Can I do research in a Master's Program?

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lightthecandle

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I'm going to be a junior in undergrad this year, and I have done no research, and I"ve only taken 2 Psychology courses, but I know I want to go into research within the Psychological field. Will any Master's Program accept me into their program to do research, if I don't have much experience researching?

Also, what is the salary for people who decide to do research in Psychology for a career? and is it possible to do Research in Psychology for a career?


thanks, I appreciate your responses :)

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Your acceptance into a masters program in psychology is dependent on many factors (Grades, GRE, rec letters). Since you haven't disclosed your stats, I can't make any informed judgments about your chances for admission to a masters program in psychology. However, I STRONGLY advise getting some resesrch experience in undergrad starting NOW! This will help you become a more competitive applicant for your masters program, and perhaps more importantly, will give you a sample of what it is really like to do psych research, since you don't have any experience in it yet. I might ask you you know you want to do research, if you have no exposure to it? You have to really love it intellectually, because for the most part, there is ALOT of drudge work that goes on behind the scenes before you get that almighty and all important publication. If you don't have any research experience before coming out of undergrad it will be impossible to get into a Ph.d program, and somewhat difficult to get a masters programs, especially because the best rec letters tend to come from professors whom you have gotten close with while doing research with them.

Salaries will vary wildly depending on setting (psychology department, medical school, independent labs, other) and your academic appointment/tenure status (i.e., associate, assistant, full professor), and the size and type of university. Starting may be around 50-70k. Might pull in more if you have R-01s or other large grants/external funding.

Ph.D programs in clinical psych are ENORMOUSLY competitive, with the average clinical program receiving 150+ applications per year for 10 spots. So its usually a 5-10 percent acceptance rate. Qualified applicants have GPA 3.5+, GRE 1200+, years of research experience and/or pub(s), and glowing letters of rec. Experimental branches (i.e., social, cognitive, etc) tend to be less competitive than clinical. Masters programs on the other hand will be easier to gain admissions to. You will still need above a GPA of 3.0 and GRE of 1000+, but previous research isn't as crucial. Hours are largely up to you, but if you wanna hack it and be competitive, expect 8-12 hour days through the week, some reading every night, and at least one weekend dedicated to things as well.
 
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A PhD program in clinical psychology will prepare you for a career in research. So yes, you can get paid for doing research.

You will need research experience to apply to both MA/MS or PhD programs in clinical psychology as erg923 stated. Admission criteria for the program I am in (MA) is GRE 900+ and GPA 3.0+, although there are a few students in our program with 2.7-2.9 range undergraduate GPA and sub 900 GRE scores that were admitted solely based on their research experience. It's no ivy league school, but the students in our program are routinely accepted to well-respected PhD programs in clinical psychology upon completion of the MA.

To obtain research experience, start by looking at the professor's interests on the department website and contact them to see if they need help with projects. Even if the research doesn't excite you, do it anyway. You may be a library gopher at first, but eventually you can work you way up to lab manager.
 
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