Loyola University Maryland--worth it?

[October229]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to these forums, but I figured I'd make an account so I have a good place to ask questions and get some opinions.

I'll be graduating from undergraduate in May of this year. I recently got accepted to the master's program, practitioner track at Loyola University Maryland. While I do want to eventually get a PsyD or a PhD (not sure which yet, part of my reason for waiting), I'm going for my master's first.

Basically my question is, how do I know if this is a good program or not? I know they're obviously not the best, but I want to stay away from diploma mills and other schools where my degree might not be respected. I'd rather wait another year to get into a program than waste money for a degree that will not help me. Any opinions on the school, either on their master's program or their PsyD program (which I am considering after I get my degree)?

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[ikibah]

You will hear what I'm about to say from everybody who responds to you. "CHECK THE APA INTERNSHIP MATCH RATES' they say that's what matters most. Also, you might be able to get a masters en-route to the psyd if you go straight into the psyd program....definitely worth your while to check.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

If the eventual goal is a doctoral program, then I'd imagine what you're going to want from your masters program will be the ability to participate in research with the accompanying ability to have some substantive research projects (e.g., at least a couple posters and possibly a publication).

You could check with the program to see what proportion of their students go on to doctoral programs. You can also look at the stats of incoming students to see how they stack up to similar masters programs.

Beyond that, I don't have any personal knowledge of this particular program, so I can't speak directly to its quality.

 

[October229]

Thanks for the responses.

Looking back at the student admissions and other data, the % that go on to doctoral programs after completing their MS is 35. For the Psy.D students, approximately 85% receive APA accredited internships (for the 2013/14 school year, it was 95%). I've done plenty of research for all the schools I've applied to and the information for Loyola Maryland doesn't seem too bad, but I wanted to make sure that I've overlooked some red flags that other people have noticed.

 

[PhDToBe]

I have two friends who went there for their master's and went on to good Ph.D. programs. I would do the thesis track if you eventually want a Ph.D., though!

 

[October229]

That's a relief! I never hear people talk about Loyola, so I never could figure out if it is a good school or not.

I've actually recently contacted my advisor about switching to the thesis track rather than the practitioner. When I first filled out the application, I was leaning more towards a PsyD, but after more research over the past couple months, I have a feeling I'm going to end up going for a PhD instead. Luckily, she said switching tracks shouldn't be a problem, so I probably will.