Masters programs

[Pistache]

I want to get into a masters program to improve my research experience. The only problem is that I'm having trouble finding programs that have faculty interested in the same area as myself (community violence, both direct (e.g. Domestic violence) and structural (e.g. Homelessness) with a focus on prevention)

The ones I have found are very expensive and I would rather avoid the debt if possible.

So how important is it that faculty in a masters program share interest? Would I be able to research in a completely unrelated field?

[PsychGirl1]

Share interest. This will help you in learning about the area you're interested in, research in that area, as well as building connections in your field.

 

Some programs the debt might be worth it, others not. I'd still consider programs, regardless of funding/price, apply, and then see how things go and if you can make it work. But that's just me... that's what I did, and it worked out well for me.

[sing something]

There are only a handful of funded Masters programs in psychology (search these forums and you'll easily find some lists). This means it is reasonable and possible to REALLY research the faculty at each one. An initial glance at the faculty research interests page of their websites might make it seem like there is no one that shares your interests, but dig deeper. I found my adviser by reading his Masters thesis and realizing a potential area of overlap in his findings and my research interests - even though at first glance our research interests seemed completely different. When I emailed him to ask if he had considered this line of research, he said it was actually a direction he had been thinking about taking his research in for a while!