where to get ph.d? questions @ transferring/studying in England

[books31]

I am in my first year of grad. school. I am unhappy (not with my school) with the location and looking to transfer to a university out of state. Although, I want to have some of my studying done abroad in London.

Would it best to finish out the master's segment in the US? Then obtain the Ph.D in London? Or should I transfer out now to London for the master's and then apply for the Ph.D in the US?

Ultimately, I want to have my own private practice in southern Calif. But I definitely want to study in London.


Ph.D US?
Ph.D London?

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[docma]

Getting licensed to practice in the US will be simpler if you degree is granted here. You definitely need to explore the California state licensing laws in relation to degrees granted outside the US and actually talk to someone who has negotiated gaining one from a UK school

 

[PsyDr]

due to the extreme differences between curricula, a UK PhD would likely to be rejected by many BOPs.


this is not undergrad. there is no semester abroad.

 

[psychanxiety]

I am in my first year of grad. school. I am unhappy (not with my school) with the location and looking to transfer to a university out of state. Although, I want to have some of my studying done abroad in London.

Would it best to finish out the master's segment in the US? Then obtain the Ph.D in London? Or should I transfer out now to London for the master's and then apply for the Ph.D in the US?

Ultimately, I want to have my own private practice in southern Calif. But I definitely want to study in London.


Ph.D US?
Ph.D London?

Like everyone else said, if you plan on practicing in the states it's a bad idea to get your PhD abroad. It'll making licensing way more difficult. Also, most PhD programs will make you re-do the masters even if you transfer from one US university to another, so I imagine a UK master's is the same issue. Master's don't usually save any time, although there are a few programs that accept credits from other US universities. In undergrad, the only issue is whether the classes you took are any good. In grad school, you're dealing with APA accreditation and licensing. Do your graduate work in the states.

 

[erg923]

You're unhappy in Hawaii?

 

[erg923]

Why dont you just live and work in london for a bit, then come back to the US for a doctoral program? That way, you get to have tea and crumpets with the queen mum AND avoid the complication of studying there and then coming back. If you want to practice in the US, then its best to train here if you can.

 

[cara susanna]

Also, I believe the UK PhD is set up very differently, where it's basically all research and no coursework. Or am I wrong? I thought I read that somewhere else on this forum, though.

 

[Ollie123]

Though I'm sure its POSSIBLE to get licensed with a UK degree (though their PhD system is vastly different from ours...I think its research only and there is a separate degree system for practice that you would need to get), I agree with others that it will definitely be easier with a degree from a US school.

If you are dead-set on studying in London, the master's is probably better since it would be superceded by your doctoral training in the states anyways. Its most likely going to add time to your training to do a separete degree though.

Also, you may be thinking of this a bit too much like undergrad. I've never heard of anyone "transferring". It would be more like dropping out and starting over. Maybe you get a couple classes get waived. If you finished your master's and it was really good, you might not have to do another one. For the most part, you will end up re-doing a substantial portion of the past year. As others have said, there's no study abroad. If you have a legitimate reason for needing to be in London (i.e. a specific scientist who collaborates with your advisor and is a world expert in x that you need to be trained in for your dissertation) you might be able to justify going there for a short while, get a training grant, etc..

 

[RileyG]

A girl in my PhD program got her masters in England (University of Exeter) and her degree and thesis were accepted at our PhD program...so it's possible to do. But like the others have said, it's probably best to complete your PhD in the states.

And I second Erg...you are unhappy in Hawaii?!

 

[terpskins10]

Do you think it would be as difficult to get a license in the US if I obtained a PhD in Canada?

 

[erg923]

No. APA accredits Canadian programs

 

[thewesternsky]

No. APA accredits Canadian programs

Not anymore.... The APA and CPA (Canadian Psychological Association) are in the process of phasing out concurrent accreditation. Beginning on September 1, 2015, the APA will no longer accredit programs in Canada (depending on which program you attend, if you graduate before 2015 you might or might not graduate from an APA-accredited program).

Still, if you attend a Canadian program that was APA accredited before the APA policy change, licensing will likely be possible (and significantly easier than getting licensed with a degree from the UK).

 

[prada]

you actually CANNOT become a licensed psychologist at any of the uk schools as an american. i've looked into this a great deal, and the uk will not accept foreigners into their programs leading to licensure if they know that the applicant does not intend to practice in the uk. be careful when reading about the programs- they have a ton of "clinical psychology" dphils and phd's but these are different than ours here in the united states. for these programs you apply to the school which offers the program. for the programs leading to licensure, you apply through the british clearinghouse for psychology and they pretty much tell you on the webpage that you will not be accepted if you're not from the united kingdom. that being said, you can get the non-licensure track phd in clinical psychology which is 3 years of research, no coursework, and then do a respecialization program in the united states to become licensed here. the bottom line is this: you're going to pay a great deal of money for a degree in the uk that you could get for free here in the u.s. i was looking into it more as a back-up plan for if i don't get accepted here (they accept a great deal more people into their programs than we do)

 

[books31]

First,

A BIG THANK YOU for your much appreciated input.

Just to make note, before my original post, I was (and still am) looking very hard into achieving my doctorate in the US with some type of abroad link study. I have been very aware that grad school is NOT like undergrad and there is no study abroad program. BUT if you look hard and very carefully, there are some US schools that offer study abroad credit. For example, Alliant had a summer abroad program for forensic psychology to work with police and study mafia ties in Rome, Italy. I know this because my school had Alliant visit us and mentioned that. That program sounds perfect, but I am not studying forensic psych (and you have to be enrolled in Alliant's Forensics emphasis).

This also had me thinking about applying to Alliant. However, I have been aware that Alliant has changed over the years (word of mouth by practicing therapists) and there is debate concerning Alliant. Current students also say that Alliant is not very student friendly/helpful (but this topic can spill into another separate post). I am NOT degrading Alliant. It is just what I heard. Although, from what I gather Alliant is better than Argosy (which seems like a cash cow), and Alliant seems perhaps equivalent to the Chicago Schools of Prof. Psychology (heard respectable things).

Back to topic, since I could not find a program allowing to study in Europe for a small period of time. I started looking into achieving the Ph.D or master's degree over there. Ultimately, in my case studying in the Netherlands or UK would suit me best (not because I want to "have tea with the queen mum" as someone suggested, LOL). Before the original post, I did look into grad. school in Europe and it does seem difficult with their different system... not impossible.

I still have yet to figure out a master plan. I do not mind losing some credits either. I have always heard that the best education is how you apply yourself. With that said, lately the advice from practicing therapists is to just get my Ph.D because in the end that degree matters more than the school attended.

Would you agree with them?

Thanks again! More input is always welcome.


P.S.
I seek learning in Europe because I am fascinated with their perspectives from the US. I have traveled my whole life, spent a few years in Europe, and studied there before which never ceases to amaze me. Also, YES I am unhappy with Hawaii. It is a wonderful, beautiful, warm place but limited in some areas. I have been raised most of my life in Hawaii and feel it is best for me to grow with my passion elsewhere. Education: Hawaii is very limited with Psych. Ph.D- only Argosy and University of Hawaii.

 

[KillerDiller]

First,

A BIG THANK YOU for your much appreciated input.

Just to make note, before my original post, I was (and still am) looking very hard into achieving my doctorate in the US with some type of abroad link study. I have been very aware that grad school is NOT like undergrad and there is no study abroad program. BUT if you look hard and very carefully, there are some US schools that offer study abroad credit. For example, Alliant had a summer abroad program for forensic psychology to work with police and study mafia ties in Rome, Italy. I know this because my school had Alliant visit us and mentioned that. That program sounds perfect, but I am not studying forensic psych (and you have to be enrolled in Alliant's Forensics emphasis).

This also had me thinking about applying to Alliant. However, I have been aware that Alliant has changed over the years (word of mouth by practicing therapists) and there is debate concerning Alliant. Current students also say that Alliant is not very student friendly/helpful (but this topic can spill into another separate post). I am NOT degrading Alliant. It is just what I heard. Although, from what I gather Alliant is better than Argosy (which seems like a cash cow), and Alliant seems perhaps equivalent to the Chicago Schools of Prof. Psychology (heard respectable things).

Back to topic, since I could not find a program allowing to study in Europe for a small period of time. I started looking into achieving the Ph.D or master's degree over there. Ultimately, in my case studying in the Netherlands or UK would suit me best (not because I want to "have tea with the queen mum" as someone suggested, LOL). Before the original post, I did look into grad. school in Europe and it does seem difficult with their different system... not impossible.

I still have yet to figure out a master plan. I do not mind losing some credits either. I have always heard that the best education is how you apply yourself. With that said, lately the advice from practicing therapists is to just get my Ph.D because in the end that degree matters more than the school attended.

Would you agree with them?

Thanks again! More input is always welcome.


P.S.
I seek learning in Europe because I am fascinated with their perspectives from the US. I have traveled my whole life, spent a few years in Europe, and studied there before which never ceases to amaze me. Also, YES I am unhappy with Hawaii. It is a wonderful, beautiful, warm place but limited in some areas. I have been raised most of my life in Hawaii and feel it is best for me to grow with my passion elsewhere. Education: Hawaii is very limited with Psych. Ph.D- only Argosy and University of Hawaii.

Many schools that offer the PhD will have opportunities to go abroad over a school break to do cross-cultural research. When I interviewed for the NYU counseling program one student was planning to spend her summer doing research in Jamaica. Another friend of mine studied for two summers in Kenya. Try looking for academic articles doing cross-cultural comparisons between America and the Netherlands or America and the UK. Then, perhaps you could get in touch with these professors and ask how often they travel and whether or not they take students from their labs.

In many ways, it does matter what school grants your PhD. It will determine what you are able to research. This, in turn, often influences your clinical interests. If nothing else, it matters because professional schools leave you with a large debt load.

From an outsider's perspective, I don't see any practical differences between Alliant and Argosy. They are both professional schools that charge for your education and have mediocre to poor outcome data. I would strongly caution you not go to one of these schools simply because you may have the opportunity to take some classes abroad.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

You can get abroad for research conferences, which often are held in the summer time. There is a prof. in my program that does multi-cultural research that brought him and his students to Africa, Europe, etc. It seemed like amazing experiences....but my research didn't exactly fit his....