Leaving Masters Program Early to Pursue Doctorate

[psyched-applicant]

Hi,

I just finished my first year in my masters program but have already decided that I want the doctorate. My professors and advisor are not in favor of me leaving the program early. I forget their reasoning but they definitely have a motive to retain everyone in the cohort till graduation. I know people have left their masters program to get their doctorate, but it doesn't appear to be something that people advertise. Has anyone done this against the recommendation of their school? If so, how did you go about this and did you face any challenges from prospective programs?

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[summerbabe]

Leaving things before you complete them never looks great and may bring up questions of whether you'll persist through a future PhD.

But if you have a clear plan and rationale (say leaving your program the end of a term and immediately starting as an RA in a high productivity lab and then being productive and getting good letters before applying to PhDs), that would likely help your case for future admissions.

If your current program doesn't have a pathway towards a PhD (like an MSW program), that would be relevant and something you could speak to in a personal statement or interview about why you are shifting directions.

If it does (eg you're required to or can do a thesis with independent research), you might benefit from some outside mentoring to see if it can still work out in your favor or if cutting it losses is still the best path. Good luck!

 

[WisNeuro]

If you had an acceptance from a legitimate program, I'd probably leave early. But, it doesn't sound like you have even applied yet, so what is the downside of staying through til graduation, aside from tuition?

 

[R. Matey]

Agree with the above. I can only add that if this is a master's program that is eligible for a psychotherapy credential, it's not uncommon to face headwinds for saying that you want to be a psychologist. That said, I'm uncertain of your goal, which I think you should have fleshed out prior to pursing doctoral study (it's a long road!).

 

[singasongofjoy]

I agree with others - I would not consider leaving a current master's program halfway through unless I had an offer in hand for a (reputable! with funding!) doctoral program - especially if it is a master's program that leads to eligibility for licensure of some sort and you know you want to stay in this field broadly. I will add - I also would not go into a doctoral program unless I could clearly articulate what it is that I want to do long-term, and that thing is simply not possible without a doctoral level degree. (and the reason better be specific to the actual work and not "higher pay" for many reasons- I feel like that should not even need mention, but... just in case).

 

[psyched-applicant]

I'm currently in a school psych program. I originally applied for doctorate programs but didn't get into ones that made sense so I accepted my current program which was always a backup. Now that I've been in the program, I am more sure that I want to pursue clinical neuropsych to specialize in neurodevelpomental disorders and learning disabilities. So in many ways a school psych masters has its perks but it doesn't open me up for careers I'm actually interested in. I'm paying for my schooling myself and if I could save $$ by jumping to where I ultimately want to be, that would be great! I'm not planning to leave my masters without having an offer in hand, but I'd probably apply for my doctorate this fall semester with hopes to leave before my third year unpaid internship (for a career I don't want to end up in). I'm hoping this would save me both money and time. Does that make sense?

 

[psyched-applicant]

I agree with others - I would not consider leaving a current master's program halfway through unless I had an offer in hand for a (reputable! with funding!) doctoral program - especially if it is a master's program that leads to eligibility for licensure of some sort and you know you want to stay in this field broadly. I will add - I also would not go into a doctoral program unless I could clearly articulate what it is that I want to do long-term, and that thing is simply not possible without a doctoral level degree. (and the reason better be specific to the actual work and not "higher pay" for many reasons- I feel like that should not even need mention, but... just in case).

I'm in school psych and my experience has only affirmed that I am really interested in doing clinical neuropsychology or working in a hospital setting/private practice doing assessments and consultation. I can't really do that without a doctorate in clinical psychology.

 

[psyched-applicant]

If you had an acceptance from a legitimate program, I'd probably leave early. But, it doesn't sound like you have even applied yet, so what is the downside of staying through til graduation, aside from tuition?

Tuition and wanting to get closer to starting a career. I'm almost 30 so being in 5 more years of school is a lot better than 7+.

 

[WisNeuro]

Tuition and wanting to get closer to starting a career. I'm almost 30 so being in 5 more years of school is a lot better than 7+.

As far as starting earlier, if you're set on a doctorate, you have to apply and gain acceptance. No way to speed that up unless you decide that a diploma mill is the way to go. But, then you run into the tuition problem turned up to 11, among other difficulties. How long is this masters program?

 

[jdawg2017]

As someone almost on the other side of training to be a neuropsychologist, I’ll add that the average neuropsychologist is looking at 7-8 years minimum of training (4-5 doctoral degree, 1 internship, 2 fellowship, even with a master’s degree, as the likelihood of your course transferring to your doctoral institution are very slim unless it’s at the same university that you're doing your current master’s program. Either way, for neuropsych you have a long road in front of you.

Also, are you doing a part-time masters, and in what disciple? I never heard of a psych master’s degree taking more than two years if it’s pursed full-time.

 

[R. Matey]

Also, are you doing a part-time masters, and in what disciple? I never heard of a psych master’s degree taking more than two years if it’s pursed full-time.

Eh, it's actually not that uncommon in school psychology for a master's or Ed.S. to be 2 years of coursework plus 1 year of fieldwork. School psychs at the master's level work in schools evaluating children for learning disabilities and/or consulting on SEL coursework.

I'm currently in a school psych program. I originally applied for doctorate programs but didn't get into ones that made sense so I accepted my current program which was always a backup. Now that I've been in the program, I am more sure that I want to pursue clinical neuropsych to specialize in neurodevelpomental disorders and learning disabilities.

OP, unless you're talking about like head trauma or childhood epilepsy, you can do what you want to do with a Ph.D. in school psychology. You could just finish your degree and apply to doctoral programs in school psychology.

 

[psyched-applicant]

Eh, it's actually not that uncommon in school psychology for a master's or Ed.S. to be 2 years of coursework plus 1 year of fieldwork. School psychs at the master's level work in schools evaluating children for learning disabilities and/or consulting on SEL coursework.




OP, unless you're talking about like head trauma or childhood epilepsy, you can do what you want to do with a Ph.D. in school psychology. You could just finish your degree and apply to doctoral programs in school psychology.

Would your recommendation change if I said that my program does not have a PhD in School Psych (only Clinical PhD) and that I'm really not impressed with the program?

 

[psyched-applicant]

As far as starting earlier, if you're set on a doctorate, you have to apply and gain acceptance. No way to speed that up unless you decide that a diploma mill is the way to go. But, then you run into the tuition problem turned up to 11, among other difficulties. How long is this masters program?

I just finished my first year. I have one more year of classes (Fall, possibly Winter, Spring, and Summer) to get my masters and then a full year unpaid internship to get my School Psych Certification. I'm full time but the program is unreasonably difficult. It's a MA plus 29, so they want us to take an extra course to get the 3 extra credits so I can be paid more. That extra course isn't built into the course sequence and any discussion about flexibility, etc is met with a lack of support.

 

[psyched-applicant]

Agree with the above. I can only add that if this is a master's program that is eligible for a psychotherapy credential, it's not uncommon to face headwinds for saying that you want to be a psychologist. That said, I'm uncertain of your goal, which I think you should have fleshed out prior to pursing doctoral study (it's a long road!).

Thanks! Everything keeps pointing to the doctorate. I've been thinking clinical psychology and then clinical neuropsychology fellowship, but everyone keeps mentioning a school psych PhD so maybe I'll start looking into that. My program is a MA in Clinical Psych (whatever that means since I don't think I would be eligible for my state's LPC exam) with a school psych certification, meaning that the courses and training set me up for a career as a school psychologist.

 

[psyched-applicant]

As someone almost on the other side of training to be a neuropsychologist, I’ll add that the average neuropsychologist is looking at 7-8 years minimum of training (4-5 doctoral degree, 1 internship, 2 fellowship, even with a master’s degree, as the likelihood of your course transferring to your doctoral institution are very slim unless it’s at the same university that you're doing your current master’s program. Either way, for neuropsych you have a long road in front of you.

Also, are you doing a part-time masters, and in what disciple? I never heard of a psych master’s degree taking more than two years if it’s pursed full-time.

Full time masters. 1 year down, 1 more year of courses to go (including summer and possibly winter) and then a full year unpaid internship. I don't even get a MA plus 30. It's a MA plus 29 and I somehow have to fit another course to get the extra credits if I want to land on a higher pay scale....
The other school I was seriously considering was also 2 years courses plus 1 year internship.