Leaving a Master's program early after acceptance into Psy.D program

[Mjane28]

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Hi there,

I am a 28-year-old student currently enrolled in an APA accredited counseling psychology master's program. I began the program in spring of this year. I originally opted for the master's program en route to pursuing my Psy.D because my undergraduate GPA was not as high as I would have liked. Although I am excelling in the master's program, (I have a 4.0 and am currently enrolled in my third semester) I've quickly realized that I am not learning anything new and every course is almost exactly the same as the courses I took as an undergraduate. The point is, I do not feel challenged. I am curious as to whether anyone has any experience or opinion regarding applying to Psy.D programs and if accepted, leaving a Master's program early (prior to completion) to enroll in the Psy.D program. Obviously, the appeal of going this route, other than the idea of a more challenging curriculum, is that I am older and would like to obtain my doctorate so that I can begin practicing sooner, rather than later. Any advice that anyone might be able to offer would be sincerely appreciated. Please let me know what you conclude.
Thank you

Kind regards,

MJ

 

[JustNoticing]

Sounds to me like you aren't in a great MA program. And just a side point that the APA doesn't accredit terminal master's programs of any kind. I don't see why you couldn't leave early to pursue the Psy.D, but it is likely that the experience you gain along the way will prove crucial to gaining acceptance to the kind of doctorate program you'd want to get into. Doesn't hurt to apply if you've got the spare time and money.

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm a little confused about your time line. If I understand correctly, you're in your third semester of your terminal masters program. This means that you would apply to doctoral programs this fall for admission in fall 2013. I haven't heard of any respectable doctoral programs that allow you to enter in the spring semester. So, wouldn't you have already graduated from your masters program by the time you enroll in a doctoral program? Or, is your masters program longer than 2 years?

Anyway, if life were a vacuum I would advise you to just finish your degree. However, one of the most important factors here is cost. How much per semester are you paying, and is it really worth it? (That's a rhetorical question, you don't have to answer that.) Consider this carefully if you plan on also going into a PsyD program that provides little or no funding. Relatedly, I would advise you to consider what it is you hope to gain from a PsyD program that you're not getting out of your current program. Do you need a doctorate to pursue the type of work you want to do, or are you looking more for intellectual stimulation? If it's the latter, is there another, cheaper way you can get that? Just some things that everyone should consider before committing to the long haul and the ample cost/debt of most PsyD programs.

 

[roubs]

Hi there,

I am a 28-year-old student currently enrolled in an APA accredited counseling psychology master's program. I began the program in spring of this year. I originally opted for the master's program en route to pursuing my Psy.D because my undergraduate GPA was not as high as I would have liked. Although I am excelling in the master's program, (I have a 4.0 and am currently enrolled in my third semester) I've quickly realized that I am not learning anything new and every course is almost exactly the same as the courses I took as an undergraduate. The point is, I do not feel challenged. I am curious as to whether anyone has any experience or opinion regarding applying to Psy.D programs and if accepted, leaving a Master's program early (prior to completion) to enroll in the Psy.D program. Obviously, the appeal of going this route, other than the idea of a more challenging curriculum, is that I am older and would like to obtain my doctorate so that I can begin practicing sooner, rather than later. Any advice that anyone might be able to offer would be sincerely appreciated. Please let me know what you conclude.
Thank you

Kind regards,

MJ

Don't leave it--most PsyDs are unfunded, you are almost done, and that degree could give you a boost during your 4-5 years of earning an income of $-40000. Plus if you have to explain your timeline/how you came to psychology, leaving a program when you were nearly done because you didn't find it "challenging" doesn't sound like a great excuse.

Also unless you go to one of the top Psy.D. programs you might find it about as challenging as your current program.

 

[Mjane28]

Sorry about the blunder in my initial post. The school that I am currently attending for my master's program has an APA accredited Psy.D. (counseling psychology) program. The master's program is indeed terminal, so I would need to reapply to the Psy.D. Program (however the MA degree is required in order to apply to their Psy.D. program). The particular master's program that I am enrolled in just began admitting students in the spring semester this past year. It is a two year program and I have two semesters under my belt thus far, if you count summer semester courses. I am currently enrolled in my third semester of the master's program (fall 2012). At the rate I am going, I will finish my master's degree in just a little under two years. My plan has always been to pursue my doctorate, as my career goals involve starting my own private practice, or perhaps a group practice. However, due to medical circumstances that were out of my control, my grades from my undergraduate studies were certainly not near as high as I would have liked. For that reason, I chose to apply to a master's program in hopes of strengthening my applications. I should probably also mention that another concern is my older parents. I guess I am racing against time in a sense. I want to be able to have children, but getting my career started so that I can eventually support my children is my first priority at this point. I appreciate all of the advice that has been offered. Typically I am fairly sure of myself when it comes to making decisions, however in this case, it's wonderful to be given some objective advice. Thank you 😉

 

[wigflip]

I should probably also mention that another concern is my older parents. I guess I am racing against time in a sense.

HI Mjane28,

Just wanted to say that I feel you on the older parents issue. My surviving parent is in his/her 80s, and started having major health issues during my first year of grad school. It's been difficult, and I would never have undertaken the course that I did if I'd known how things would turn out. It's probably good to be realistic about such an emergency ahead of time and plan accordingly (i.e. how close do I need to be geographically?; can I garner sibling support or am I on my own? etc.).

I wish you the best of luck moving forward,
wigflip

 

[wigflip]

Hi there,

I am a 28-year-old student currently enrolled in an APA accredited counseling psychology master's program. I began the program in spring of this year. I originally opted for the master's program en route to pursuing my Psy.D because my undergraduate GPA was not as high as I would have liked. Although I am excelling in the master's program, (I have a 4.0 and am currently enrolled in my third semester) I've quickly realized that I am not learning anything new and every course is almost exactly the same as the courses I took as an undergraduate. The point is, I do not feel challenged.

I'd like to add that I had this identical experience with masters level training (social work). I concluded that it wasn't the best path for me and left. But as much as I disliked it, I sometimes regret leaving, if only because I'm not convinced that other programs within a manageable commute radius would be any better. I think at the time I was very idealistic about graduate school being about actually learning things and receiving training--and this may very well be true for folks in funded uni-based clinical psych PhD programs. I think it can be less true of some professional programs (masters) and in other academic disciplines, where the chief benefit ends up being credentialing and becoming part of an alumni network. I guess I just wanted to caution you about assuming that things will be better in another program or at another level. It's not always the case.