MA in edu psychology or general psychology? I am so debating...

[alllex]

So, I am closing between those two programs in the CUNY, and they are both very appealing to me, but I need to make a decision soon... I understand I have to make my own life choices, but would anyone who is doing a master's in psychology mind share their experiences with me? How do you find researches or the coursework, etc... I am very new to this; please feel free to offer me some advice or look into it.

 

Thank you so much!

[PsyDuck90]

Which program has faculty doing research you're more interested in? Also, what are your ultimate career goals? Typically, masters in psychology are not terminal degrees. 

[alllex]

5 minutes ago, PsyDuck90 said:

Which program has faculty doing research you're more interested in? Also, what are your ultimate career goals? Typically, masters in psychology are not terminal degrees. 

Thank you so much! I wish to pursue a Ph.D. in the future, but I don't have a clear research focus right now, or what branches of psychology I wish to focus on. Would you suggest I contact the department in the schools asking if they are looking for students in their researches before I enrolled? The website does not have a lot of info on whether the faculties have labs or anything...any suggestions?

 

[PsyDuck90]

Don't the websites have pages listing the faculty and their research interests? And what do you want to do with your PhD once you get it? What type of job do you hope to have in the future? At the end of the day, a PhD is still a means to an end, with the end being your career aspirations. A PhD in clinical psychology is going to have a different career trajectory than a PhD in Developmental Psychology, for instance. 

[alllex]

6 minutes ago, PsyDuck90 said:

Don't the websites have pages listing the faculty and their research interests? And what do you want to do with your PhD once you get it? What type of job do you hope to have in the future? At the end of the day, a PhD is still a means to an end, with the end being your career aspirations. A PhD in clinical psychology is going to have a different career trajectory than a PhD in Developmental Psychology, for instance. 

thank you for your advice, I think I want to explore my interests in grad school, I will found my path. Are you a PhD student?

[PsyDuck90]

Close, PsyD in clinical psychology. I would recommend you figure out what you specifically want to study/do as a career before you spend any money on more education. You can also get research experience without being a current student by searching for research coordinator positions. This way you get paid to do research, which looks just as good (if not better) on PhD applications. Unless your undergrad was in a completely unrelated field or you need to make up for a low GPA, an MA isn't really necessary for PhD admission.