Masters in social psychology vs PhD

[Dirkwww]

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Okay guys, I just have a bunch of general questions about a masters and Phd in social psychology
Any advice as to which to one is the better investment? What are the typical job out comes for each degree? Do both have a dissertation? How long do both take to finish? Do masters programs get any funding? Do Phd programs get any funding?


Sorry for the rapid fire questions,

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Two quick answers off the top of my head: 1) a masters will not have a dissertation (but may have a thesis) while the doctorate most likely will; 2) PhD programs typically tend to have funding while masters typically do not (although there are exceptions to both).

I'd imagine the most common job for an individual with a doctorate is social psych would be academia, although I'm sure they work in other fields as well. Not really sure what a masters in social psych would get you that an undergrad degree in psych doesn't (other than possibly strengthening your application to doctoral programs), but I could be way off on that one.

 

[WisNeuro]

I asked a friend who has a Personality and Social Psych Ph.D, and he said unless you are a stats whiz with good research experience, good luck getting a job with just a masters in it.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I asked a friend who has a Personality and Social Psych Ph.D, and he said unless you are a stats whiz with good research experience, good luck getting a job with just a masters in it.

And I'd imagine that if you're going the stats route, you might as well just get a more directly stats-related degree...either in statistics itself, or some sort of MPH/bioanalytics field.

 

[CheetahGirl]

Okay guys, I just have a bunch of general questions about a masters and Phd in social psychology
Any advice as to which to one is the better investment? What are the typical job out comes for each degree? Do both have a dissertation? How long do both take to finish? Do masters programs get any funding? Do Phd programs get any funding?


Sorry for the rapid fire questions,

Thanks for your help!!!

Funded PhD in social psych is best. You can work in academia or be creative and find a job in advertising. Agree with above...and yes to dissertation for majority of PhDs (can't imagine earning one without a diss). And 5-7 years for PhD...if you're single & young with a ton of stamina & highly motivated, closer to 5 yrs. Some masters have funding, but I don't know of any in social psych.

Also, if you are an undergrad, I would look into your university's career services. Most universities have them in the office of student affairs. You can sit down with someone and ask about every degree to your heart's content. I know SDN is more fun and convenient...but it would be worth your while. And if you don't have a 'career services" with knowledgeable counselors, then select a university with a graduate school and go to their's. They will not turn you away if you are inquiring about one of their graduate programs (in addition to all your other questions).

Good luck deciding on a career path that makes sense for you.

 

[eowyne]

What do you want to do with the degree? Basically, grad school in social psych is mostly social psych research. Given that PhDs are usually funded and masters are not, the PhD is a better deal. If you only want to do a masters for time reasons, you might be better off spending that money and time for a degree in a field that applies social psych, such as public health, marketing, or some masters level clinical degree.


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[sockit]

Yeah, there's no way I'd do a social psych PhD for kicks and a CV booster -- it's really intended for an academic career. Agree with others -- think instead about the actual work you want to wind up doing. If you're young and that's not entirely clear yet, it's ok. (By which I mean -- if you are young -- taking a year or two to figure things out will not significantly harm you, as long as you have a great GPA.)

As a graduating senior, you will likely still be eligible for a number of internships in industry and government, which will not be open to you in a year's time. Although they're often not or minimally paid, you can gain experience of higher-level work than you would as an off-the-street entry-level applicant, and would have the chance to make higher-level connections as well. (If you're lucky, that is. Obviously there are internships and internships.) Something to think about, anyway.

I remember that in a recent post, you mentioned interests in cognitive psychology, design, and market research -- what about UX design? Or just design design, if you're not so into programming?