Clinical Master's Program Accreditation Question

[ytqj2008]

I have been accepted by a few Master's programs in clinical psychology (I call them A, B and C program). A program is accredited by both MPAC (Master’s in Psychology Accreditation Council http://www.mpacsite.org/programs) and CAMPP (Council of Applied Master's Program in Psychology http://www.camppsite.org/home/FIND%20CAMPP%20SCHOOL.htm). B program is accredited only by CAMPP and C program does not have accreditation at all.

However, I think the outcomes of students from C program seem even slightly better than those from A and B. Also I don't really hear people talking about Master program’s accreditation. Should I choose school based on accreditation status? The reason that C program is not accredited may be due to not submitting their accreditation request to the council?

Any input on this? Thanks!

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[FuzzyMonkey]

I actually haven't heard much about accreditation status for Master's programs. I think as long as the university that houses the Master's program is regionally accredited you should be OK. When you go to apply for doctorate programs (if you plan to) all they are interested in the accreditation of the university. I would just focus on which program is the best fit for you.

Hope this helps. 🙂

 

[ytqj2008]

Thanks for your reply. I will go with the better fit program.

 

[busybusybusy]

I actually haven't heard much about accreditation status for Master's programs. I think as long as the university that houses the Master's program is regionally accredited you should be OK. When you go to apply for doctorate programs (if you plan to) all they are interested in the accreditation of the university. I would just focus on which program is the best fit for you.

Hope this helps. 🙂

This. the only other comment I would make is if you are going to be applying for doctoral programs in the future, I would check with the schools and see if any/how many of their students go on to be accepted at doctoral programs. If that's your goal, you don't want to spend 2+ years of time & money getting a degree that isn't going to help you take the next step.

 

[berlin81]

Accreditation on the master's level is not as essential as it is for a doctorate program. If you plan on going for a PhD/PsyD, it is very important that you attend an APA-accredited school. There are many reasons for this but in general terms it will help with employment and getting licensed (many states require an applicant to of graduated from an APA-accredited institution.

As for the master's level, regional accreditation is probably the most important thing to consider. If you are going into a clinical master's program and want to work afterwords, you need to look into licensing in the state you want to practice. However, many states do not have master's level licensing for psychologists (my best guess is there are 13). As an alternative, many states have licensing in counseling (such as LPC, LMHC) which could match your educational background.

 

[ytqj2008]

This. the only other comment I would make is if you are going to be applying for doctoral programs in the future, I would check with the schools and see if any/how many of their students go on to be accepted at doctoral programs. If that's your goal, you don't want to spend 2+ years of time & money getting a degree that isn't going to help you take the next step.

Thanks for your reply. I do plan to go on to get a clinical/counseling PhD. Now I have to make a choice.

1, One program’s emphasis is on doctoral preparation study (research-oriented, thesis is required), 44 credits. 5 out of 13 graduated from this program got into a PhD program (counseling, clinical, school) last year. However, all the clinical faculty members' research interests do not match mine very well.

2, The other program is practitioner-oriented (thesis is optional), 60 credits. 25% of the graduates go on for doctoral study (mostly Psyd). However, I found one professor's research especially interesting and I would like to develop my thesis upon her research. Also there are lots of assessment and psychotherapy classes. I might have to retake them in the PhD program.

I think the most important thing to accomplish in a Master's program is to complete a thesis and to specify your own research interest. Therefore, I value an advisor who has a similar interest to mine more than the doctoral-prep study design of a program. I am still a little worried whether a practitioner-model will prepare me well for a PhD program. Any opinions on this?

 

[ytqj2008]

Accreditation on the master's level is not as essential as it is for a doctorate program. If you plan on going for a PhD/PsyD, it is very important that you attend an APA-accredited school. There are many reasons for this but in general terms it will help with employment and getting licensed (many states require an applicant to of graduated from an APA-accredited institution.

As for the master's level, regional accreditation is probably the most important thing to consider. If you are going into a clinical master's program and want to work afterwords, you need to look into licensing in the state you want to practice. However, many states do not have master's level licensing for psychologists (my best guess is there are 13). As an alternative, many states have licensing in counseling (such as LPC, LMHC) which could match your educational background.

Thank you for your employment information for Master's level psychologist. I am thinking of getting a PhD eventually when I am still young. 🙂