Straight Outta B.A.... to PhD?!?

[amazoniangoddess]

Recent graduate with my BA in Sociology, really looking to get my phD in Clinical Psych with a Law emphasis so I can become a psychologist within the law enforcement career. 

BUT due to certain circumstances while enrolling in uni, I wasn't able to take any psychology undergrad courses along with my sociology degree, so I have very minimal psych background--like maybe 5 classes in total. I have no research experience in psychology, and I'm currently looking at taking a post-bacc program at UC Berkeley. I might have some connects in getting into a lab for research experience, but it's not solid. Regardless, my question is: 

should I go get my Master's first--and put myself in further debt--and add two years to my already 4-6 years of schooling for my phD? 

OR 

Find some research experience, take this post-bacc program at Berkley &apply for my phD for fall 2020? 

 

ANY TIPS ADVICE ETC will be so beneficial. Even if its the harsh truth! I will love to hear stories about what others did, especially if it was someone in a non-psychology background to see what challenges they've faced etc. All is welcome though! 

sidenote: I might have to take the post-bacc program regardless of which path I take. 

 

Thanks. 

Edited January 16, 2018 by amazoniangoddess

[Warelin]

There are some programs in Psychology that do offer a partially-funded or fully funded MA degree. Some programs I'm aware of are:

College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA)

Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN)

Villanova University (Near Philadelphia, PA)

Wake Forest University (Salem, NC)

University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA)

[SocialPsycNerd]

The answer to this question really depends on a number of factors:

1) Do you have a firm idea of what you want to focus on (i.e., do you have a stable enough research interest to write an SOP about?)

2) Do you have statistics training in your background? I know a lot of sociology degrees do train in stats.

3) Is your GPA on the high end (3.5 or, preferably, better)?

4) Are your GREs on the high end (above 85th percentile)?

5) Do you have research experience (at least one year)?

 

Now... these are the exact same questions I would ask of a person with their BA or BS in Psychology. It is not uncommon for people to cross into Psych after an undergraduate career in another field.  If the answer to any of these questions is "no," there are multiple potential routes to take. Without knowing all your circumstances, it is hard to say which route is the best.

[kayaker85]

It's a little hard to answer your question without knowing your stats (GPA, GRE), but you definitely need research experience. Most successful applicants have worked as an RA for at least 2 years and have conference presentations or publications.

I would suggest doing a full 2-year master's degree in psych. The total cost is close to the same cost as Berkeley's post-bacc (30k), plus many offer assistantships in a lab to help cover living expenses.

One other thought: are you sure you need a PhD -- as opposed to a Psyd -- for to reach your career goals? PsyD programs tend to be a easier to get into and are more clinically-oriented and less research-focused. For example, you are looking to do things like mental competency evaluations, you'd probably do better with a PsyD degree.