Considering MA Programs, but ...

[wdd]

After considering and taking prereqs toward a PhD program for some time now, the reality is hitting me that at my age and life stage, I don't have the time or financial ability to go for a PhD. But since I don't want to give up on psychology, I would like to get a MA and go to work from there. If after a year or two circumstances permit, I would reconsider going for a PhD or uni-based PsyD.

My overall question is, with a "general" psych MA, what kind of jobs are out there? I'm not at all opposed to a corporate job. I find Human Factors pretty interesting, though I don't know if it involves the face time so many of us here desire.

A bit about me: I majored in English, minored in Psych, graduated in '99. I have good letters of rec, a great Psych GPA (3.9), and a good overall GPA (3.3). I went to grad school already, for English, but pulled out after my coursework was completed. I retook the GRE in 2004 and scored a 600V, 660Q, and 5 on the writing section. I bombed the psych GRE in 2007. In the last year, I've taken courses at Northwestern (stats and personality), and I'm taking some graduate-level classes at Harvard Extension starting in a couple of weeks--one in Neuropsych, and another in Addiction studies, though I might switch that one out for something a little more general (e.g. Cognition). I'd love some feedback from those in the know.

I'm currently in Boston, and it's unlikely that we'll move. I'm considering the general programs at Boston University, Brandeis (one year full-time!), and possibly BC. I'm not interested in MSPP, only because it really seems that--misconception or not--there is some risk of not being taken seriously in the wider marketplace. Does anyone know of any others?

Sorry for the long post, and Thank you!

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[ioliz]

wdd,

Have you considered master's programs in I/O psychology? From what I've seen, they are quite marketable with starting salaries around 60K. They deal with various aspects of psychology in the workplace - from the "I", which stands for Industrial and deals with personnel selection, testing, training, etc, to the "O", which stands for Organizational, and deals with group dynamics, organizational effectiveness, executive coaching, etc. Jobs exist at consulting firms where you could help a company solve interpersonal issues that have a larger scale effect on the organization as a whole; there are also "in-house" jobs within higher levels of human resources. I'm applying, so anyone out there currently in a degree program, or a graduate of one, please feel free to edit/comment.

Good luck!

 

[wdd]

Thanks, ioliz. I've considered that, but the notion of working in Human Resources doesn't appeal to me, though there are aspects to I/O that I find interesting. I think I'm leaning more toward a field like so-called "engineering psychology" (see the SDN thread here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=4853076) which--and anyone please correct me if I'm wrong--is concerned with how people work with both human and non-human systems; e.g., automobiles, cell phones, etc. Basically, it's how we interact with things and how we can work more effectively with them. (I think!)

Here's where I think a general psych MA (with a focus on cognition) would come in handy.