(Funded) General/Expertimental Masters program as a back-up?

[futureapppsy2]

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Hi,

Has anyone gone this route? I'm the type of person who likes to (and needs to--I absolutely cannot wind up in situation where I'm without group health insurance) have Plans A-F, and honestly, this doesn't seem like I bad route if I don't get accepted into any of the programs I'm applying to and can't get a timely, full-time RAship--pay, teaching experience, research experience, etc. My worry is that the question of "why an experimental/general MA?" might come up.

Thoughts appreciated!

 

[thewesternsky]

Hi,

Has anyone gone this route? I'm the type of person who likes to (and needs to--I absolutely cannot wind up in situation where I'm without group health insurance) have Plans A-F, and honestly, this doesn't seem like I bad route if I don't get accepted into any of the programs I'm applying to and can't get a timely, full-time RAship--pay, teaching experience, research experience, etc. My worry is that the question of "why an experimental/general MA?" might come up.

Thoughts appreciated!

I did an experimental M.A., and that question was posed at all five of my Clinical Ph.D. interviews this year. I told the truth-- that I had wanted to do clinical psych since undergrad, but that my first round of applications wasn't successful so I did a two-year experimental M.A. to gain more research experience before applying again. All the professors I talked to seemed fine with that answer. 🙂

Don't be afraid to be honest!

 

[futureapppsy2]

I was thinking in terms of "why a general/experimental MA instead of a clinical MA?" in which cause my honest answer--and the one I'd give--would be to gain valuable research experience.

 

[KillerDiller]

I went to a funded, experimental MS program and, honestly, no one at any of my interviews thought that it was odd in the slightest. Everyone was simply extremely grateful that I had tons of research experience. I actually think that it would be trickier to explain why you would want to pursue a PhD after obtaining a terminal MA in clinical psych (assuming you were on a license track).

 

[Ollie123]

I was thinking in terms of "why a general/experimental MA instead of a clinical MA?" in which cause my honest answer--and the one I'd give--would be to gain valuable research experience.

Unless you plan to apply to super-heavy practice-oriented PhDs or PsyD programs, that's unlikely to be a problem. Even then I doubt wanting more research experience would be seen as a bad thing.

The reverse, "Why did you do a clinical MA?" is more likely to be an issue. I think most places would prefer an experimental master's to a clinical one.

 

[brightsideup]

I was thinking about doing the same thing. I'm about to finish my MSW, and I was a little disappointed with the amount if research I was exposed to. I feel that my program taught me to be a critical consumer of literature, but I wanted to be more than just literate.

I asked a Prof. and they said that most MSW programs don't teach too much about how to do research, and thats what the PhD programs are for. However, I was told that most SW PhD programs want at least 2 years of field expereince before they can accept you. I honestly don't want to wait two years to continue you my education. I fear that life could and will probably get in the way of that goal.

My hope is also to get a more solid background in research (as my MSW has given me a solid background in practice) in order ot make me a more competitive candidate for higher end Clinical PhD programs. (SW PhD seems interesting, but the fact that they aren't accredited by council on social work education or anyone else bothers me)

Is this a good enough reason to pursue an MA? Are these programs very competitive? What are they looking for? Would I want to say that the MA is essentially a stepping stone for a clin phd in my statement?

 

[love2bfit]

does anyone happen to know of any of these programs? I know there are a bunch of MA programs that are considered "prep" for PhD programs, but I'm not sure which are.

 

[KillerDiller]

I was thinking about doing the same thing. I'm about to finish my MSW, and I was a little disappointed with the amount if research I was exposed to. I feel that my program taught me to be a critical consumer of literature, but I wanted to be more than just literate.

I asked a Prof. and they said that most MSW programs don't teach too much about how to do research, and thats what the PhD programs are for. However, I was told that most SW PhD programs want at least 2 years of field expereince before they can accept you. I honestly don't want to wait two years to continue you my education. I fear that life could and will probably get in the way of that goal.

My hope is also to get a more solid background in research (as my MSW has given me a solid background in practice) in order ot make me a more competitive candidate for higher end Clinical PhD programs. (SW PhD seems interesting, but the fact that they aren't accredited by council on social work education or anyone else bothers me)

Is this a good enough reason to pursue an MA? Are these programs very competitive? What are they looking for? Would I want to say that the MA is essentially a stepping stone for a clin phd in my statement?

Are you set on getting a PhD so you can lead a research lab as part of your career, or are you just trying to gain a better understanding of the research process? If you want the latter, doing a masters in general psych with an empirical thesis should be plenty of research exposure. At this point, you don't need to go for all the way through a PhD program unless you want to run your own lab/ be a professor, etc.

If you do go the route of getting a masters and then a PhD, you are talking about an endeavor that is a minimum of 6 years and, more realistically, 7-8 years. That's a lot of lost earning potential, so make sure that having a PhD is the only way to open the doors to the career you want.

 

[blindblonde]

I think there is a thread in the M.A./M.S. forum that has a list of programs. Usually the top three general M.A. programs I've heard about are Wake Forest, William & Mary, and Vilanova. I think all of them are funded as well.

 

[KillerDiller]

does anyone happen to know of any of these programs? I know there are a bunch of MA programs that are considered "prep" for PhD programs, but I'm not sure which are.

If you search the threads I'm sure you will be able to come up with the lists people have generated in the past.

Off the top of my head:
Villanova (general psych, not counseling)
Wake Forest
William and Mary
Ball State
Connecticut College
NYU (though I don't think that one provides funding)

 

[blindblonde]

Unless you plan to apply to super-heavy practice-oriented PhDs or PsyD programs, that's unlikely to be a problem. Even then I doubt wanting more research experience would be seen as a bad thing.

The reverse, "Why did you do a clinical MA?" is more likely to be an issue. I think most places would prefer an experimental master's to a clinical one.

I totally agree. I just received my M.A. from a general psych program. I think one person during all my interviews (non-clinical, by the way) asked why I opted to get a Master's. Most were just happy I had good stats training and research to bring to the table. A classmate who did apply for clinical programs did pretty well this application year, so a M.A. background is by no means bizarre or a setback.

 

[cara susanna]

My undergrad offers a funded Experimental Masters. PM me if you want to know more.

 

[brightsideup]

Are you set on getting a PhD so you can lead a research lab as part of your career, or are you just trying to gain a better understanding of the research process? If you want the latter, doing a masters in general psych with an empirical thesis should be plenty of research exposure. At this point, you don't need to go for all the way through a PhD program unless you want to run your own lab/ be a professor, etc.

If you do go the route of getting a masters and then a PhD, you are talking about an endeavor that is a minimum of 6 years and, more realistically, 7-8 years. That's a lot of lost earning potential, so make sure that having a PhD is the only way to open the doors to the career you want.

I'm looking to gain a better understanding of good methodology and statistics. I'm not interested in an experimental PhD, only the MA. I'm interested in a PhD in Clinical Psych. I'm thinking about the experimental MA to 1) give me a strong foundation for research and 2) as a stepping stone for PhD programs.

I haven't done much research. As an undergrad, I did coding in a marriage lab for a semester, and for my MSW we have to do our own research project/presentation. Is that sufficient for funded MA experimental programs?

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm looking to gain a better understanding of good methodology and statistics. I'm not interested in an experimental PhD, only the MA. I'm interested in a PhD in Clinical Psych. I'm thinking about the experimental MA to 1) give me a strong foundation for research and 2) as a stepping stone for PhD programs.

I haven't done much research. As an undergrad, I did coding in a marriage lab for a semester, and for my MSW we have to do our own research project/presentation. Is that sufficient for funded MA experimental programs?

I think I'm confused about what it is you're looking for out of this experience.

Even a PhD in clinical psychology involves extensive research. It would be overkill to go for a PhD and go through a thesis and a dissertation and redo all the clinical experience you already had when all you want is to "gain a better understanding of good methodology and statistics". Don't get me wrong, this is a very admirable goal, but a good masters program would be more than sufficient to give you this background. In order to get your MA or MS in general psych, you will be required to conceive of and run your own empirical study.

For someone entering the field who is interested in research and clinical work, then the PhD in clinical psych is the optimal degree. However, this isn't really your situation. You already have the clinical training for your MSW. Why go for a another masters degree and then a doctorate on top of all that? What is it that you want to do with your career that would necessitate a doctoral degree?

As for whether you are competitive for general psych programs, it's hard to say without knowing things like your GPA, GRE scores, etc. I had a year of research experience before heading to my MS program, for what it's worth.