Funded Masters in Quantitative Psychology

[Applemiu]

Hi all,

 

I was wondering if anybody knows of funded Masters in Quantitative Psychology; or if anybody is attending one and would like to share his experience. 

 

Thank you!

[spunky]

have you looked at APA's Division 5 website where all of us, quants, hang around?

 

or a nice overview of quant programs in the U.S./Canada can be found in:

 

http://www.apa.org/research/tools/quantitative/?item=2

 

from a completely biased and absolutely subjective opinion i think quant psych/psychometrics programs  are awesome and you'll thank yourself later on once you figure out this is the area with the best employment prospects both inside and outside academia within psychology.

 

trust me, i'm a quant!  

Edited October 17, 2014 by spunky

[juilletmercredi]

I didn't do my PhD in quantitative psychology but I do some research in that area, and I currently work in a methodology center with a bunch of quantitative psychologists.  So I am also biased towards quantitative psychology - great subfield!

 

But no, there aren't any MA programs in the field.  There are some MA programs in measurement and statistics, usually in schools/departments of education, that will be similar.  You could also get an MA in applied statistics at a place that allows some flexibility, and take electives in the psychology department.  (A couple of the quant psychologists I currently work with got their PhD in psychology and a concurrent MA in applied statistics.)

[Applemiu]

Thank you so much to both of you for your feedback! The APA page is very informative, and I have actually found an Applied Statistics Master at the University of Michigan that's funded. I am trying to broaden my options while applying to grad school.

[lewin]

from a completely biased and absolutely subjective opinion i think quant psych/psychometrics programs  are awesome and you'll thank yourself later on once you figure out this is the area with the best employment prospects both inside and outside academia within psychology.

 

I'm NOT in quant and would probably agree with you. And if you can use advanced methods to tackle more traditional research questions too then you're even more set.

[spunky]

I'm NOT in quant and would probably agree with you. And if you can use advanced methods to tackle more traditional research questions too then you're even more set.

 

we are moving to a point within the social sciences (or science, in general) where there simply is more data to be analyzed than people capable of doing it correctly. 

 

about 10 yrs ago the APA came up with its taskforce to increase the number of PhD students in Quant Psych because they were panicking at the possibility of good methodologists and properly-trained data analysts becoming extinct within psychology. 

 

http://www.apa.org/research/tools/quantitative/quant-task-force-report.pdf

 

michael edwards from Ohio State did a follow-up like 5 yrs after the taskforce efforts began and another one i think in the 2012 Int'l Psychometric Society annual meeting with the results being somewhat the same as when it all started in 2005: the output of Quant Psych PhDs has remained the same but the need has grown. a combination of professors retiring and the allure of the private sector  (which is starved for computer-savvy data analysts and offers salaries that are a little too-good to resist) makes it difficult for the field to grow. i always try to encourage people to consider Quant Psych/Psychometrics as a potential area of study (even if it's not your primary interest) not only for the flexibility it offers but also because it helps keep the field alive. 

 

we don't wanna go the way of Mathematical Psychology, may it R.I.P.

Edited October 18, 2014 by spunky