- Joined
- Sep 1, 2015
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi Everybody,
I currently have a BA in Psychology and research experience (RA work in a health psych laboratory and contributed to a publication). I graduated in 2014 and took time off to get some field experience since I was heavily interested in public health. I currently work as a program coordinator who helps support health education initiatives at a local university (which I love doing).
There is currently a strong chance that I will eventually apply to a PhD program in health psychology, as I would eventually like to research health behaviors, health disparities (particularly mental health disparities), and culturally competent preventative interventions/policies (particularly within Latino communities).
I do not currently feel prepared to commit to an academic PhD at the moment and would like to pursue a professional degree before in order to gain marketable job skills and additional research methods knowledge/experience. I have narrowed down my choices to either an MPH or an MSW with a specialization in community mental health.
I'm weighing the pros and cons of each degree and this is how I feel about both:
The MSW is a slight front runner because it will give me the option to practice psychotherapy (which is not my ultimate career goal, but would be a very useful skill set to have heading into both a PhD program and the current job market), and would be a more affordable degree. My concern, however, is that this degree may not be as research-intensive as I would like. I also am a little afraid of becoming burnt-out by clinical work and of the salary that an MSW would grant me.
An MPH aligns more with my current interests and honestly seems more fun and exciting to me, however, I think that the path to employment with an MPH would be much less clear if it ends up being my terminal degree since I would be choosing a specialty such as community health/health education. I have also noticed that MPH students do not receive as much financial support as MSW students.
If my ultimate goal is research and teaching, does anyone have any suggestions as to which degree would be a better stepping stone for me at this time? Any input is much appreciated!
I currently have a BA in Psychology and research experience (RA work in a health psych laboratory and contributed to a publication). I graduated in 2014 and took time off to get some field experience since I was heavily interested in public health. I currently work as a program coordinator who helps support health education initiatives at a local university (which I love doing).
There is currently a strong chance that I will eventually apply to a PhD program in health psychology, as I would eventually like to research health behaviors, health disparities (particularly mental health disparities), and culturally competent preventative interventions/policies (particularly within Latino communities).
I do not currently feel prepared to commit to an academic PhD at the moment and would like to pursue a professional degree before in order to gain marketable job skills and additional research methods knowledge/experience. I have narrowed down my choices to either an MPH or an MSW with a specialization in community mental health.
I'm weighing the pros and cons of each degree and this is how I feel about both:
The MSW is a slight front runner because it will give me the option to practice psychotherapy (which is not my ultimate career goal, but would be a very useful skill set to have heading into both a PhD program and the current job market), and would be a more affordable degree. My concern, however, is that this degree may not be as research-intensive as I would like. I also am a little afraid of becoming burnt-out by clinical work and of the salary that an MSW would grant me.
An MPH aligns more with my current interests and honestly seems more fun and exciting to me, however, I think that the path to employment with an MPH would be much less clear if it ends up being my terminal degree since I would be choosing a specialty such as community health/health education. I have also noticed that MPH students do not receive as much financial support as MSW students.
If my ultimate goal is research and teaching, does anyone have any suggestions as to which degree would be a better stepping stone for me at this time? Any input is much appreciated!