how to begin getting a doctorate degree in psychology

[icebreakers]

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for someone who did their undergraduate work in social work....and has worked since in a non-profit agency for people with disabilities, how would one begin applying for a doctorate degree in psychology?

is an internship needed? especially if you have not done research already? w

GRE's? what kind of score is needed?
do you have to have a masters in psychology before you start a doctorate? i'm seeing a lot of programs list 18credit hours of prerequisites? how long is this? half a year?

do most people complete their doctorate prerequisistes in their master's programs? does it make better sense to then, first get a masters?

thanks

 

[JockNerd]

Hiya icebreaker!

Well, first I was wondering what sort of work do you want to do? Do you want to focus on research or clinical work? Do you have the money/inclination to do a PsyD, or do you want a PhD?

You'll do an internship to get a PhD, and in a PsyD your training will focus on clinical experience.

GRE scores of successful applicants vary considerably. A great GPA can make up for less-than-stellar GREs (everyone knows some people just test poorly on exams like that). Great GREs (1400+) will only open doors, however.

Some programs only admit people who already have a Master's. Most will admit both people with a master's and those with a BA/BSc. Many places will direct-admit you to the PhD program when you apply with a BA/BSc.

 

[RayneeDeigh]

A lot of programs in the US give preference to people without Masters degrees, but this has already been discussed extensively around here (if you poke around a bit I'm sure you'll find lots of helpful stuff).

Everything depends on what you want to do. If you want to apply to research-oriented places, get lots of research experience (although this is a good idea even if you're applying to balanced programs).