media psychology?

[Dirkwww]

I have been doing some reading and seems interesting, but the only Phd program i can find is one at fielding University. Any words on this field or program (looks kinda sketchy).

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[KillerDiller]

What is it you want to do with the degree? 10 to 1 you don't need to get a doctorate in an area as specific as media psychology. Actually, make that 1000 to 1. You just need to get a degree in something like social psych and work with someone who researches the media. All these specialty doctorates are just trumped up marketing ploys designed to separate students who are unfamiliar with the field from their money. By the end of a PhD, students have researched a topic extensively for several years, but they also should have had a broad array of coursework and practical experiences that reflect a larger area of expertise than just "Doctor of Some Very Specific Topic."

 

[MBellows]

What is it you want to do with the degree? 10 to 1 you don't need to get a doctorate in an area as specific as media psychology. Actually, make that 1000 to 1. You just need to get a degree in something like social psych and work with someone who researches the media. All these specialty doctorates are just trumped up marketing ploys designed to separate students who are unfamiliar with the field from their money. By the end of a PhD, students have researched a topic extensively for several years, but they also should have had a broad array of coursework and practical experiences that reflect a larger area of expertise than just "Doctor of Some Very Specific Topic."

What I've always found interesting is that people want to go for some non-clinical sub-specialty of psychology rather than just going to a graduate program in that field, taking some extra coursework in psychology, and actually having a home department with connections to get you in the door at firms that use people of that specialty.

OP, have you looked into programs in media/marketing?

 

[Dirkwww]

So for instance, if i had a strong interest in consumer psychology or media psychology, I should just get an applied psychology Phd with a program/lab that looks at a topic dealing with that?

 

[KillerDiller]

So for instance, if i had a strong interest in consumer psychology or media psychology, I should just get an applied psychology Phd with a program/lab that looks at a topic dealing with that?

Depends on what you want to apply it to. There's not much point going through an applied program if you don't intend to practice psychology, research clinical work, and/or seek licensure. Maybe a degree in industrial/organizational psychology would be a good fit? Depending on what you do with the degree, I would guess a non-applied program would make more sense.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'd guess 95%+ of those types of jobs go to Industry folks, as they have worked/learned in the trenches, as that is what most companies prefer. Can someone be brought in that has a doctorate..,maybe for a v. Specific project, but they are unicorns bc the transition of academic research to Industry is tough.

 

[KillerDiller]

What I've always found interesting is that people want to go for some non-clinical sub-specialty of psychology rather than just going to a graduate program in that field, taking some extra coursework in psychology, and actually having a home department with connections to get you in the door at firms that use people of that specialty.

OP, have you looked into programs in media/marketing?

True. If people want a job in marketing, the most parsimonious route is to get a degree in marketing.

 

[mcvcm92]

I'd guess 95%+ of those types of jobs go to Industry folks, as they have worked/learned in the trenches, as that is what most companies prefer. Can someone be brought in that has a doctorate..,maybe for a v. Specific project, but they are unicorns bc the transition of academic research to Industry is tough.

+1

I've worked in the consumer insights department at a large media company, and people there (even senior level executives) don't have more than a masters degree... most only have bachelors degrees in fields like business or marketing. Psychology degrees aren't even that common.

 

[Neuropsych2be]

I am a student at Fielding in the clinical program. I am somewhat familiar with the media psychology program. the director of the media program is a social psychologist who has done extensive research on the social and behavioral impact of video games. My impression is that most of the people in the program are already involved in media activities in some fashion. since Fielding is located in Santa Barbara California, they seem to tap into the existing pool of media talent in the Los Angeles area and Hollywood. For example, I know a couple of media psychology students who currently work for fairly major productions in Hollywood as scriptwriters, editors and directors. others are artists or musicians with established careers in the arts.One fairly recent graduate has a syndicated radio show. The program is designed for persons who are interested in the intersection between the behavioral sciences and media. Some of the courses they have are quite interesting and I have had the option throughout my program to take some media psychology courses. But frankly I have so much on my plate that I have been unable to do so. I did work on a research project with a media psychology doctoral student examining the ways in which mental health consumers utilize various media as part of their recovery. That was quite enjoyable. One of the things I don't quite understand is how a person outside of an existing media career could use the degree such as this. The research many of them are conducting is extremely interesting but I don't have a sense of what they would be doing after graduation. .

 

[MsRyter]

I took several of the preliminary courses offered jointly with UCLA Extension as part of the media psychology program at Fielding and quite enjoyed them, but I agree with neuropsych2be that, while the courses are very interesting, it's hard to see real-world application for most people obtaining this degree. I'm a writer who covers psychology topics, so for me, the degree could provide added credibility in landing article assignments and other work (one of the instructors has a Psychology Today blog, for example). A big focus in the program is to provide social justice and reform through media applications, so perhaps people working for reform-oriented nonprofits might make some use of the degree. Fielding did seem legit and isn't a diploma mill or anything like that. The courses I took were thorough, with academic research papers required and so on. However, the courses were online-only and didn't use multimedia or real-time connection of any sort - only discussion posting on Blackboard. This was a couple of years ago so perhaps the school has updated its online teaching methods, but if you are considering courses there you might want to check into how teaching is presented. It can be difficult to have only delayed feedback via writing from your instructor (one instructor seemed to disappear for a week or more at a time). By the way, I also read recently that the clinical psych program at Fielding is under APA review.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I took several of the preliminary courses offered jointly with UCLA Extension as part of the media psychology program at Fielding and quite enjoyed them, but I agree with neuropsych2be that, while the courses are very interesting, it's hard to see real-world application for most people obtaining this degree. I'm a writer who covers psychology topics, so for me, the degree could provide added credibility in landing article assignments and other work (one of the instructors has a Psychology Today blog, for example). A big focus in the program is to provide social justice and reform through media applications, so perhaps people working for reform-oriented nonprofits might make some use of the degree. Fielding did seem legit and isn't a diploma mill or anything like that. The courses I took were thorough, with academic research papers required and so on. However, the courses were online-only and didn't use multimedia or real-time connection of any sort - only discussion posting on Blackboard. This was a couple of years ago so perhaps the school has updated its online teaching methods, but if you are considering courses there you might want to check into how teaching is presented. It can be difficult to have only delayed feedback via writing from your instructor (one instructor seemed to disappear for a week or more at a time). By the way, I also read recently that the clinical psych program at Fielding is under APA review.

Under review as in up for their standard re-accreditation site visit, or as in up for possible suspension of their accreditation? If the latter, that'd be a huge red flag to potential applicants.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Under review as in up for their standard re-accreditation site visit, or as in up for possible suspension of their accreditation? If the latter, that'd be a huge red flag to potential applicants.

I'd strongly lean towards Red Flag, see my bolding below.

Fielding Graduate University (PhD)
(formerly listed as The Fielding Institute)
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
July 17, 1991
Accredited, on probation
Next site visit scheduled Spring 2013

To put this in context, here is what the APA has to say about the "Accredited, on probation" designation. The bolding is mine. I also added the full title for G&P, as it is not commonly known outside of people who are familiar with CoA terminology.

"Accredited, on probation" is considered by the CoA to be an adverse action. It designates an accredited program which, in the professional judgment of the CoA, is not currently consistent with the G&P [Guidelines and Principles of Programs in Professional Psychology]. Programs on probation will be given a time certain by which they must remedy identified.

This isn't a simple re-accreditation, but instead a formal review as to whether the program now meets the standards outlined in the G&P, or if the programs continues to fall short of those standards.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'd strongly lean towards Red Flag, see my bolding below.

Wow, yeah, that's not good.

 

[Neuropsych2be]

Fielding is on probation with the APA COA. We had the COA site visit in late January 2013. The COA site visit team subsequently sent Fielding a report detailing their findings. The contents were released to the student body. Having read the contents, I can say the report was extremely positive. The site team noted that program had clearly addressed the COA's previous concerns regarding student time to completion and the structure of the curriculum.. The only issue of concern the site visit expressed were that different faculty syllabi for the same classes appear to vary significantly from one another. This documentation raises concern that students taking the same class from different faculty will have different academic experiences. APA clearly wants students to have a training experience that is equivalent within and across programs, cumulative and sequential. My impression is that is a documentation issue. We expect a final answer from the full COA vote this summer. But based on the COA site visit report, we are confident of a positive outcome. But this would not be an issue for students in the media psychology program since APA does not accredit such programs. That being said, I still am unclear as to what one would do with a media psychology degree.

 

[Pragma]

Fielding is on probation with the APA COA. We had the COA site visit in late January 2013. The COA site visit team subsequently sent Fielding a report detailing their findings. The contents were released to the student body. Having read the contents, I can say the report was extremely positive. The site team noted that program had clearly addressed the COA's previous concerns regarding student time to completion and the structure of the curriculum.. The only issue of concern the site visit expressed were that different faculty syllabi for the same classes appear to vary significantly from one another. This documentation raises concern that students taking the same class from different faculty will have different academic experiences. APA clearly wants students to have a training experience that is equivalent within and across programs, cumulative and sequential. My impression is that is a documentation issue. We expect a final answer from the full COA vote this summer. But based on the COA site visit report, we are confident of a positive outcome. But this would not be an issue for students in the media psychology program since APA does not accredit such programs. That being said, I still am unclear as to what one would do with a media psychology degree.

Well, while that isn't the end of the world, doesn't your program have standards and objectives that need to be consistent for each course? Seems like a no brainer to me - and not a documentation issue, but a program organization issue. Faculty ought to have some freedom, but if they all just come up with their own course and there is no program-level guidance as to what course objectives are, that is a huge problem. If the program didn't figure this out BEFORE putting their materials in to the APA, I'd also consider that a huge red flag.