Psy D programs

[arimc]

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Hi I was wondering if someone could help direct me on the right path of education. I am starting my senior year this fall and I am majoring in psychology. I know I want to go into clinical psychology and have been looking at Psy D. programs as well as masters programs. If I decide to go into a masters program first, what masters program would best prepare me for a Psy D. or maybe Ph D. program in the future?

thanks 🙂

 

[AcronymAllergy]

If your ultimate goal is a doctoral degree, then you'd likely best be served by getting a master's in experimental psych or something similar (this is particularly true if you're thinking of going for your Ph.D.). These types of degrees/programs should allow you the most opportunities to participate in original research.

If you're unsure whether you ultimately want a doctorate and would prefer to have the option of practicing for a few years beforehand, then a degree in counseling or social work is likely what you'd want.

 

[PsyDLICSW]

Hi I was wondering if someone could help direct me on the right path of education. I am starting my senior year this fall and I am majoring in psychology. I know I want to go into clinical psychology and have been looking at Psy D. programs as well as masters programs. If I decide to go into a masters program first, what masters program would best prepare me for a Psy D. or maybe Ph D. program in the future?

thanks 🙂

It depends on your career goals. I am currently in a PsyD program but I got an MSW before that. If your ultimate goal is a doctoral degree, get an MA in psychology where you can participate in research or an MA where you can get counseling experience. If you want to practice with a license before PhD/PsyD then get an MSW. You can be licensed independently in most states. If you get an MSW, go to a program with a focus in clinical social work and not a generalist program. What are your career goals?

 

[Lyra33]

I recently finished my first year of a PsyD program. I came straight in from my bachelors degree. I know students here who already have MA degrees in different fields, from clinical psych to social work to MFT to school psych. If you want to do a master's in clinical psych beforehand, I would highly recommend not doing one at a professional school. We have a master's program at my school and I feel like they do not do as high of levels of work as these programs at universities. The students I know with MSWs sometimes have discussed how different the two fields are, but I think it helped them when applying to practicum as they already had all that different knowledge and experience.
Be careful if you choose to do a masters first. Many of the students I know who did that found many of their credits did not transfer. My school offers an "acceleration" process where you cut off a year if you have a prior masters, but this is very intense. The students I know in it were taking 17/18 credits a semester while the rest of us were in 12. It's manageable, but a lot of work, especially if you could be admitted straight out of undergrad.