Master's Degree and Research Interests

[blondie1oed83]

Hi guys,
So...this past April I accepted an offer from Nova Southeastern to begin my PhD in Clinical Psych for Fall 2008. Several weeks later I withdrew from the school for several reasons, the biggest one being the amount of debt I would be in. Although I know this decision was the best for me, it left me with a small number of options to choose from. I'm still waiting to hear from one more school, which is my top choice to see if they will let me into their master's program for Fall 2008 ... but, how important is it for your research interests to match with professor research interests when you are obtaining your masters degree? I have been accepted into the Adelphi Pre-Clinical Master's program for Fall 2008 but none of the professors at the school have the same research interests as I do. I'm interested in Clinical Psychology but with a concentration in Substance Abuse and Dually Diagnosed individuals. Would it be a better idea to wait another year if I don't get into my top choice so I can reapply and find a school where professors share my same research interests or does it really not matter that much for a master's program...and would it work to go to Adelphi for a year and then find a doctorate program that fits my interests to a greater extent?


Sorry for the long message.....!!
But I really appreciate any advice or knowledge anybody might have about my question.


--Erica

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[erg923]

I did a masters before starting my Ph.D. and it matters very little really. Obviously, you would want to have one faculty member who does something in the broad area you are interested in that could supervise your masters thesis, but more then likely, you will not be working in a large "lab" where you have to "match"...in the Ph.d sense. Try not to get married to any research lines too early, use the time in the masters program to explore. However, from a financial and timeline standpoint, going into a Ph.D program is more efficient. If you know for sure that this the area you want to explore, either see if any faculty at the masters program could supervise something of this nature, or wait another year and see if you can get into a Ph.D program. Just be aware of the risk of not placing next year and being stuck in the same spot again.

 

[biogirl215]

Are there any professors at Aldephi who have somewhat similar interests to you, even if they aren't a direct match, or whose research could be applied or directed in such a way as to better fit your interests?

I do know one person who completely changed their research interests from their pre-masters graduate work and their Masters thesis to their post-masters graduate work and dissertation, but they're an exception to the rule and were in a straight doctoral program, so they didn't have to worry about applying post-Masters.

Sorry if this isn't much help!

 

[blondie1oed83]

Thank you so far for responding. There are several professors at Adelphi who are interested in personality disorders, etc. which, if they allowed me, I could probably put a substance abuse or dual diagnosis spin on it for my master's thesis.

Also, I know that many people change their mind about what they are interested in throughout the years....so it's very likely that my interests could change...but for now I want to do more with substance abuse and just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be a huge detriment to me if I attended a school that didn't have a large focus on this research area and then tried to get into a school that actually had professors who were involved in areas like this.


Thank you!

 

[stevedavid]

Hi All,
I am new over here and seeking an answer for a question, i have completed my graduation in Clinical from American university. Now i am thinking to go ahead with the Masters or Ph.D. Can anyone please suggest me as to what to do in order to make my future better.??
=======================================================

Steve

*MOD NOTE: Removed link, please do not spam the forum, or you will be banned. -t*

 

[erg923]

Hi All,
I am new over here and seeking an answer for a question, i have completed my graduation in Clinical from American university. Now i am thinking to go ahead with the Masters or Ph.D. Can anyone please suggest me as to what to do in order to make my future better.??
=======================================================

Steve

*MOD NOTE: Removed link, please do not spam the forum, or you will be banned. -t*

Thats a vague question. I am not really sure what you are asking. Am I to assume you just graduated with your bachelors (i don't know what "graduation in Clinical" means) and interested in clinical psych? What questions did you have about the field?