Thoughts on Master Degree Programs

[Kushkeeee]

It occurred to me that if I am afraid of making a 7 year committment to a doctoral program, (or if I am not accepted to one for 2005), maybe an option might be for me to get a master's degree first at a university that offers a terminal degree at the master's level. If I was not accepted into a doctoral program for 2005 my original plans were that I would just work on doing whatever I needed to do in order to be accepted for the following year. However, I really hate the idea of putting school off another year and I am so unhappy playing the waiting game in the mean time. Thus, I was thinking maybe a master's degree would be a better option.

The problem with pursuing a master's degree first is that I know in my heart I would still one day like to obtain a doctorate, and I wonder how having a master's degree first might limit my chances of getting accepted into a doctoral program. Also, would I have problems getting credits transferred from my master's school to my doctorate? WOuld I have to retake some classes all over again? What about funding? Would having a master's degree first limit my chances at getting a stipened or teaching assistanceship? Also, if i were to get a master's degree in social work or counseling (which is what many schools offer now as opposed to the master's in psych), would schools be receptive of such degrees when I apply to a doctorate program? While pursuing a master's degree first may become my only option, I wonder how it might affect my chances at doctoral study later on.

What are your thoughts on all of this? Care to share?

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[PsychMode]

It occurred to me that if I am afraid of making a 7 year committment to a doctoral program, (or if I am not accepted to one for 2005), maybe an option might be for me to get a master's degree first at a university that offers a terminal degree at the master's level. If I was not accepted into a doctoral program for 2005 my original plans were that I would just work on doing whatever I needed to do in order to be accepted for the following year. However, I really hate the idea of putting school off another year and I am so unhappy playing the waiting game in the mean time. Thus, I was thinking maybe a master's degree would be a better option.

The problem with pursuing a master's degree first is that I know in my heart I would still one day like to obtain a doctorate, and I wonder how having a master's degree first might limit my chances of getting accepted into a doctoral program. Also, would I have problems getting credits transferred from my master's school to my doctorate? WOuld I have to retake some classes all over again? What about funding? Would having a master's degree first limit my chances at getting a stipened or teaching assistanceship? Also, if i were to get a master's degree in social work or counseling (which is what many schools offer now as opposed to the master's in psych), would schools be receptive of such degrees when I apply to a doctorate program? While pursuing a master's degree first may become my only option, I wonder how it might affect my chances at doctoral study later on.

What are your thoughts on all of this? Care to share?

I wrote a response but I am not on my computer and something funky happened where I supposedly did something invalid (probably because I didn't click on "remember me" when I logged, so it might be something with the cookie/session expiring while I was doing other stuff... why am I going into detail about this?) I haven't any sleep so bear with me.

Are you interested in only direct human service/ independent practice. In some states you can do that with only a master's degree. A PhD allows for a lot more options and it still pays more in terms of clinical practice (who knows how long that will last). If you do anything forensic you will know more about what you are talking about if you have a PhD. You'll be trained as a scientist as well as a practitioner. In other arenas it definitely pays more and you are not as limited with high you can go. By the way, if you want to get into a PhD program later you probably want to demonstrate some interest in research in the meantime, particularly psychology related research. PhD programs will often let you transfer credit but there's a chance that you will have to take some classes over.

There's nothing wrong with getting a master's degree if that is what you want to do. What, specifically are your goals?

(and look at this, this new post is almost as long as the lost post... )

 

[Kushkeeee]

There's nothing wrong with getting a master's degree if that is what you want to do. What, specifically are your goals?

Ideally I would like to be able to do both therapy and teaching positions, though presently I am unsure as to which is my preference. The teaching thing is the main reason I want to pursue doctoral training. I'd like to have that option and I know I won't have that option if I were to go the social worker/master's degree route.

As far as therapy is concerned, it wouldn't bother me to be supervised by someone. My goal with therapy is not necessarily to own my own private practice. So I guess the big thing is that I do think I will want to teach someday.

 

[PsychMode]

Ideally I would like to be able to do both therapy and teaching positions, though presently I am unsure as to which is my preference. The teaching thing is the main reason I want to pursue doctoral training. I'd like to have that option and I know I won't have that option if I were to go the social worker/master's degree route.

As far as therapy is concerned, it wouldn't bother me to be supervised by someone. My goal with therapy is not necessarily to own my own private practice. So I guess the big thing is that I do think I will want to teach someday.

At the university undergrad/grad level you would definitely need a PhD. Psychologists have been faculty in psychology departments, medical schools (i think it tends to be only psychiatry though, unless they are biopsychologists/ neuroscientists, but I only know about them in psychiatry.), business departments (I/O psychologists, usually), etc. If you want to teach at the university level you may still have the PhD option later. Honestly, the longer you wait the harder it will be, but if you are involved in any kind of psychological research or studies, it could happen. Plus, if you get burned out from clinical practice (though it should be challenging in a good way, not a bad way), you wouldn't be as stuck doing it as if you had only a master's degree.

I feel your dilemma. Anyone with anything above a master's degree are either being actively discouraged from performing psychotherapy or they are being underbid by subdoctoral practitioners. This is good for people who are getting therapy that they otherwise wouldn't get if they had to pay a clinical psychologist at least $100/hr. I'm not quite sure if this is what's happening though, if underserved people are getting therapy they want it. I get the impression that people jump into private practice as fast as they can, though you usually can't charge anywhere near $100 if you have less than a doctoral degree. You can't even charge that much with a PhD/PsyD nowadays, no matter how well you know your s***.

Basically, listen to yourself when these thoughts are going through your head. If you feel like you are talking yourself out of something you want to do, then you are just going in circles. Don't be afraid to trust what you want. Feel free to flush my advice down the toilet. You're in charge of your life and your decision.

 

[PsychMode]

Kushkee, I'm actually very biased in favor of doctoral level psychologists, and I'm quite sure that it shows. I may go for another master's degree if I don't go into a doctoral program, I tend to sound pretty negative when it comes to master's degree practitioners. Although they don't have the level of training or empirical/social-behavioral scientist training that doctoral practioners have, master's programs do provide a lot training hours in terms of clinical experience. This is usually independent of whether the progam is stong in its courses and academic training. This is particularly true in terms of clinical experience. The training is focused on actually doing the therapies whereas doctoral practioners get more training in drawing from research and actually doing the research. Also, doctoral programs balance researching with doing. Master's degree programs provide an opportunity to hone your skills as a therapist and you can focus on that if you decide to be primarily a practitioner. If you decide to go with an MA, MS, or MSW, just make sure that the program is a good one. I just got turned off because it seemed too easy. A lot of the people in my classes in my master's program don't seem to be very academically inclined, but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be better than me at building rapport with a given client. My attempt at being fair and balanced with a glaring bias present.

 

[50960]

If you want a great education at a good price check out the British university system.