mary109

I read my post again and realized my goals sound a little vague. Ideally, I would want to work with nonprofits/ngo's and government agencies to create programs that will solve social problems and address the needs of disadvantaged people and communities. Topics/issues of interest are trauma, mental health, poverty, and education. It is a long-time dream/goal of mine to start a nonprofit one day. I initially considered doing a MPP because I realized that there needs to be informed policy making and reformation on many social issues that I'm passionate about. I'm still doing my research/thinking things through and your advice/post is very helpful, especially the bolded above - great advice. Thanks!

Hi all, I'll be graduating in May with an MSSW and I plan to return to school but I'm struggling deciding which degree to pursue. While I enjoy the clinical aspect of social work and the ability to give therapy, I realized that I'm really interested in advocating for disadvantaged populations on a macro/systematic level. I want to study social systems and policies and create interventions and solutions to problems in the real world, internationally and domestically. I'm really passionate about social justice and I'm looking into Master's of Public Policy programs and considering applying. But I don't know the likelihood of me being accepted as I have no formal training in policy and my bachelor's is in psychology. Which brings me to the next part of my question... Having studied it in undergrad, I'm really passionate about psychology and I can't shake the idea of wanting to further my studies in the field and receive the highest degree in psychology. I've been looking into Phd Psychology programs that have a developmental focus. I'm specifically interested in studying human behavior and childhood/adolescent development and using this understanding to inform interventions. I know Georgetown has a dual MPP/PhD Psychology program which sounds ideal for me. While Georgetown's is renowned for the policy program, I don't know about the quality of their PhD Psychology program. But I cannot find many other dual degree programs like this. (I have been looking into NYU's Psychology and Social Intervention program). Also I don't have much research experience, and I know this is a priority in PhD Psychology programs, so if I decide to apply to Phd Psych programs, I would first have to get research experience under my belt first. So that's my dilemma. Do I get a Master's Public Policy/MPP? Or a PhD in Psychology? Or try to do both? Any advice, direction, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I'll be graduating in May with an MSSW and I plan to return to school but I'm struggling deciding which degree to pursue. While I enjoy the clinical aspect of social work and the ability to give therapy, I realized that I'm really interested in advocating for disadvantaged populations on a macro/systematic level. I want to study social systems and policies and create interventions and solutions to problems in the real world, internationally and domestically. I'm really passionate about social justice and I'm looking into Master's of Public Policy programs and considering applying. But I don't know the likelihood of me being accepted as I have no formal training in policy and my bachelor's is in psychology. Which brings me to the next part of my question... Having studied it in undergrad, I'm really passionate about psychology and I can't shake the idea of wanting to further my studies in the field and receive the highest degree in psychology. I've been looking into Phd Psychology programs that have a developmental focus. I'm specifically interested in studying human behavior and childhood/adolescent development and using this understanding to inform interventions. I know Georgetown has a dual MPP/PhD Psychology program which sounds ideal for me. While Georgetown's is renowned for the policy program, I don't know about the quality of their PhD Psychology program. But I cannot find many other dual degree programs like this. (I have been looking into NYU's Psychology and Social Intervention program). Also I don't have much research experience, and I know this is a priority in PhD Psychology programs, so if I decide to apply to Phd Psych programs, I would first have to get research experience under my belt first. So that's my dilemma. Do I get a Master's Public Policy/MPP? Or a PhD in Psychology? Or try to do both? Any advice, direction, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.