Penn GSE Master's Program: Funding + Paying for Tuition

[MonYX]

17 hours ago, PsyDuck90 said:

If your options are a fully funded PhD from a reputable state university vs an out-of-pocket expense master's program, I would take the PhD. A PhD in Clinical Psychology is a much more flexible degree than a masters in counseling. You typically get far more experience in the theory of therapy and clinical experience during your training, and you leave with more diversity in options: therapy, assessment, teaching, etc. Also, the lessened debt load can make a huge financial impact. 

Hi. thanks for your reply! sorry I didn't make it clear that I am applying for quantitative research programs in education. So my offers are all in this field. But you are right. Budget is no. 1 concern for me. It must be hard to pay that huge debt even with an Ivy title.

[PsyDuck90]

1 hour ago, MonYX said:

Hi. thanks for your reply! sorry I didn't make it clear that I am applying for quantitative research programs in education. So my offers are all in this field. But you are right. Budget is no. 1 concern for me. It must be hard to pay that huge debt even with an Ivy title.

Honestly, the ivy league title really only applies to undergrad. Graduate school, especially in mental health, is a totally different thing, and rankings means less. Often times, these ivy league programs charge insane tuition just because of the ivy league brand, which just doesn't have the same pull at the grad level for some fields as it does for undergrad (business and law are two major exceptions--an MBA or JD for Penn, Columbia, etc. does open more doors than one from a state school, but mental health counseling....not really). If you're looking at strictly research, faculty fit is probably the biggest factor. You also have way more time to actually do good research in a PhD than an MS.