Do MA and PHD thesis topics have to be similar?

[strongside]

Hey guys,

Could someone clarify how research topics from your MA (or MEd) in psychology are linked to your PhD in terms of research topics? I'll be pursuing a Masters in Counselling Psyc next year and, if things work out,  a PhD down the road. I just want to know that if I get into a doctoral program after completing my masters, whether I"ll have to pursue the same topic as my masters thesis at the doctoral level. If it all works out, I'd love the option to pursue a specific topic during my masters and then investigating something else if the PhD works out (but in the same discipline of counselling psych). Does anyone have experience with doing a masters at one university (under the same discipline)  and then completing a pHd in a different institution with a different research topic? For instance, if I research childhood learning disabilities for my masters in counselling, could I then research PTSD in adults at the PhD counselling level? I'd like to know how far ahead I should be thinking when choosing my masters thesis topic. Thanks so much

[rising_star]

Not in psychology but my MA and PhD focused on different topics within the same subfield and no one has cared.

[eternallyephemeral]

Especially if the two degrees are at different schools, it's understandable that there would be some differences.

You're staying in the same field (counselling psych), so you probably won't have this problem, but when I switched subfields (cognitive/perception to I/O psych and organizational behaviour), people were definitely concerned about my lack of relevant experience.

I believe that if you can convince the committee that your masters would help you succeed in their PhD program, then it's fine to study two different fields.

However, if you're interested in an academic career, it may help to narrow down your focus to present a cohesive set of publications in one area when you do apply for jobs. Just a thought.

[fuzzylogician]

At least in my field, there is no expectation that your MA and PhD be on the same topic. It sometimes happens that way because students have an expertise and an interest in a certain area and they just keep working in it, but there is nothing that says you can't change your topic between the two degrees. My dissertation isn't based on other papers I wrote for earlier stages in my program (we write two qualifying papers), although it is partly based on journal papers I'd written before starting my dissertation and more generally on a topic I'd been thinking about in a variety of ways for several years, and it also isn't related to the topic I was working on for my Masters.