Paths to Clin. Psych. degrees?

[capo]

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I have a BA & wondered if you can get a Masters in Psych. then continue through any programs to get a Clin. Psych. or PsyD? I know its hard to get into a 4 yr program 1st, so wondered if you can prove yourself in a Masters & go on from there? Thanks.

 

[erg923]

yes

 

[Psych528]

That's what I did. It's a great way to show that you can succeed in grad school. And of course, during that time you can also gain quite a bit of research/clinical experience.

 

[deleted176373]

I have a BA & wondered if you can get a Masters in Psych. then continue through any programs to get a Clin. Psych. or PsyD? I know its hard to get into a 4 yr program 1st, so wondered if you can prove yourself in a Masters & go on from there? Thanks.

You could, but if you want a Ph.D. or Psy.D. to begin with, it's better to go from B.A. to Ph.D. or Psy.D. program without a masters first. However it's not all that easy to get into a doctoral level program if you have been out of school for a while or if your B.A. was not in psychology.

As others have noted, a masters can be helpful to show that you're ready to be in a doctoral level program. If you decide to do a masters, make sure they have a history of successfully placing graduates in Ph.D. or Psy.D. programs.

Mark

 

[olychick65]

Yes, but to be clear, you will likely have to "re-do" most or all of the credits you took in your masters program in your doctoral program. So Mark is right, if possible, going straight on to the doctoral is a better way to do it because it will save you time/money/headaches.

 

[robinsena]

If you are planning to spend extra time to do a Masters with the sole purpose of being more competitive for a doctoral program, I would consider using that time instead to build up your research and clinical experience (being a RA, volunteering, etc.)

 

[bmedclinic]

I have a BA & wondered if you can get a Masters in Psych. then continue through any programs to get a Clin. Psych. or PsyD? I know its hard to get into a 4 yr program 1st, so wondered if you can prove yourself in a Masters & go on from there? Thanks.

Yes, you can. That's what I did.
MA in Clinical Psych '08
PhD (potentially) in 2012


When I entered my MA program, I entered with 13 others (I think). I was told by the program director that they were very good at getting people into PhD programs and "those that want to get in, get in."
FALSE. 11 of those 14 people applied, and 1 got in (me). One went to special ed phd, another went to counseling psych phd program, and another went to get a different masters degree.

The only reason I'd get a MA first is if you need to up your GPA. If your GPA is fine, I'd go the research/RA route, for sure. Cant ever have enough research experience going into a program.

 

[jonathansmith86]

Many schools that offer a masters and a doctorate arrange it so that the first two years of the doctoral program curriculum are pretty close to the masters program so that students can start with the masters and then go to the doctoral program later with a minimum of extra courses. I know that the University of Indianapolis is like that. My experience has been with PsyD programs, so I don't know about PhD programs. If I were you I would apply to both types of programs at the same time and see which ones you get into.

 

[capo]

Thanks all.

I am non-trad so been out awhile. Thus, I worry about how I'll look to a program. I'm taking time to sort through this as I'm not sure where/how to begin. I took post-bacc. premed courses (my BA was non-sci.) but decided vs going MD & Psychiatry, as I'm more into the psychology rather than just writing meds. Thanks again.

 

[Aura5]

That's what I'm fixin' to do, capo.