Lacking Psychology Background...Best Course to a Psychology Grad Degree

[crystalc]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm seeking some opinions on the better route to earning a graduate degree in community psychology.  I currently have a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and have been in the corporate world for the last ~10 years.  My engineering degree didn't require any research, so I don't have that to fall back on, but the math and science coursework is strong.  However, I wouldn't have any letters of recommendation coming from individuals w/a psychology background.

 

Is the best path to just apply to graduate programs I'm interested in and make my personal statement a stellar one - knowing I would need to fill in the "blanks" where I'm lacking in undergrad psychology coursework OR take some undergrad courses in the summer and get to know some of the professors fill in some of the blanks and possibly improve my LORs?

 

All thoughts appreciated.

 

Thank you!

 

Crystal 

[PsychGirl1]

I switched into Psychology from a different career. This is what I did:

 

- Emailed professors at nearby universities and asked if I could volunteer with them PT (nights/weekends). Surprisingly, this worked for a few labs- I got some cool opportunities. At a minimum, you may be able to get experience with phone screenings and data entry outside of hours, although depending on the studies going on, you might get some more interesting things!

 

- Took a night class (and later an online class) in Psychology. You'll need a few basic courses depending on what area of Psychology you're in.

 

- Aced the GREs

 

- Got a tiny bit of clinical work (ex. rape crisis intervention, suicide hotlines, homeless shelters, etc.)

 

 

- Applied to FT 2-years master's with thesis and a mentor using the LOR from the volunteer lab as well as work references (while not psych, you can have them stress other strengths you have, like data and quantitative skills)

 

Then ended up in a PhD program! It's a bit of a long route, but I'm glad I went through all the steps or else I would have been SEVERELY overwhelmed in my PhD program.

 

Good luck!

[BeingThere]

I like PsychGirl's suggestions.

 

I just want to add that I have not come across a psychology master's program that doesn't want incoming students to have at least some psychology coursework background.  And for PhD programs, research experience seems to be nearly a requirement to get in. 

 

What  you could do - if you haven't already - is look up some programs you are interested in applying to and finding out what their minimum requirements are as far as previous psych coursework (usually at least introductory coursework and a research methods/stats course.) 

 

Psychgirl gave excellent suggestions for getting research experience.

 

Good luck to you!

[clinicalpsychphd20]

Hi!

 

I also switched from the corporate world to Psychology (feel free to PM me if you want to), although my undergraduate major was Psychology. Here are a few tips

 

1. Research experience is a MUST. Try to volunteer while you are working. If you can get a full-time gig that would be even better

2. You do not need a Psychology undergrad nor a Masters. Don't waste your $. You just need a few required courses (check the schools you are interested in, but it's usually abnormal/experiment/stats/perhaps a few others). 

3. Get a great Psych GRE score (and a good overall GRE score)

4. Volunteer hotline work would be great

5. You should also have a good statement of purpose, with very well-defined research interests. DO NOT make the mistake of spending most of your statement talking about your past career. You should talk about the future (your research interests, what you want to do with your career /etc)

Also make sure that you really want to do Psychology. This is a long and hard path. I also left a career that pays a lot better than Psych and it has been difficult in many ways. 

[Guest |||]

If you could only take a handful of courses, I would rank the following in priority.

 

1. Research methods 2. Statistics  3. Cognition/Sensory Systems.

[PsychGirl1]

Hi!

 

I also switched from the corporate world to Psychology (feel free to PM me if you want to), although my undergraduate major was Psychology. Here are a few tips

 

1. Research experience is a MUST. Try to volunteer while you are working. If you can get a full-time gig that would be even better

2. You do not need a Psychology undergrad nor a Masters. Don't waste your $. You just need a few required courses (check the schools you are interested in, but it's usually abnormal/experiment/stats/perhaps a few others). 

3. Get a great Psych GRE score (and a good overall GRE score)

4. Volunteer hotline work would be great

5. You should also have a good statement of purpose, with very well-defined research interests. DO NOT make the mistake of spending most of your statement talking about your past career. You should talk about the future (your research interests, what you want to do with your career /etc)

Also make sure that you really want to do Psychology. This is a long and hard path. I also left a career that pays a lot better than Psych and it has been difficult in many ways. 

 

You definitely do NOT need a master's degree. But as someone switching into the field, I found it very useful. First, it gives you a taste of what a PhD program and a career will be like in Psychology. Second, you can start getting strong LORs and networking within your subfield, so that when it's time to apply to PhD programs, you have a strong sense of who is who, what programs do what, and where you want to end up (and with who). All subfields have political drama, cliques, and crazies, and applying blindly isn't necessarily the smartest way to approach it. Third, you get to design your own thesis and go through the whole defense process. Fourth, you get exposures to different areas of Psychology- I didn't even know about Health Psychology until my master's program, and now I'm in a Clinical/Health PhD program.

 

There are plenty of people who switch into the field without doing a master's, but I found it invaluable- it helped me get into my top choice PhD program, and made me a lot more comfortable and confident coming in. In a PhD program, you're expected to be fairly independent and know your stuff. Without that experience, I would be pretty lost right now.

 

At the end of the day, it's best to consider all the options and decide what is best for you!

[clinicalpsychphd20]

You definitely do NOT need a master's degree. But as someone switching into the field, I found it very useful. First, it gives you a taste of what a PhD program and a career will be like in Psychology. Second, you can start getting strong LORs and networking within your subfield, so that when it's time to apply to PhD programs, you have a strong sense of who is who, what programs do what, and where you want to end up (and with who). All subfields have political drama, cliques, and crazies, and applying blindly isn't necessarily the smartest way to approach it. Third, you get to design your own thesis and go through the whole defense process. Fourth, you get exposures to different areas of Psychology- I didn't even know about Health Psychology until my master's program, and now I'm in a Clinical/Health PhD program.

 

There are plenty of people who switch into the field without doing a master's, but I found it invaluable- it helped me get into my top choice PhD program, and made me a lot more comfortable and confident coming in. In a PhD program, you're expected to be fairly independent and know your stuff. Without that experience, I would be pretty lost right now.

 

At the end of the day, it's best to consider all the options and decide what is best for you!

 

I think the biggest issue with the master's is the $. It is certainly useful, but it is a question of whether it is worth the money... tough call. I would suggest looking into experimental psychology masters as they tend to be funded. 

[PsychGirl1]

I think the biggest issue with the master's is the $. It is certainly useful, but it is a question of whether it is worth the money... tough call. I would suggest looking into experimental psychology masters as they tend to be funded. 

 

Agree. There are a handful of funded programs, so those should be prioritized. I actually chose an unfunded program over a program I was accepted to with full funding and a stipend, because the other program seemed like a MUCH better fit for me (and it was). People in my program minimized cost by getting paid to do things that were great additions to our CVs (working as assessors for studies, TA'ing, paid part-time RA positions at our university or universities/hospitals nearby, etc) or working within the department (great way to get to know the faculty and admissions process for grad programs). I also lived at home and commuted. And my program also gave a handful of scholarships when they extended offers which helped a lot. Overall, I graduated with less debt than a year's worth of college, and I felt it was a solid investment. Also, if I had decided that a PhD wasn't the best decision for me, then I had more career options with my master's when re-entering the work force. If I had to decide again, I'd make the same choice. Again, tough decision, and it really comes down to what is best for each person.

[SomeSortaPsych]

Also, throwing this out there; it bridge programs seem like an interesting way to go about making the shift, and I probably would have considered one if I hadn't already been accepted to a program I was really interested in. Check it out! hopefully it's useful!

 

http://www.psychology.pitt.edu/hot-metal.php

[juilletmercredi]

I would go for something like a bridge program, or perhaps a funded master's over paying for a master's degree.  In your case, since you are coming from absolutely the ground up, I might consider doing a low-cost master's at a public in-state institution if I didn't have to borrow for living expenses, just tuition.

 

But I honestly think the best way - if you can't do a funded bridge or master's - is simply to take the coursework you need as a non-degree student at your local public and volunteer with a professor as an RA for a couple of hours a week.  You'll need both the coursework and the experience.  For courses, you need:

 

1. Intro to Psychology

2. Statistics

3. Research Methods

 

And 1-2 elective courses.  I don't know that I agree cognitive is one of the most important if your interest is in community psychology.  Obviously if your department offers a course in community psychology, you should take that, but most don't (it's a small subfield).  For an interest in community psych, I would actually suggest social psych - as community psychology grew out of social psychology, essentially.  Some other interesting/important classes might be personality psychology, clinical or abnormal psych (if you are interested in mental health issues), developmental, health psych, etc.  It just really depends on what your research interests are within community psych.

 

I do think it's sometimes a good idea to take one elective that's related to but outside your main area - so I'm a social-health psychologist but I took psych of learning in undergrad.

Edited April 23, 2014 by juilletmercredi