Online Certificate in Neuropsych helpful for PhD admission?

[corndog56]

http://cms.bsu.edu/academics/colleg...cademics/programs/graduate/certificates/neuro

Just stumbled upon this. I work full time, so this would be very doable for me. I finish my Bachelor's soon with a less than competitive GPA, and was planning on doing a masters before applying to PhD programs. Would this be a viable option in lue of a Masters? I know online programs are generally frowned upon, but it really is much easier for my family if I'm taking classes online and can continue to work full time.

Thoughts?

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[WisNeuro]

This will not offset the poor GPA. Grades in online courses, especially post bachelors, are not really considered by the reputable programs. They want to see that you can excel at the graduate level, and this won't help showcase that.

 

[corndog56]

This will not offset the poor GPA. Grades in online courses, especially post bachelors, are not really considered by the reputable programs. They want to see that you can excel at the graduate level, and this won't help showcase that.

Thanks for the input. Do you think it would be a better option to add a minor in a semi-related field onto my undergrad to take a few more classes and raise GPA? My last two years is great, but had a few rough semesters early on. From my understanding a poor undergrad GPA will still negatively impact your chances of acceptance even if you get a masters and perform well.

 

[WisNeuro]

I think the Masters GPA will help more than adding a few more classes. Generally speaking, the few classes add-on will only marginally raise your GPA, and that's if you ace them. Seeing that you can do and excel at Masters level work will be much higher yield.

 

[haRtwin]

Boosting your undergrad GPA by taking more classes will be difficult. The average number of (total) credits to earn a bachelor's degree is between 120-130, and taking a few more classes will do little to raise your GPA. As WisNeuro pointed out, if anything, you will only see a marginal increase in your undergrad GPA.

 

[corndog56]

A little clarification: that marginal increase (granted that I average a 4.0 from here out) would be the difference between a 2.8 and a 3.1. It would actually be 30 extra hours that I would be completing, over two semesters. I know a lot of schools require a 3.0+, so I thought this might be the best option. Granted, even with a 3.1 a lot of schools are going to pass right over my application, but it would also prevent me from being auto-cut based on the 3.0 minimum.

 

[haRtwin]

If your end goal is a PhD or PsyD, then you may need to raise your GPA to meet these minimum cutoffs. And, yes, it will be difficult to get a "good look" from programs with a lower GPA. In that case, I'd still entertain the idea of entering an experimental master's program to increase your chances of admittance into a PhD/PsyD program.