-6 figures of additional debt and represents money that you will surely prefer to spend on things like a mortgage in the future.

Yep exactly, that's why I said "modest" in quotes haha. I was also accepted to Denver, so my determination of PsyD program cost being "modest" for Wright is in comparison to DU's price tag ($67K/year) amongst a few others.

That being said, my priority is quality of education and opportunities within the program/good fit. I didn't want to write off Wright purely because of it being unfunded if the quality and fit is better. However... based on my own experiences interacting with the faculty/students at UI, my gut feeling, and the input from you all, I am thinking Iowa will be a better option all around.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Easy choice. Counseling program.

 

[R. Matey]

That being said, my priority is quality of education and opportunities within the program/good fit. I didn't want to write off Wright purely because of it being unfunded if the quality and fit is better. However... based on my own experiences interacting with the faculty/students at UI, my gut feeling, and the input from you all, I am thinking Iowa will be a better option all around.

Good instinct. I get it that you might not want to move to Iowa City (which, btw, is more lovely than you might expect), but I applaud you for putting your future above what might be immediately convenient.

 

[Sanman]

From the sound of it, both will offer you the opportunities to meet your goals. Given that and your interest in helping underserved populations, make the cheaper choice. Iowa sounds like the cheaper choice even if the funding ends up being inconsistent.

 

[R. Matey]

From the sound of it, both will offer you the opportunities to meet your goals. Given that and your interest in helping underserved populations, make the cheaper choice. Iowa sounds like the cheaper choice even if the funding ends up being inconsistent.

IME, it's pretty common for programs to say that they can't guarantee funding even if they have an excellent track record just to hedge expectations against disaster. If the program has enjoyed good funding historically, it is likely to continue barring an unforeseen issue.

 

[Sanman]

IME, it's pretty common for programs to say that they can't guarantee funding even if they have an excellent track record just to hedge expectations against disaster. If the program has enjoyed good funding historically, it is likely to continue barring an unforeseen issue.

This is true generally, but depends on the funding source. I know some folks that switched from grant money to TA money that had a change in funding. Still a better deal than paying tuition.

 

[Mama Bear]

Even if they can’t guarantee funding (I agree with other posters that I’ve heard many programs say this to be on the safe side even though they have a good track record), consider what the finances would be: if you, say, get funding only some years, is it not overall less money compared to the other programs?

 

[quickpsych]

Iowa. It's focused on a key area of your interest, it's likely going to fund a good portion of your doctorate, and it has a good reputation. Wright is good but it can't match the deal Iowa is presenting when considering funding and your clinical interest.