Changing fields post-grad-- where to take pre-reqs?

[kyarnold]

Hello!

I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend.  He is Japanese with a BA in International Economics from a Japanese university.  He is currently volunteering as a phone counselor for a crisis hotline and is interested in pursuing a masters in clinical psychology in the U.S.A.  Of course he will have to take some pre-requisites in psychology before applying.  My question is where to take them? Can he take them online?  At a community college in America? Or does it have to be at an American university? 

If anyone has any experience changing fields into Psychology for grad school, I would appreciate hearing your experience.  Thank you!!

[8BitJourney]

I would strongly suggest doing it in-person in a US university if he can afford it. Here is a list from APA of some universities with post-bac opportunities in psychology. Its from 2014 but its a good jumping off point: http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2014/09/post-baccalaureate.aspx

He will also have to take the GRE and psychology GRE to prove that he has foundational knowledge in psychology (though I'm not sure if the masters program he's interested in require it but a grad program might) also with how competitive clinical psych is in the US is that for sure what they want to do? Many programs also require strong evidence of research productivity.

[transfatfree]

Another way is do an MA/MS in (general) psychology. There are one-year and two-year programs that prepare you for further studies in specialized areas of psychology. He can do that in Japan if there are similar programs.

You should ask him what his goal is after getting a master's in clinical psychology. He cannot practice in the US with just a master's, but I'm not sure if he can do so in Japan. 

[kyarnold]

12 hours ago, 8BitJourney said:

I would strongly suggest doing it in-person in a US university if he can afford it. Here is a list from APA of some universities with post-bac opportunities in psychology. Its from 2014 but its a good jumping off point: http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2014/09/post-baccalaureate.aspx

He will also have to take the GRE and psychology GRE to prove that he has foundational knowledge in psychology (though I'm not sure if the masters program he's interested in require it but a grad program might) also with how competitive clinical psych is in the US is that for sure what they want to do? Many programs also require strong evidence of research productivity.

Thanks for the reply! That link is super helpful!  I noticed there is one online program through UC Berkeley Extension on that list.  But it's only 12 units, so I'm not sure about the quality of the program. 

[kyarnold]

9 hours ago, transfatfree said:

Another way is do an MA/MS in (general) psychology. There are one-year and two-year programs that prepare you for further studies in specialized areas of psychology. He can do that in Japan if there are similar programs.

You should ask him what his goal is after getting a master's in clinical psychology. He cannot practice in the US with just a master's, but I'm not sure if he can do so in Japan. 

Thank you! Yeah, an MA/MS in genreal psychology sounds like a good option for him. He doesn't have a clear goal for after getting a masters, but he thinks he'd like to do some form of counseling.  So maybe an MA/MS coupled with a liscensing program?

[transfatfree]

19 hours ago, kyarnold said:

Thank you! Yeah, an MA/MS in genreal psychology sounds like a good option for him. He doesn't have a clear goal for after getting a masters, but he thinks he'd like to do some form of counseling.  So maybe an MA/MS coupled with a liscensing program?

3

It may be a good idea for him to do the MA/MS first and figure out what he wants to do. There are different licenses with requirements that vary from state to state. In general, a doctoral degree is required to become a licensed psychologist in the US and a professional master's to become a licensed mental health counselor. He may want to do more research on how these qualifications and careers are different from each other.

[Le Chat]

Some Master's programs will let you take prerequisite courses in your first year of the program. If not, it definitely would be best to take them at an American university.

There are Clinical Psych Master's programs that lead to licensure- some states (like 26) have Licensed Psychology Associates, as well as Licensed Specialists in School Psychology, and Licensed Professional Counselors. 

[eveline]

On 2/19/2017 at 8:32 AM, kyarnold said:

Hello!

I'm asking this question on behalf of a friend.  He is Japanese with a BA in International Economics from a Japanese university.  He is currently volunteering as a phone counselor for a crisis hotline and is interested in pursuing a masters in clinical psychology in the U.S.A.  Of course he will have to take some pre-requisites in psychology before applying.  My question is where to take them? Can he take them online?  At a community college in America? Or does it have to be at an American university? 

If anyone has any experience changing fields into Psychology for grad school, I would appreciate hearing your experience.  Thank you!!

Purely for pre-reqs, I recommend Harvard Extension School (for quality + financial value; it's relatively cheap compared to similar programs): https://www.extension.harvard.edu/

Most can be taken online.