MA in psychology?

[bialetti-overdose]

Do you recommend any MA in psychology?

I applied for psychology PhD for many schools now and I am not so confident that I would get into any of them.

So I am thinking of applying for MA degree for NYU starting on Summer of 2011.

Would this be a good decision at the moment to build up my application status for future PhD application?

And if you guys know of any other schools that offer the kinds of MA degree that NYU offers, would you list them please?

Thanks,

[neuropsych76]

It really depends on your stats and what your ultimate career goal is. I'm guessing it's clinical psych? An MA can be helpful to make up for certain deficiencies. If you don't have enough research experience or psych classes than a MA can help if you do well there. However, if you didn't get in because you did poorly on the GRE but everything else is fine then an MA wouldn't be much help.

[bialetti-overdose]

It really depends on your stats and what your ultimate career goal is. I'm guessing it's clinical psych? An MA can be helpful to make up for certain deficiencies. If you don't have enough research experience or psych classes than a MA can help if you do well there. However, if you didn't get in because you did poorly on the GRE but everything else is fine then an MA wouldn't be much help.

my ultimate goal is to obtain PhD degree.

I got GRE score of V: 710, Q: 780.

Only thing that's concerning me is my low GPA. (3.22)

However, I really want to get into Ivys.

That's my dilemma.

[Steve Frost]

my ultimate goal is to obtain PhD degree.

I got GRE score of V: 710, Q: 780.

Only thing that's concerning me is my low GPA. (3.22)

However, I really want to get into Ivys.

That's my dilemma.

3.22 is low?

[neuropsych76]

my ultimate goal is to obtain PhD degree.

I got GRE score of V: 710, Q: 780.

Only thing that's concerning me is my low GPA. (3.22)

However, I really want to get into Ivys.

That's my dilemma.

I hope your goals are a bit more focused than that.... Just getting a random psychology PhD from an Ivy League School is not very clear or practical.

Do you know what area of psychology you want to go into?

Also, a 3.22 GPA will be low for Ivy League Schools but you do have a very good GRE score.

[bialetti-overdose]

I hope your goals are a bit more focused than that.... Just getting a random psychology PhD from an Ivy League School is not very clear or practical.

Do you know what area of psychology you want to go into?

Also, a 3.22 GPA will be low for Ivy League Schools but you do have a very good GRE score.

oh! yes, thank you for your continued reply,

yes, I would like to study (as stated in my SOP) social psychology in the grad school.

More specifically, I wrote about my interest in "potentially devastating effect of stereotyping" in detail explaining my past research experience that led me to this topic.

And as I was preparing for the top tier schools, I must confess that I applied most of them just because of their names.

However, there were some schools that could potentially support my research perfectly, such as Princeton and Berkeley.

currently, i am looking for MA programs at NYU and searching for other MA programs in psychology at some prestigious schools (<- this is where i need help)

as a safety measure...

btw, i graduated from Emory Univ.

[psychapplicant2011]

oh! yes, thank you for your continued reply,

yes, I would like to study (as stated in my SOP) social psychology in the grad school.

More specifically, I wrote about my interest in "potentially devastating effect of stereotyping" in detail explaining my past research experience that led me to this topic.

And as I was preparing for the top tier schools, I must confess that I applied most of them just because of their names.

However, there were some schools that could potentially support my research perfectly, such as Princeton and Berkeley.

currently, i am looking for MA programs at NYU and searching for other MA programs in psychology at some prestigious schools (<- this is where i need help)

as a safety measure...

btw, i graduated from Emory Univ.

You are doing it wrong, and thus are setting yourself up for disappointment.

You need to first: Find researchers who can support your interests. (Given your interests, there should be plenty available). Second, you need to contact researchers to see if they are accepting students for the upcoming year. (There is no point applying to work with a given researcher if they are not accepting students.) Third, you need to narrow your list down, NOT BY NAME BRAND OF THE INSTITUTION, but the quality of the department and quality of the research of the target person of interest. Additionally, you should be applying to a stratification of schools by difficulty of getting in. Apply to a few tough-to-get-into "dream" schools, apply to a handful of carefully selected target programs, and apply to a couple of "backups." Backups could be quality MA programs or programs that a bit less than prestigious but who still have quality researchers who are working in your area. You could also inquire about employment placement records when trying to narrow your list down. (I would direct these questions to the director of graduate studies.) Placement is what is _really_ important, unless of course you are just a name chaser, and in that case, you are doing it wrong. (Of course, there is probably a correlation between name brand of institution and placement, but you may be surprised to learn that this relationship is not as strong as you might thing.)

Of course, it is probably too late in this season to follow this advice. Good luck to wherever you applied this time around. If you don't get in, do it right next time.

By the way, Wakeforest has a funded MA program with a very good placement record into quality PhD programs.

[TheDude]

I'm starting to wonder if the immediate reflex of everyone replying in these threads with "no, a master's is a waste of time unless your grades suck" might be on the wrong side.

I noticed that in developmental psychology, a field where a Master's has not typically been a requirement, when I examined the CVs and profiles of current graduate students that most ALL had a Master's.

So, maybe we are wrong and this is a new trend. I know my experience is only anecdotal, but this seemed to be the case at the long list of schools I was interested in before I narrowed it down to apply.

I also am applying to a couple MA/Ph.D track programs.....and noticed in other programs the funding situation isn't equal to a 5 year full ride. Some schools are making you pay in part for the first couple years.

My question is if my grades in undergrad didn't suck, and I have great research experience for an undergrad, why the hell would a Master's offer? I bring it up because it is my "fall back" plan, and this is the same for a few people I know, but it just seems like if our cards aren't drawn this round securing more debt to prove one's self is silly.

Edited December 31, 2010 by musicforfun

[LJK]

I know I have posted about this before, but I think that getting an MA/MS can be beneficial even if you have good grades/experience. My situation is a bit unique as my BA is not in Psych but in another social science. I had very good grades (>3.8), enough to get me a scholarship for the first year's tuition and am lucky enough to have gotten funded for the second year by TAships. What the MS has done for me is allow me to figure out what I want to study. I am still interested in stuff that I have been interested in since my sophomore year and did empirical research on for my senior thesis. While I changed disciplines, I am really interested in cognitive science which transverses many disciplinary lines so it wasn't as big a change as it might seem. At the end of undergrad, I probably would have had one of the POIs that I applied to this year on my list - and she is my second choice at the particular university now. Jumping right in, finding what you are interested in as you do it can work for some people, but I feel like I am much more in control of my destiny (well, except for the pesky adcomms that could derail the whole thing) by taking the time to figure out what I want to specialized in before signing up for the program and advisor that will help me launch my career. If I am able to publish my MS research, people who follow my current advisor will probably think that it is a bit offbeat for her. I have had a lot of autonomy in exploring my interests as an MS student, and even if the infamous advise that the MS will count against applicants proves true, I don't think I would do anything differently because it has brought me to a good place for me.

More specifically to your incurring debt question, I don't know if I would have finished the MS is I wasn't given funding for the second year. The experience and direction I got out of the first year (tuition free- living expenses me/my parents) was enough to set me on the right path and get me 'thinking like a graduate student' which is very different from thinking like an undergraduate. If you would have to pay for the MA/MS I would think about applying for non-student research assistant positions or some other related work experience to make money and stay involved. As a developmental psych applicant, another option could be to get experience working with the age group you want to work with - via day care, after school programs, substitute teaching, etc. You could try to augment that with volunteer work in a lab if the schedule worked. The main thing would be to do *something* that would augment your application for the next application round.

One question I have for you though is are most of the MA/MS degrees at a different university than the PhD will be for these current grad students? Many schools require the MA/MS along the way to the PhD or it can be pretty easy to get via otherwise required aspects of getting the PhD mostly just needing some extra paperwork. I would be surprise to learn that my path of getting the MS as school 1 before moving to school 2 for the PhD is becoming the norm.

[Kaeira]

It probably depends on what your post-graduation plans are. I am also in social psychology, currently in my first year of a MA/PhD program. It's great that you know what kind of topic you want to study already. For social psych, the advisor you go with is really important- more so even than the University you attend. This is especially true if you are planning on going into academia. My university had a job opening for a professor for next year, and the most important thing that the school was looking for was the number of publications. It's your advisor, and definitely not the university, that gives you that.

As for going for a Master's first, a couple people in my program did that. Basically, they didn't get into the MA/PhD programs they wanted, and so they went to get their masters first and then came back to get a PhD. I wouldn't recommend this, though. It takes up a lot more time and you often don't get funded in just a Master's program.

How many schools did you apply to, and do you know if the advisors you applied to work with are taking students next year? If you applied to a bunch (8+ is probably a good number, but I have heard of people who applied to fewer and still got in), I'd say your changes of getting into at least some of them are pretty good.

[lewin]

So I am thinking of applying for MA degree for NYU starting on Summer of 2011.

I hope you are independently wealthy because it's expensive. I applied for the PhD at NYU and, as a consolation prize, got admittance to the MA program. The MA program has no funding and tuition is about $25,000/year. My advice is to find a funded program.

[bialetti-overdose]

It probably depends on what your post-graduation plans are. I am also in social psychology, currently in my first year of a MA/PhD program. It's great that you know what kind of topic you want to study already. For social psych, the advisor you go with is really important- more so even than the University you attend. This is especially true if you are planning on going into academia. My university had a job opening for a professor for next year, and the most important thing that the school was looking for was the number of publications. It's your advisor, and definitely not the university, that gives you that.

As for going for a Master's first, a couple people in my program did that. Basically, they didn't get into the MA/PhD programs they wanted, and so they went to get their masters first and then came back to get a PhD. I wouldn't recommend this, though. It takes up a lot more time and you often don't get funded in just a Master's program.

How many schools did you apply to, and do you know if the advisors you applied to work with are taking students next year? If you applied to a bunch (8+ is probably a good number, but I have heard of people who applied to fewer and still got in), I'd say your changes of getting into at least some of them are pretty good.

Thanks for your kind response to my posting.

I applied for 12 + schools right now. (application fee was kinda tough to afford too

and all of the professors that i wish to work for confirmed that they are taking some new graduate students.

and if you don't mind, may I ask which MA/PhD program you are in?

[cerebellumsdayoff]

I'm about to finish an MA from a funded program, and it was definitely a great experience. However, if you do so decide to go to an MA/MS program, definitely make sure it is funded, as many schools (such as NYU) have MA programs just so that they could increase their input of money.

A professor during my undergrad once told me some good advice: "It's not about where you go for school, it's about what you do there." If you are chasing Ivy League schools just because they are Ivy League schools, then you will be miserable over there if you get in and realize that they are not doing anything that suits your interests. There is a lot of exciting research going on at universities outside of that Ivy Sphere, and if you look at many faculty bios through some departments, at even some reputable schools, you can see that many of them did not go to Ivy League schools, but state schools that do groovy work.

To sum: yes, I'd say that funded MAs are great because they allow you to "tread the water" of PhD programs and narrow down your interest while chipping away at some of the eventual PhD requirements (e.g., classes, thesis, research experience). An application with an MA will show the PhD schools that you are actually able to survive the rigors of graduate education: the proof is in the vita. When taking on a new student who just has a BA, there is always the risk the student won't be able to handle the stress of grad school, regardless of the student's grades/gpa/etc; that MA says "hey Doc programs, I'm pretty darn good."

An MA is a solid plan. Let's look at it another way: you get into an MA program and get your Master's; you apply to PhD later and worst case scenario, you don't get in. As much as it sucks, you still have a graduate degree, so you are ahead of the pack in finding a decent job already. It's a win-win.

[PsychGirl1]

I'm about to finish an MA from a funded program, and it was definitely a great experience. However, if you do so decide to go to an MA/MS program, definitely make sure it is funded, as many schools (such as NYU) have MA programs just so that they could increase their input of money.

A professor during my undergrad once told me some good advice: "It's not about where you go for school, it's about what you do there." If you are chasing Ivy League schools just because they are Ivy League schools, then you will be miserable over there if you get in and realize that they are not doing anything that suits your interests. There is a lot of exciting research going on at universities outside of that Ivy Sphere, and if you look at many faculty bios through some departments, at even some reputable schools, you can see that many of them did not go to Ivy League schools, but state schools that do groovy work.

To sum: yes, I'd say that funded MAs are great because they allow you to "tread the water" of PhD programs and narrow down your interest while chipping away at some of the eventual PhD requirements (e.g., classes, thesis, research experience). An application with an MA will show the PhD schools that you are actually able to survive the rigors of graduate education: the proof is in the vita. When taking on a new student who just has a BA, there is always the risk the student won't be able to handle the stress of grad school, regardless of the student's grades/gpa/etc; that MA says "hey Doc programs, I'm pretty darn good."

An MA is a solid plan. Let's look at it another way: you get into an MA program and get your Master's; you apply to PhD later and worst case scenario, you don't get in. As much as it sucks, you still have a graduate degree, so you are ahead of the pack in finding a decent job already. It's a win-win.

Did you end up applying to any programs? I applied to 4 and I'm waiting to hear back.. so stressful! I'm pretty confident in my app, but I wonder what the other people applying look like. The chances of getting in are so small!

[cerebellumsdayoff]

Did you end up applying to any programs? I applied to 4 and I'm waiting to hear back.. so stressful! I'm pretty confident in my app, but I wonder what the other people applying look like. The chances of getting in are so small!

Sure did! I applied to ten programs this application season; just had an interview with KU (the first school to contact me), so I may know by the end of this week if I'm in. I definitely hate the waiting!

To add to this topic: Compared to an applicant with a BA, an applicant with an MA will often have stronger credentials, given that he or she, by the virtue of having an MA, can survive grad school. Especially in this day and age, where more people are competing for fewer Doc spots, an MA is an increasingly attractive option. When you finish, you have an MA, so if you have to do the dreaded job hunt, you are also ahead of many people out there, so it is a win-win situation. My program has several master's degree tracks; I did Social psych and also Quant psych, to become a better researcher, and to have a solid backup plan in case the worst happens. People with quantitative abilities are always in demand.

[GNC]

I would argue that within some subfields of psychology and M.A. is useless if you don't want to do into a Ph.D.

Defintely agree. And to the original poster don't go into a MA/PhD program without knowing you love it or for the sake of getting a PhD. That is the worst thing anyone can do to themselves. Also those are some ridiculously high GRE scores

Edited February 9, 2011 by GNC

[Arcadian]

First of all, most Master's programs in experimental psychology are called "MS" rather than "MA." It's not really that important, but I'm surprised no one has pointed that out.

Several people in this topic have emphasized the point that we should only look for MS programs that are fully funded. Personally, I have never seen such a program. What programs are you talking about, and how can I find them? Any in Texas?

[cerebellumsdayoff]

First of all, most Master's programs in experimental psychology are called "MS" rather than "MA." It's not really that important, but I'm surprised no one has pointed that out.

Several people in this topic have emphasized the point that we should only look for MS programs that are fully funded. Personally, I have never seen such a program. What programs are you talking about, and how can I find them? Any in Texas?

There are funded Master's programs; albeit they are fairly rare, they do exist. I'm getting my MA from Illinois State University (in central IL) this May, and that is a fully funded two-year program. I know there are others, including University of Northern Iowa and Ball State University (in Muncie, IN). Missouri State University also has a funded MA. As you can see, I'm much more familiar with my home area around the midwest. Many of the Cal State Schools have terminal master's in psychology, although I don't know if they are funded. I'm also not sure whether there are some in Texas, but I would imagine there would have to be one somewhere; probably not in one of the bigger schools, but maybe a midsize school.

And as some said, unless you want to get a Master's in a psychology sub-field that suffices with a Master's (e.g., I/O or even Quant), the Master's is good for getting into PhDs. Even as a social psych student, I know that an MA in social psychology is good for more upper-level research related fields. If you don't like research, you are probably in the wrong field anyways.

[Arcadian]

There are funded Master's programs; albeit they are fairly rare, they do exist. I'm getting my MA from Illinois State University (in central IL) this May, and that is a fully funded two-year program. I know there are others, including University of Northern Iowa and Ball State University (in Muncie, IN). Missouri State University also has a funded MA. As you can see, I'm much more familiar with my home area around the midwest. Many of the Cal State Schools have terminal master's in psychology, although I don't know if they are funded. I'm also not sure whether there are some in Texas, but I would imagine there would have to be one somewhere; probably not in one of the bigger schools, but maybe a midsize school.

And as some said, unless you want to get a Master's in a psychology sub-field that suffices with a Master's (e.g., I/O or even Quant), the Master's is good for getting into PhDs. Even as a social psych student, I know that an MA in social psychology is good for more upper-level research related fields. If you don't like research, you are probably in the wrong field anyways.

Oh trust me, I love research. I want nothing more than to make a career out of research and teaching. I totally take the position that a Master's degree is the way to go if you can't initially get into a Doctoral program. Even if I have to pay tuition, I am still willing to take two years to get a Master's degree. I was simply asking about the funded programs because I had never heard of that.

[bialetti-overdose]

Oh trust me, I love research. I want nothing more than to make a career out of research and teaching. I totally take the position that a Master's degree is the way to go if you can't initially get into a Doctoral program. Even if I have to pay tuition, I am still willing to take two years to get a Master's degree. I was simply asking about the funded programs because I had never heard of that.

One that I know is from Wakeforest

[HyacinthMacaw]

I'm sorry to keep plugging this MA program on this site, but I truly believe folks who would like additional research experience and are interested in intergroup relations can benefit. Here's what I said verbatim about the MSc in Group Processes and Intergroup Relations at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK:

There is also a great one-year master's program in Group Processes and Intergroup Relations at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. Kent houses the research center that publishes the Group Processes and Intergroup Relations journal. Lots of great faculty there--Dominic Abrams, Richard Crisp, etc. I contacted the psych admissions office, and they said to apply by Easter at the latest, but earlier if you would like to be considered for assistantships. I am thinking that I should know by late April if any Ph.D. program offers me admission, and if none do, I will apply to the Kent master's program as a backup (of course, going abroad for a year comes at a great personal expense, but it is something, at least a "Plan Z"). Best of all, I believe the admissions rate for their master's program is higher than most U.S. Ph.D. programs.

Here's the link to info about the MSc program at Kent: http://www.kent.ac.u...ons-msc/outline

I'd also like to add to the chorus of voices discouraging other applicants from applying solely on the basis of undergrad reputation. I do think it's perfectly fine to apply to programs with strong reputations in social psychology, and of course even better to seek the tutelage of advisors who are prominent in their area (e.g., intergroup relations). Simply put, pick the professor, not the school. This can backfire, however--advisors who serve on several editorial boards, have executive positions in APS, SPSP, etc. can often devote little time to actually mentoring their students. And they may not be as productive in terms of research projects as they used to be.

Not to patronize the original poster, but there are dozens of great figures in intergroup relations who did not attend an Ivy League university for their Ph.D.; likewise, there are lots of people who studied in the Ivy League but have not been as successful.

Jack Dovidio went to the University of Delaware (and worked with Sam Gaertner, who received his Ph.D. from CUNY)

Jim Sidanius went to the University of Stockholm.

Terri Vescio - University of Kansas

Nicole Shelton - University of Virginia

Laurie Rudman - University of Minnesota

Brenda Major - Purdue Univ.

Dave Amodio - Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison

Chris Crandall, Monica Biernat, Lee Jussim, etc. - Univ. of MIchigan

I could go on. Northwestern University (Norman Miller, Marilynn Brewer) and NYU (Charles Stangor, Felicia Pratto) also have distinguished alumni.

So seriously, let's put to rest this notion that at the grad school level a Ph.D. from the Ivy League matters more than the originality and cogency of your ideas, your productivity, technical proficiency, elegance of your experimental designs, perseverance, rapport with colleagues, and skill in collaborating with others.

I, for one, will be absolutely thrilled to attend a state school (if I'm fortunate enough to be admitted) where there are professors doing some compelling work in intergroup relations.

[PsychGirl1]

Tangent... how important do you think the verbal GRE score is for research-based masters (MA/MS) or PhD programs in psychology? I took the test once and did fantastic in quant and writing but mediocre in the verbal. Do you think I should retake it in the future? Do you think this will be a liability at all? I'd assume they mostly cared about the quant section, but just wondering if anyone had any insight...

[bialetti-overdose]

Tangent... how important do you think the verbal GRE score is for research-based masters (MA/MS) or PhD programs in psychology? I took the test once and did fantastic in quant and writing but mediocre in the verbal. Do you think I should retake it in the future? Do you think this will be a liability at all? I'd assume they mostly cared about the quant section, but just wondering if anyone had any insight...

I think they are very concerned with Verbal and analytical writing scores.

Not so much for quant.

[PsychGirl1]

I think they are very concerned with Verbal and analytical writing scores.

Not so much for quant.

Why wouldn't a research-based program care about quant scores? Research is mostly analysis and data. Being good at math seems a lot more useful than memorizing vocabulary :-)

[bialetti-overdose]

Why wouldn't a research-based program care about quant scores? Research is mostly analysis and data. Being good at math seems a lot more useful than memorizing vocabulary :-)

I am sorry I thought I clearly said "not so much" not "not at all"