Is Graduate School for you?
Should you go to graduate school in psychology? In order for you to continue with a career in psychology beyond the supervised research or human services assistant level, graduate study is a must. Graduate
programs offer different degrees: Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Education
(M.Ed.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Master's
degree (M.A., M.S., or M.Ed.) as the appropriate degree for supervised delivery
of psychological services, but for independent practice the doctorate (Ph.D.,
Psy.D., or Ed.D.) is essential.
Carefully consider how deep your commitment is to a career in psychology. Gaining entry to graduate school in some areas of psychology such as clinical, is very competitive and difficult. The average program accepts about 16 percent of its applicants; some clinical programs accept fewer than two percent. Graduate
school training is also very challenging: more self-motivation,
higher scholastic achievement, and a heavier workload will
be required than many students are accustomed to as undergraduates.
Master's
Degree Programs
There
are two types of master's degree programs in psychology. The
professional or terminal master's programs are designed to
provide training for immediate employment in applied settings
such as community mental health centers, businesses and industries
and school systems. These programs are usually offered at regional or state universities whose primary mission is to serve students and communities in their geographical area. The
second type of master's program prepares students to enter
a doctoral program. Some of these programs are located in
institutions that do not award a doctoral degree, which means
that their graduates must apply to doctoral programs in other
institutions after completing the master's
degree.
If
you decide to go into a master's program, be aware of one
possible disadvantage. As was previously mentioned,
obtaining a master's degree at one school does not ensure
your entrance into a doctoral program at another school. If
you are accepted as a transfer student into a doctoral program
after completing a master's degree, you may have to repeat
some coursework. Some doctoral programs provide more
flexibility than others. The advantage to a master's
program are that it exposes the student to the rigor and climate
of graduate school and also enables the student to be better
prepared for a doctoral program than an undergraduate with
no graduate experience.
Doctoral Degree Programs
The doctoral degree in psychology opens up many career opportunities. At least four years of study are usually required to obtain a doctorate. If you wish to provide psychological services, another year for internship and at least one additional year supervised practice are necessary. Normally a graduate student begins to work with a professor in an apprenticeship role early in the graduate program to learn how to conduct research. After
the coursework is completed, students must still prepare for
and pass comprehensive exams and write and defend their dissertations.
People
interested in careers as professional clinical, counseling,
or school psychologists may consider the "Professional School"
doctoral programs, some which offer the Psy.D. rather than
the more
traditional Ph.D. or Ed.D. Professional schools place
their greatest emphasis on training students for professional
practices, whereas the more traditional programs place a
greater emphasis on developing the psychologist as both a
researcher and a practitioner. Psy.D. programs tend
to feature more structured course sequences as well as extensive
practical work. Usually
the student completes the program in three years and does an
internship during the fourth.
Professional schools usually have less rigorous admission requirements, but weigh particular criteria, such as clinical experience, more heavily then would traditional graduate programs. Students
in professional schools tend to be older and to have more
working experience in applied psychology, and many already
have master's degrees in psychology. However,
these are matters of emphasis: All graduate programs differ
in admission requirements; therefore, it is important to write
to individual programs for information.
PROPOSED TIMELINE
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION IN PSYCHOLOGY
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
