my intro and need some guidance

[octobersongs]

Hi all. I am graduating in May with my B.S. in Psych. I live overseas with my husband who is stationed in Japan with the Navy. I was hoping to get some advice from you guys. I initially was planning to attend medical school for psychiatry. Having just recently moved to Japan for the next 3 years (2015), that dream seems so far gone.

I have decided to focus my time on a masters program in clinical psychology. Because I'm overseas, the program will have to be online. Am I going to find a decent job with an online masters? Does anyone know of any good online programs? Anyone been through a similar situation? I'm sure more questions will come, but that's it for now. Thanks in advance.

[+Whiskey]

I do not know of any good, fully online masters programs in clinical psychology, but they might exist. If you decide to go that route, I would avoid for-profit schools and look for something with a preexisting brick-and-mortar campus. I think your job prospects with an online masters would depend mostly on what you wanted to do with it. Are you interested in counseling?

In the grand scheme of things, three years really isn't that long. If you want to become a psychiatrist there are plenty of things you can do to work towards that goal while you're overseas besides earning a masters degree.

[DarwinAG]

I would reccomend not going the online route. To echo what srkr wrote there are lots of ways you can strengthen your application for the future if you want to be a psychiatrist. I am sure there are programs in the armed forces that would allow you to train as some sort of counselour or gain some sort of medical experience.

[firstsight]

The only thing I can think of is maybe check up on Troy. They have an excellent program in terms of catering to military particulars, and I do believe that they offer a clinical psy degree (masters). I'm not sure if they offer an online version, but they have satellite campuses seemingly everywhere... it's worth a shot to research, if nothing else.

[lewin]

Honestly, I don't see how a master's done online could possibly be comparable to one where students get in-person research and clinical experience. A master's isn't just about reading material and writing papers, it's about learning skills and applying them.

ETA: it's also about developing professional connections and that won't happen online.

Edited December 18, 2012 by lewin00