I'm in my early 30's am I too old to get a degree in psychology?

[Cupcakexox]

How long would it take me to get a Master's Degree? And would it be best if I started at a community college to get an associates degree?

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[JustNoticing]

as long as it takes you to complete a bachelor's degree, then two more years. Note that you do not have to have a bachelor's degree in psychology to earn a master's degree in psychology. But you do have to have a bachelor's and certain coursework usually. Probably more flexible for MSW programs. And if you are looking to do clinical practice, you will need to be more specific than a generic "masters degree in psychology."

 

[Cupcakexox]

Thanks for replying 🙂 I guess I'm a little confused sorry. I thought I would be able to work as a Psychologist with just a Masters degree in Psychology.

as long as it takes you to complete a bachelor's degree, then two more years. Note that you do not have to have a bachelor's degree in psychology to earn a master's degree in psychology. But you do have to have a bachelor's and certain coursework usually. Probably more flexible for MSW programs. And if you are looking to do clinical practice, you will need to be more specific than a generic "masters degree in psychology."

 

[Temperance]

Thanks for replying 🙂 I guess I'm a little confused sorry. I thought I would be able to work as a Psychologist with just a Masters degree in Psychology.

What are you hoping to do, specifically?

A school psychologist can practice with a master's degree in school psychology. However, a doctoral degree is the minimum to be a licensed psychologist.

If you want to be a therapist, there are several options depending on where you want to practice: licensed professional clinical counselor (LCPC/LPCC), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), or licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). All of these are available with a master's degree.

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[AcronymAllergy]

What are you hoping to do, specifically?

A school psychologist can practice with a master's degree in school psychology. However, a doctoral degree is the minimum to be a licensed psychologist.

If you want to be a therapist, there are several options depending on where you want to practice: licensed professional clinical counselor (LCPC/LPCC), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), or licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT). All of these are available with a master's degree.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using SDN mobile

Yep. Caveat being if the OP is Canadian, in which case some provinces (I believe) allow for master's-level psychologists. Also, there are some states in the US which allow for the licensed psychological associate (LPA), although this is much less portable than those options listed above.

 

[Pscyh6]

I have an uncle who didn't get his degree until he was in his late 20s--early 30s, I say it's never too late.

 

[PsyZei]

Love seeing this thread and these responses. I didn't even start undergraduate college for the first time until I was in my 30s and I plan to get my PhD (confirmed completion of the last application due for this application season yesterday). How long it takes you to get a masters is going to depend on how long it takes you to get through the coursework. Since time is a concern, and you are clearly a non-traditional student I would go for time saving options and look into CLEP and DSST to get through your lower level undergrad courses faster. I don't know if it would be best to start in community college or not for you, maybe just research the options around you and see what you feel would work best or keep you motivated. I know some people who felt like getting the associates and then the bachelors helped keep them on track as compared to if they just tried to go for the bachelors from the start.

 

[NJCounselorGirl]

Hi, I am 35 and have three kids. I started my masters in my 20's and had to stop for family reasons... 6 years later I was able to come back and am finishing up my coursework. I feel old some days as I will be 37 when I finally finish as I attend part-time. I think 30 and your thirties is not too old at all.

 

[artsyann]

I’m 39 and just applied to doctoral and master’s programs. Time is going to pass anway, why not try to accomplish your goals, no matter your age? I can say wholeheartedly I am a better student now than I was 20 years ago. I graduated with my BA in December and I am proud I did it. Don’t let age hold you back.

 

[Pscyh6]

I’m 39 and just applied to doctoral and master’s programs. Time is going to pass anway, why not try to accomplish your goals, no matter your age? I can say wholeheartedly I am a better student now than I was 20 years ago. I graduated with my BA in December and I am proud I did it. Don’t let age hold you back.

I believe the best psychologists, especially in clinical psychology are ones who live full lives and experience lots of different things. I find that embracing different cultures and experiencing behaviors first hand definitely give you an advantage when studying psychology because you can relate to a lot of things. In a way, it is almost better to study psychology later on because of this.

 

[Illuminautica]

I have an uncle who didn't get his degree until he was in his late 20s--early 30s, I say it's never too late.

I'm 36 and just completed my first year for marriage and family therapy. That's ... not exactly making me feel better 😉

 

[Pscyh6]

I'm 36 and just completed my first year for marriage and family therapy. That's ... not exactly making me feel better 😉

Haha, well the point is he began his education in the field later than usual but this never stopped him from being successful and it certainly shouldn't stop anyone else, the idea is basically this; there is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

 

[PeninsulaDude]

Not too old

 

[AH.Rx]

Not at all. Go for it.