Help with graduate school questions, please?

[lbwhite89]

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I'm currently working on my bachelors degree in Psychology. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with it yet, but I know that I definitely want to get a graduate degree. I'm planning on applying to quite a few to increase my chances of getting accepted, seeing how competitive those programs are.

Here are a few graduate programs I'm interested in:
Masters in Professional Counseling
Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling
Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Doctorate degree in School Psychology
Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology
Masters in Business Administration
Masters in Human Resources

I know that I can get into business school with an undergrad degree in psychology. BUT, can I get into a masters program in Healthcare Administration with that same undergrad degree or would I need an bachelors in something in the healthcare field? I started out as a nursing major and had two semesters of clinical courses, but I don't have a degree in it.

I'm leaning toward a night/weekend program and/or an online program for most of these graduate degrees so I can work and support myself while I finish school. Do employers see those degrees as equal to one completed on campus or would it be a waste of money to do it online?

My dream career course would be to graduate with my BA in psychology with great grades (which I fully intend to do) and go on to get my MBA from a great business school. However, the business school in my area that seems SO perfect requires 5 years of post-undergrad work experience. Is that required in all graduate programs or is it only some that look for that? I'd hate to wait 5 years to go back to school. A BA in Psychology isn't going to get me anywhere special in those 5 years...or so I hear.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated! 🙂

 

[BiopsychStudent]

The programs you're interested in are... all very different from one another in terms of what you'll actually be doing and the path you need to take to reach them. If you look around this board you'll see there are a lot of strong feelings against distance learning classes if you want to pursue a PhD. You are better off attending a fully funded program at an accredited University.

To get any kind of doctorate in psychology, clinical or I/O, you're going to need some quality research experience. Volunteering in a behavioral health setting will also help you decide if working with patients is something you enjoy, whether you want to work as a Psychologist or mid level practitioner. I really don't know what it takes to be an MBA or get a Master's in Healthcare administration.

Undergraduate coursework in Psychology can vary a lot, so what you get out of it matters. Some of the students I graduated with are working as researchers, graduate degrees in social work and counseling, or going to business school. If you looked just at their degree and GPA you'd see "BS in Psychology cum laude" - but these individuals all have vastly different skills and experiences from their coursework, research, and volunteerism.

Take some more psychology classes and see where your interests in the field lie; and if getting an MBA is your preferred route you should find out what it takes to get in. I would not apply to "all" of those programs at once, though, just for the same of getting in someplace.

(If you assume you have a 10% chance to make it into a clinical program and apply to fifteen programs you shouldn't assume that you have an 80% (1 - [0.9^15]) chance of being accepted "Somewhere" - much of the application process is about demonstrating fit, and interest. Five strong matches are better than twenty weak matches. I'm sure that's true of a lot of other professional and doctoral programs as well.)

 

[lbwhite89]

Thank you for the advice. Yeah, I know I have some ways to go in finding out what I want to do. I'm not really into the program enough to be worrying about graduate schools yet (I still have about 2 1/2 years to go), but I'm one of those planners and worriers, so I'm getting a head start.

And I probably should have mentioned that if I decide to go the PhD route, I WON'T be doing it online. The online programs I'm looking at are masters programs in business, counseling, and i/o psychology. I'd never try to attempt a PhD program online. The thought alone scares me to death.

Once I take more classes and decide what programs I'm most interested in, I'll have my list of schools narrowed down to a select 5-7 that I'll be applying to. I don't plan on paying an application fee for 20 schools I'm only mildly interested in just so I can get into any old graduate program.

This question was more broad, just for my own information, and to get input from others so I can think about these things over the next couple of years. And so it's not so overwhelming when the time comes to actually worry about it. So, thank you for the reply. 🙂