M.Sc. vs M.A.?

[elemosynarical]

Just curious, but if Psychology is a science, why are the graduate degrees offered by some universities a Master of Arts and not a Master's of science?

Does that mean a master's of Arts in psychology is less scientifically based or the courses in a master's of arts are not as statistically heavy?

Is it better to do a master's of science in psychology? As isn't it better to do a degree where psychology can be more empirically supported?

[KLamb8]

If you're wanting a career in research, then a MS is usually a better option. An MA is more theoretical focused, & an MS is focused more on practical empirical research methods. An MS will most likely contain an original thesis, while an MA might have an alternative option of a research paper, where you don't actually conduct your own experiment. If your goal is to only teach or practice clinical psychology, then an MA might be preferred. 

It's also helpful to read the program websites for more information on the type of study path offered. Usually there's a section that covers the career paths students tend to take after completing the program. 

[Jay's Brain]

i find that this might have to do with traditions and historical purposes, and, perhaps, some form of political accommodation between the natural sciences and psychology. I study neuropsychology (as close to the "hard science" realm of psychology as there can be!), and came from an undergraduate institution that issued BSc. for psychology programs due to the depth of scientific and empirical rigour the program entails. Yet, at my current graduate institution and my undergraduate institution, the Masters programs in Psychology are distinguished as M.A. over MSc.

[Oshawott]

Similar to @Jay's Brain, I hold a BSc in Psychology even though my coursework was predominantly social and cognitive, with little bio focus (to compare, a cognitive science degree at this school is consider a BA). My undergrad institute gives out an MA in psych despite being the top research institution in Canada for Psychology (and ranking top 20 globally last I checked). In my current grad institution, I am getting an MSc despite my research's focus being heavily social (though still research intensive)

Honestly, for some schools it seems arbitrary and likely based on tradition. Don't get hung up on the labels of whether its called a "science" or "arts" degree given the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Look at the actual program and what it has to offer.

and that's not even getting into the contentious issue of whether we can even call Psychology a science yet

Edited May 31, 2017 by Oshawott

[8BitJourney]

I'm going to echo everyone else sentiments and say that tradition is a big factor. At my undergrad both a BS and BA were offered and while it was highly encouraged that you did empirical research in both (and it was up to you to make it rigorous) the focus was different. For the BAs there was an emphasis on interdisciplinary work with sociology, linguistics, and the fine arts. for the BSs the curriculum aligned more with math, comp sci, and chemistry. My friend who went to Yale explained to me that regardless of what courses you took along with your core psychology course you came out with a BA. I'm guessing this is similar for some MA and MSc programs and the important thing is to look at the course offerings and requirements.

[vallaboop]

On 5/27/2017 at 6:23 PM, elemosynarical said:

Just curious, but if Psychology is a science, why are the graduate degrees offered by some universities a Master of Arts and not a Master's of science?

Does that mean a master's of Arts in psychology is less scientifically based or the courses in a master's of arts are not as statistically heavy?

Is it better to do a master's of science in psychology? As isn't it better to do a degree where psychology can be more empirically supported?

In my opinion there is more hard science based courses in a MS program vs. a MA, however I am not entirely sure and I would suggest looking at the curriculum for the schools you are interested in. For my undergrad it was essentially harder to get a BS than a BA in psychology. I would also say it depends on what you want to do with your career. If you are interested in research and pursuing a research based PhD than I suggest applying to MS programs where a research based thesis is required.

[Guest joshw4288]

An M.A. and an M.S. in psychology are generally identical. Do not be fooled by the erroneous notion that because one has the word "science" in it, that it is more scientifically focused. Most M.A. and M.S. degrees in psychology will require research methods and various statistics courses. They will both focus on evaluation of empirical research, production of empirical research, and both generally include a required thesis. It is far more important to look for these criteria than to be concerned with whether your degree will say "Master of Science" or "Master of Arts".

[dancedementia]

Another explanation is that I sometimes depends on the department/college granting the degree. Psychology departments housed in colleges of liberal arts, for example, will tend to give the M.A.

[Sarosh]

Just wonder if with a MA degree can I still pursue PhD later on??

[ThousandsHardships]

40 minutes ago, Sarosh said:

Just wonder if with a MA degree can I still pursue PhD later on??

Of course! It's your course work, grades, and research experience that matters the most (well, in addition to letters of recommendation and personal statements). As far as your degree goes, you just need a bachelor's level degree and relevant classes that demonstrate your background.

Edited August 26, 2017 by ThousandsHardships

[Sarosh]

3 hours ago, ThousandsHardships said:

Of course! It's your course work, grades, and research experience that matters the most (well, in addition to letters of recommendation and personal statements). As far as your degree goes, you just need a bachelor's level degree and relevant classes that demonstrate your background.

Thank you so much @ThousandsHardships

[eternallyephemeral]

The people here who are saying there is a difference are making an assumption that would make sense, if there was any sense to be made in the titles of different programs.

The first school I went to had an MA, and the school I'm at now has an MSc.

One is not "more scientific" than the other, as you do a thesis in both.

One is not more of a "hard science" than the other, as they both offered neuroscience, cognitive, social, personality, etc in each of the programs.

One was not more connected to comp sci, math, and natural/life sciences any more than the other was connected to fine arts and humanities and other social sciences.

There was no. difference. whatsoever.

 

Look beyond the name of the program and look at the subfield, whether you are doing a thesis, how many classes you have to take and what they are in, whether it is funded or not, and other aspects than the degree title.