Studying Clinical Psych in the UK as an American

[warren_grey]

Hello all. I'm not quite there yet, but for many reasons I'd like to pursue my higher education in the UK. I'm obtaining my 4-year undergraduate degree in America. Some reasons as to why I'd like to study in the UK are that it is the better financial decision for me, I believe the education style is overall better for my career aspirations, it will take less time, I have found Brits overall to be very engaging and pleasant people (of course not all will be, but in my experience thus far), and I loved Britain when I visited and have been aching to go back since. I haven't found much information online and looking at the entry requirements for various schools across the UK doesn't give me much information. Answers to any of these questions would be a great help.

Can I go back to the USA and work there if I choose? Do UK graduate programs accept students right out of their undergraduate? Do UK PhD programs require a masters degree (not sure why I'm unable to find a straight answer for this)? Am I less likely to be accepted as an international student? Am I more likely to be accepted if I show intentions of staying in Britain afterward? How much clinical research is generally necessary?

Any other information pertaining to this topic would be greatly appreciated. I feel very lost. 

[PsyDuck90]

If you intend to work as a licensed clinician in the US, you will likely run into many issues in trying to show equivalency for licensure requirements. While the US and Canada have a reciprocal training agreement, that does not exist for the UK. Check out the FAQ from APA:  https://www.apa.org/support/us

[ColoradoGirl94]

Hi there,

I did my Master's in the U.K. and have a couple answers to your questions. So first, PhD programs do not require a Master's to get into a PhD school, but it is even more difficult, if not impossible, compared to the U.S. to get into a PhD school in the U.K. straight from undergraduate. I had friends in my Master's program (UK citizens) that left undergrad, worked, did a Master's program and still took 2 years to get into a PhD program. These were really smart people too and were getting the equivalent of 4.0 in their degrees. They have significantly fewer schools for PhD programs in the UK than the US so competition is incredibly high. 

You are definitely less likely to be accepted as an international person. I felt that I got into a Master's program pretty easily but that is because I was paying their 22,000 dollar a year price tag. All PhD programs in the UK are funded so they prefer admitting UK citizens to give them the funding. Staying in the U.K. after does not sway the schools one way or another. It all depends on your visa and the UK visa allows you stay in the UK only for a certain amount of time after your degree ends which I know most people that are international and stay in the UK after their program have a hard time finding a job anyway due to the visa restrictions. 

The biggest differences between UK and US programs I would say is the difference in needing research for admission. Most of my friends did their Master's and that was enough "research experience" for them to be qualified to apply to be a PhD program. They actually value having clinical experience way more for UK programs because a UK PhD program is more geared towards the clinical side than research.

Overall, I would recommend against trying to apply for a PhD program in the UK because after doing my Master's I realized that there are some barriers I am even finding in the states of trying to get licensed/jobs due to difference restrictions and curriculum between the U.S. and U.K. Master's programs. 

 

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out! I can tell you a lot about the education/culture/school reputations there!