MA/MS What is the most useful Masters degree to pursue while on track for a Ph.D. or Psy.D.?

[03Yuk0n]

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Hello,

I am a recent graduate of Stony Brook University and received my B.S. in Psychology. I was planning on attending medical school (I've taken the MCAT and completed all of the prerequisite courses needed for medical school), however after a change of heart and new experience in the field of psychology and mental health I've shifted my pursuits. I was wondering what advice everyone here could give me in terms of an enriching/practical Masters degree that would help me in exposure to the field of psychology, as well as prepare me for my admission into a Ph.D. and Psy.D. program?

I sincerely apologize if this issue has already been addressed, however, after some searching on SDN, I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Thank you all for your time,
Farhad

 

[psych.meout]

Hello,

I am a recent graduate of Stony Brook University and received my B.S. in Psychology. I was planning on attending medical school (I've taken the MCAT and completed all of the prerequisite courses needed for medical school), however after a change of heart and new experience in the field of psychology and mental health I've shifted my pursuits. I was wondering what advice everyone here could give me in terms of an enriching/practical Masters degree that would help me in exposure to the field of psychology, as well as prepare me for my admission into a Ph.D. and Psy.D. program?

I sincerely apologize if this issue has already been addressed, however, after some searching on SDN, I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Thank you all for your time,
Farhad

You don't necessarily need to get a master's degree for a doctoral program. I think most people here would recommend one if you both have little research experience and a poor undergraduate GPA, and then you should go for an experimental master's program. If you just need research experience and want some exposure to clinical psych, then you should probably look for a position as a research assistant. You could get paid to get the research experience necessary for grad school.

 

[EmotRegulation]

Agreed with the previous poster. An RA job will be just as good as a masters program in preparing you for a doctoral program. That said, masters is another (albeit more expensive) route. You are better off doing a masters program with an empirical thesis, whether that is experimental or clinical. Don't just do a straight up clinical masters without a thesis, as that won't help you gain admission into a doctoral program.

 

[Jegg]

Anything but psychology, because you'll have to get one along the way anyway....

Might as well know something else useful...

 

[03Yuk0n]

Thank you all for the replies to my question. It's very nice to hear all of your suggestions 🙂

@psych.meout, I was opting for a master's degree as I have limited research experience and lower GPA than is necessary for a doctoral program. What exactly do you mean when you say "experimental master's program"?

@EmotRegulation I was wondering what do you mean by a clinical master's vs. an experimental master's. Also, would degrees like Clinical Mental Health Counseling or other counseling degrees help on the path to a doctoral program?

@Jegg Yeah you're right. Gonna be doing psychology in the doctoral program again anyway lol. What do you suggest would be a good degree in preparation for a doctoral program?

Again, thank you all for the replies

 

[eremitestar]

Also, would degrees like Clinical Mental Health Counseling or other counseling degrees help on the path to a doctoral program?

I did a counseling masters on my way to a PhD. The benefit of doing that is that if you don't get into a PhD program, you're license-eligible at the master's level (which is not the case with an experimental or general psych master's). The downside to going that route is the limited opportunity for research. I wound up getting a part-time job as a research assistant outside my program, which helped, but made for an extra-stressful couple of years. Balancing my schedule got particularly tricky in my second year when I was doing my internship. If you go that route, make sure in advance that you'll have research opportunities in your department, and go for the thesis track. I will say, though, that counseling psychology PhD programs seem to give previous clinical experience more weight than clinical psychology PhD programs do, and many require a master's for admission. I went the counseling psych route for my PhD, and was able to waive the introductory counseling skills classes and beginner-level practicum because I had done a master's-level internship (same for the folks who came in with an MSW). If you decide to go the counseling masters route, consider looking into counseling psychology PhD programs.

 

[EmotRegulation]

What I meant by "experimental masters" program is doing a masters in experimental psychology. "Experimental" is an umbrella term that covers most of laboratory-based, non-health service psychology fields, such as developmental, social, cognitive, etc. The term "experimental" is a bit problematic, because plenty of clinical folks use experimental research methods in their work, but that's really what you're looking for here. In general, if you're interested in clinical psych PhD, do a masters degree that has a thesis requirement, where you'll learn good research methods and have the opportunity to work on research or ideally run your own study.

And no, clinical mental health counseling would not help on the path to a clinical PhD. There are reasons to do that kind of degree, as raised by Eremiestar, such as licensure at the masters level....but for going into a clinical doctoral program? Research is the way to go, not a degree that is primarily clinical. Getting more clinical experience won't really help you get into to most clinical psych doctoral programs. Weird, I know, but that's the way it is.

 

[Justanothergrad]

I got a masters in clinical psych. I am finishing my PhD in counseling psych. I found the skills from each to be useful and the experiences to be different. I disagree that a masters degree in psychology can not promote any increased understanding/experiences beyond those that you assume you will gain in your PhD. For instance, I was able to take courses in forensic psych and work with SMI populations in multiple inpatient and outpatient settings that were not available where my PhD was. I would not assume that it will not help /just because it is a masters/, but I think that a masters can do that. If it does will depend on the program, but I had plenty of opportunities to publish several times as part of my masters and due to the nature of the masters, there were also stipends and tuition waivers. Both the clinical and research experiences were also viewed positively at the various programs I interviewed at during doctoral applications (both clinical and counseling R1 PhD).

Ultimately, people are going to be most interested in research experiences, but you can get those during a degree as well (depending on the program). Part of the hesitancy about the masters programs is (in my view) the fact that so many are not producing a high level quality training. This will vary by school, degree, type of clinical focus you are measuring, etc.

 

[PsychDoc77]

Hello,

I am a recent graduate of Stony Brook University and received my B.S. in Psychology. I was planning on attending medical school (I've taken the MCAT and completed all of the prerequisite courses needed for medical school), however after a change of heart and new experience in the field of psychology and mental health I've shifted my pursuits. I was wondering what advice everyone here could give me in terms of an enriching/practical Masters degree that would help me in exposure to the field of psychology, as well as prepare me for my admission into a Ph.D. and Psy.D. program?

I sincerely apologize if this issue has already been addressed, however, after some searching on SDN, I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Thank you all for your time,
Farhad

I am currently in my final semester of a MA Clinical Psychology program that is research heavy. It is designed to prepare graduates to get into PhD programs in Psychology, with a 87% success rate. I would recommend this type of program as you can easily build your CV. At the end of the first year we were given a list of doctoral programs that have a long history of accepting students from our program. Although, you most likely will not get credit for all of the courses you take in a masters program towards your doc degree. Most of the doc programs accept about 12 credits from another institution and many will accept a thesis.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Hello,

I am a recent graduate of Stony Brook University and received my B.S. in Psychology. I was planning on attending medical school (I've taken the MCAT and completed all of the prerequisite courses needed for medical school), however after a change of heart and new experience in the field of psychology and mental health I've shifted my pursuits. I was wondering what advice everyone here could give me in terms of an enriching/practical Masters degree that would help me in exposure to the field of psychology, as well as prepare me for my admission into a Ph.D. and Psy.D. program?

I sincerely apologize if this issue has already been addressed, however, after some searching on SDN, I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Thank you all for your time,
Farhad

I was wondering why not continue on the path to med school with your eyes on psychiatry? If I had to do it all over again, I might have made that choice myself.

 

[barryggg]

Hello,

I am a recent graduate of Stony Brook University and received my B.S. in Psychology. I was planning on attending medical school (I've taken the MCAT and completed all of the prerequisite courses needed for medical school), however after a change of heart and new experience in the field of psychology and mental health I've shifted my pursuits. I was wondering what advice everyone here could give me in terms of an enriching/practical Masters degree that would help me in exposure to the field of psychology, as well as prepare me for my admission into a Ph.D. and Psy.D. program?

I sincerely apologize if this issue has already been addressed, however, after some searching on SDN, I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.

Thank you all for your time,
Farhad

I'll be very direct with you.

Psychology is appealing because there is much more room for a clinician to incorporate their bs..in medicine, it's mostly by the book as the research is clear.

You have to decide if you want to be an arrogant ignorant dingus, or a real doctor.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'll be very direct with you.

Psychology is appealing because there is much more room for a clinician to incorporate their bs..in medicine, it's mostly by the book as the research is clear.

You have to decide if you want to be an arrogant ignorant dingus, or a real doctor.

03Yuk0n….:troll:

 

[psych.meout]

03Yuk0n….:troll:

But what if we're really, really, really bored?

 

[PsychDoc77]

I was wondering why not continue on the path to med school with your eyes on psychiatry? If I had to do it all over again, I might have made that choice myself.

Prior to returning to graduate school I experienced working with both psychiatrists and psychologists. From what I saw, psychiatry tended to be mostly medication management.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I think that this is dependent on the situation and the individual psychiatrists although the current reimbursement structure seems to encourage medication only types of practice. I have posted on similar threads that the field of psychiatry probably needs more people with an interest in providing psychotherapy rather than less. I try advocate for the optimal throughout mental health. I shudder to think what mental health treatment will be if we keep going down the midlevel route in both psychiatry and psychologiy and continue with the interchangeabilty of LCSW vs MFT vs MHC.

 

[Joiedevivre22]

I am currently in my final semester of a MA Clinical Psychology program that is research heavy. It is designed to prepare graduates to get into PhD programs in Psychology, with a 87% success rate. I would recommend this type of program as you can easily build your CV. At the end of the first year we were given a list of doctoral programs that have a long history of accepting students from our program. Although, you most likely will not get credit for all of the courses you take in a masters program towards your doc degree. Most of the doc programs accept about 12 credits from another institution and many will accept a thesis.

What program is this? I am highly interested! (Also, are there others like it around the country?)

 

[propsych]

I am currently in my final semester of a MA Clinical Psychology program that is research heavy. It is designed to prepare graduates to get into PhD programs in Psychology, with a 87% success rate. I would recommend this type of program as you can easily build your CV. At the end of the first year we were given a list of doctoral programs that have a long history of accepting students from our program. Although, you most likely will not get credit for all of the courses you take in a masters program towards your doc degree. Most of the doc programs accept about 12 credits from another institution and many will accept a thesis.

Hi there, could you suggest some master's programs that are known for helping students get into phd programs?

 

[Oliver3838]

I'll be very direct with you.

Psychology is appealing because there is much more room for a clinician to incorporate their bs..in medicine, it's mostly by the book as the research is clear.

You have to decide if you want to be an arrogant ignorant dingus, or a real doctor.

Unless, of course, the entire field of psychiatry is bs (which you may not care about as long as you get a [high-paying] job).

 

[WisNeuro]

Why would you try to resurrect the trolliest comment in this thread after we had moved on from it?