Good idea to get a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies if I want a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience?

[kittyoverthemoon]

Throughout my grad school search, an interdisciplinary degree is sounding more and more like a good fit. Briefly, I'm interested in cognitive neuroscience in a psychology department, and my research interests go way out from there (since psychology is extremely broad). Those research interests center around psychoacoustics and auditory neuroscience, including topics such as music cognition, music cog/therapy and augmentative/alternative communication methods for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, vocal (singing) performance, and vocal animal communication in all species. So, you can see my dilemma. My undergraduate degree, though I wouldn't chalk up to a complete waste, was in a non-scientific field and the only courses that I enjoyed were the courses that I chose for my psychology minor, hence my decision to pursue psychology. I would also hope to minor in music (probably at the undergraduate level if it is allowed at my specific school). I'd also like to take courses in:

• speech & hearing sciences (physics of sound, perception & production)/audiology/AAC (communication disorders department)
• evolutionary psychology/biology
• cognitive neuroscience
• sensation & perception
• autism spectrum disorder (psychological focus on brain/learning/communication)
• behavioral ecology
• music theory, vocal pedagogy & performance

So, unless I'm able to pull a lot of strings, a MA in psychology from a university might not be able to afford me to take such a broad array of courses as I'd like. Also, by the time I finish this MA, in whatever it is, I will most likely want to apply to a PhD in Cognitive, Behavioral & Brain Sciences (likely in a psychology department); I'm only contemplating a PhD in Clinical Psych to pursue neuropsych work and research for autism. I'm aware that if I get an interdisciplinary MA, it might be harder to get into a clinical program, but my main question here is, for an experimental PhD in psychology, would it do more harm than good to pursue a less focused (interdisciplinary) master's degree than a master's in psychology?

Thanks!

Edited January 17, 2016 by kittyoverthemoon

[overdetermination]

If the goal of the MA is to launch you to a PhD, you don't need to try to accommodate all of your interests within the MA! There are a few directions you could go, degree wise, with that topical focus. Psychology. Neuroscience. Communication studies. Music cognition. Build-Your-Own. But. The question you should be asking about master's degrees isn't "what will I study" but "how will this help me" and "how will I pay" -- unless money is no issue for you, MA/MS (you should look into MS, too) degrees are pricey and typically unfunded, and some fields are more likely to have programs that provide some level of funding to students. I know neuroscience programs will sometimes fund, more often than psychology is the impression I get. 

I can't emphasize enough: start shifting your thoughts from coursework to research as your vehicle to knowledge ASAP, and the whole process will go more smoothly. If your goal is to improve your applicant profile for PhD programs, you need to focus on research activities and should be looking for potential advisers who do the kind of work you think you'd like to do, regardless the name on the department/program. "Unfocused" in general is something committees don't like to see/hear, but there's a difference between someone whose work is unfocused and someone whose work is focused but spans several domains. If you are in the latter camp, you can probably imagine the kinds of projects you'd like to work on. So then, think about 1) what skills you need to do that project and whether you could get those skills in your potential program, 2) what background knowledge you would especially need (that would be difficult to pick up on your own) and whether those courses are offered, 3) whether plausible advisers for you exist at that program, and of course 4) whether there are funding opportunities. You could potentially do a very cool project at the intersection of several of your interests through either a traditional or an interdisciplinary program, while picking up some knowledge from coursework (and literature) and looking awesome on paper. 

If in the former camp, get in the latter camp before making any decisions  If you think you need the MA to figure out how to focus your interests, then getting the coursework coverage right becomes more important. I think you mentioned the Gallatin School in another thread, and that might be a great option for you in that case. But I would bet your interests are better-defined than you think. 

Parting thought: Cog and Cog/Neuro programs care less about traditional psych stuff (like taking the subject GRE, having a bachelor's in psych) than other specialties, with some PIs even expressing a preference for prospectives with certain "STEM"-y bachelor's/master's degrees over psychology. 

[kittyoverthemoon]

4 hours ago, overdetermination said:

• If the goal of the MA is to launch you to a PhD, you don't need to try to accommodate all of your interests within the MA! There are a few directions you could go, degree wise, with that topical focus. Psychology. Neuroscience. Communication studies. Music cognition. Build-Your-Own. But. The question you should be asking about master's degrees isn't "what will I study" but "how will this help me" and "how will I pay" -- unless money is no issue for you, MA/MS (you should look into MS, too) degrees are pricey and typically unfunded, and some fields are more likely to have programs that provide some level of funding to students. I know neuroscience programs will sometimes fund, more often than psychology is the impression I get. 

I can't emphasize enough: start shifting your thoughts from coursework to research as your vehicle to knowledge ASAP, and the whole process will go more smoothly. If your goal is to improve your applicant profile for PhD programs, you need to focus on research activities and should be looking for potential advisers who do the kind of work you think you'd like to do, regardless the name on the department/program. "Unfocused" in general is something committees don't like to see/hear, but there's a difference between someone whose work is unfocused and someone whose work is focused but spans several domains. If you are in the latter camp, you can probably imagine the kinds of projects you'd like to work on. So then, think about 1) what skills you need to do that project and whether you could get those skills in your potential program, 2) what background knowledge you would especially need (that would be difficult to pick up on your own) and whether those courses are offered, 3) whether plausible advisers for you exist at that program, and of course 4) whether there are funding opportunities. You could potentially do a very cool project at the intersection of several of your interests through either a traditional or an interdisciplinary program, while picking up some knowledge from coursework (and literature) and looking awesome on paper. 

If in the former camp, get in the latter camp before making any decisions  If you think you need the MA to figure out how to focus your interests, then getting the coursework coverage right becomes more important. I think you mentioned the Gallatin School in another thread, and that might be a great option for you in that case. But I would bet your interests are better-defined than you think. 

Parting thought: Cog and Cog/Neuro programs care less about traditional psych stuff (like taking the subject GRE, having a bachelor's in psych) than other specialties, with some PIs even expressing a preference for prospectives with certain "STEM"-y bachelor's/master's degrees over psychology. 

Wow, thanks for the input! I definitely have ideas of what I'd like to do research on, and I think at this point in my career, it's the interface of autism/music cognition/language evolution studies. I know eventually I'd like to do work with animal cognition and behavior (bioacoustic communication), but I definitely have the least experience in stats and research, so a master's was my best bet in getting coursework and research/stats experience. It's just that I don't feel confident enough to start in a lab because I've never truly studied these things in a formal course (except for cognition and behavioral neuroscience, hence it's my major focus) and might actually need the MA to do just what you've suggested-to focus my interests so that  I'm a more focused PhD candidate in whatever area of psych I choose. I am keeping track of which schools have only labs and/or programs in some of these areas. Money is sort of a concern, but I am really just looking for schools that fit academically and will weigh the costs from there. I've been considering MA's over MS's because the degree is essentially more flexible, which of course is something I'm looking for with interdisciplinary interests. It's hard trying to keep track of all the schools and which labs they have and which projects are in those labs and the degree they offer, etc. I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to

• MA in Psych or Interdisciplinary Studies  
• the school has a cognitive science program

as must-have criteria. But again, thanks for the advice and good luck to you in your grad journey!