nontraditional psych student - which masters program?

[jnotes]

hello everyone!

first post here. truly hope i'm posting this in the right thread.

I am in need of wisdom and seek lots of advice on what kind of masters program would be best for me to pursue after a gap year.

Background: I just graduated college this year with a BA in History and in Political Science, with a minor in Poverty Studies. I am taking a gap year this year and am doing a year long volunteer program mental health related.

Alongside my two BAs, I was able to take psych classes and have 16 credits of pysch courses. It was during my last two years of college that due to a lot of a personal things going on in my life and loved ones around me, I realized I wanted to pursue clinical psych as a profession and eventually dream to go to a clinical psych PHD program. For now at least, under clinical psych, I am interested in neuropsych~

But since I don't have a BA or BS in psychology, I am thinking about pursuing a master's program. Is an MA or MS most ideal for my situation?
I heard that MS tend to be terminal and that people often pursue that if they want to be certified.
I also looked into international masters program but I also heard that it wasn't ideal for people that wants to be certified in the US and want to work here. but they are often cheaper than studying in country.

if there is anyone that is kind of nontraditional like me or have known someone, please share your thoughts/advices!

thank you!

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[Justanothergrad]

It won't matter if you go MA or MS. What matters is the experience in the program (specifically, research experience and paper/poster production) and the track record the program has for landing folks into PhD programs. Don't try to find an international program - what matters is recognition and habit. Find programs (there are a number of threads here with specific suggestions) that are 'feeder programs' for doctoral programs. Those are your friends to prepare you for a competitive application.

 

[avi.cenna]

Agree with the above. MA/MS is not a particularly important factor (either can be terminal degrees that have pathways to licensure as a masters-level clinician), but the program’s track record in terms of graduates successfully going on to completing doctoral studies is important. This is something that you can ask the representatives of the programs that you are considering applying to. There can be considerable differences in tuition/cost of living between graduate programs, so that may be something to factor in as well. I would also caution against pursuing an international MA/MS if your goal is to be licensed in the US. One other consideration is that a terminal masters degree in counseling or clinical psychology would still provide you with a viable pathway to practicing as a licensed mental health clinician (if your primary interest is clinical practice), albeit not as a psychologist, in the chance that you are not admitted into a doctoral program. This is not an outcome that any aspiring psychologist hopes for, but it is a contingency that may be worth accounting for, particularly if you find that through volunteering and self-reflection over the next year, your primary interest is more in psychotherapy and less in assessment or research.

 

[futureapppsy2]

One other consideration is that a terminal masters degree in counseling or clinical psychology would still provide you with a viable pathway to practicing as a licensed mental health clinician (if your primary interest is clinical practice), albeit not as a psychologist, in the chance that you are not admitted into a doctoral program.

This is generally not true. In order to be licensed as a masters-level counselor, one generally need a master's in counseling (with CACREP-accredited preferred and required in at least one state). Most master's degrees in psychology wouldn't meet the licensure requirements, as they aren't designed to. If the OP wants a master's in psychology to gain research experience, the feeder programs that @Justanothergrad to can be helpful. If the OP wants a degree that could allow for masters-level practice, it'll likely be a degree in counseling (or social work). People do move from counseling master's to psychology PhD programs, but it can be tricky, as terminal master's that prepare someone for licensure typically don't have much research experience attached (the clinical course requirements leave little room for it, tbh).

 

[avi.cenna]

This is generally not true. In order to be licensed as a masters-level counselor, one generally need a master's in counseling (with CACREP-accredited preferred and required in at least one state). Most master's degrees in psychology wouldn't meet the licensure requirements, as they aren't designed to. If the OP wants a master's in psychology to gain research experience, the feeder programs that @Justanothergrad to can be helpful. If the OP wants a degree that could allow for masters-level practice, it'll likely be a degree in counseling (or social work). People do move from counseling master's to psychology PhD programs, but it can be tricky, as terminal master's that prepare someone for licensure typically don't have much research experience attached (the clinical course requirements leave little room for it, tbh).

Thanks for pointing this out. By ‘terminal masters degree’ I was referring specifically to the licensure granting masters programs that you referenced above, though I can see that this may have been unclear. My advice for OP was that if clinical practice comes to be their primary professional interest, a terminal masters degree that is licensure granting could be useful and relevant to helping them gain admission into a doctoral program that follows a practitioner-scholar model (emphasizes clinical practice), while also providing them with an alternative path to clinical practice (a plan B), if unable to gain admission into a doctoral program.

Another resource for OP:

https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

 

[Justanothergrad]

Thanks for pointing this out. By ‘terminal masters degree’ I was referring specifically to the licensure granting masters programs that you referenced above, though I can see that this may have been unclear. My advice for OP was that if clinical practice comes to be their primary professional interest, a terminal masters degree that is licensure granting could be useful and relevant to helping them gain admission into a doctoral program that follows a practitioner-scholar model (emphasizes clinical practice), while also providing them with an alternative path to clinical practice (a plan B), if unable to gain admission into a doctoral program.

Another resource for OP:

https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

This is true. The drag for those programs is that they tend not to focus on the Plan A necessary steps (e.g., research and publication). Its frustrating to me for students because one would hope that both options were viable since shifting focus after undergrad (career, or research interests) is pretty commonplace. This is another reason I hate the CACREP program approach - it restricts student options.

 

[R. Matey]

People do move from counseling master's to psychology PhD programs, but it can be tricky, as terminal master's that prepare someone for licensure typically don't have much research experience attached (the clinical course requirements leave little room for it, tbh).

Also worth pointing out that this path has been shrinking over the last five years or so as more programs either close or move to admitting more B.A./B.S. students. Honestly, this is the route I took, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't exist in the next ten years.

 

[Dazen]

There is a ton of great advice posted above, but I wanted to add that if your goal is to get into a clinical psychology PhD program, a masters isn’t necessary. You will significantly benefit from gaining psychology research experience, which you can do through some masters programs as well as as a lab manager or volunteer, especially if you don’t have much research experience already. This, combined with fit with the major professors and programs to which you apply, will be some of the biggest considerations in your PhD application. Schools generally do have a requirement for some amount of undergraduate psych coursework (either a certain number of credits or specific classes - most often intro psych, abnormal psych, stats, and research methods), so as long as you meet those requirements you can get in without a psychology degree. You can also choose to focus on research in the next few years and take any required classes on the side. It can be more difficult in admissions, as some professors and programs will automatically rank you below those with similar qualification but with a psych degree, but it is possible.

I just started my first year in a clinical PhD program and came from a non-psychology academic background, so I’m happy to answer any more specific questions you have as well.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I took a similar though more circuitous route and the program where I got my masters - which is part of an AMC - is terminal and can lead to licensure but also has a good track record for sending folks to PhD programs (they also now have a part-time option which is nice for those who need to work while in school). PM if you want more info. Though I will say many states make getting licensed in counseling much more onerous than licensure in social work so if you do some reflecting and think clinical work / therapy is considerably the most appealing about a psych degree, you might SW instead. I know a few social workers that then went on to PhDs in psych but seems to be a less common path.