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There are many different psychology degrees that one can take today: forensic, social, clinical, behavioral etc.
What are the differences concerning what one can work as when having obtained a degree in one of these directions?
Which one would be most desirable if one would work as e.g. a psychologist at a clinic, at a business, in law enforcement etc?
Can you obtain a degree in one direction and then work in another?
I've been reading alot about different directions as I am doing some research (I'm hoping to someday be able to read psychology at a University) and I'm just curious about the different directions and their "value" in on the job market.
All responses are welcomed!
First, feel free to ask more questions by PM.....
I'm just a few months from my PhD in clinical psych
Here are options, post BA
1) Social Psych- research based. research can be very similar to clinical psych/sociology. Would be good for a professor/researcher/consultant. you can't do therapy/clinical work with this degree
2) developmental psych- research based. again, is good for a professor/researcher/consultant. As it sounds, all research is focused on child/developmental factors
3) I/O psych- for this a masters degree can be sufficient. work in human resources, consult with businesses. I know UIUC has a great program for this
4) clinical psychology- Ph.D. this is a 5-6 year program where you balance research and clinical work. Focus more on abnormal behavior, but there is a variety of areas.... (I focus on child maltreatment and psych and law). for the PhD program, you should be fully funded (i.e., you don't pay for clases)....I can give you a TON of info on this one if it interests you. You are really prepared to do virtually anything in psych after this (research, clinical work of any type, faculty position, consultant). These are highly selective (i.e., about 7 people of 300-400 per year) so they aren't impossible, but you need to plan ahead!
5) clinical psychology, PsyD. similar to PhD but you are not doing ANY research and you focus solely on clinical work. other differences- you are not funded (i.e., can pay $30-40K per year!), you aren't quite as competative and you can't really do research, teach, consult (unless you teach at a PsyD school)
6) counseling psych, Ph.D., similar to clinical psych Ph.D., but doesn't focus as much on abnormal behavior. Many teach, do research, work at a college counseling center after this
7) school psych, Ph.D., focus on research and clinical work, in a school setting! (mainly assessment)
8) forensic psych- be VERY wary. There are a ton of "forensic programs" but only 1 or 2 credible ones out there. Most people do a clinical phd and focus on psych and law, rather than a "forensic" degree
Other similar degrees/if you don't want go for PhD
MSW. I would consider this rather than just a masters in clinical/counseling if you only want to do therapy and don't want to do a PhD. It stands better alone.
----
As for behavioral psych, this would be a part of one of the above, not a stand alone program (or if you find one, I would be wary....it's not traditional).
---
How hard is it to go between one or another? Depends. With my clinical Ph.D., I can pretty much do anything the PsyD's can but they can't do everything I can (teach, research). Those with social/developmental degrees again can't move until clinical work unless they get a license. Moving from clinical to either social/developmental if you have done mainly research isn't hard..... This is kinda vague, but I can answer more specifics.
----
For working with law enforcement- how? As a therapist? PhD. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, maybe MSW. Researcher? Social psychologist, PhD. in clinical, Ph.D. in counseling.
---
At a clinic? Again, as a therapist I'm assuming? Ph.D. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, MSW. Also perhaps a masters in clinical/counseling
----
At a business? I'm not sure what you mean.
OK, now I see that you are in Sweden. I'm answering from the US. Licensing laws may be different there...
First, feel free to ask more questions by PM.....
I'm just a few months from my PhD in clinical psych
Here are options, post BA
1) Social Psych- research based. research can be very similar to clinical psych/sociology. Would be good for a professor/researcher/consultant. you can't do therapy/clinical work with this degree
2) developmental psych- research based. again, is good for a professor/researcher/consultant. As it sounds, all research is focused on child/developmental factors
3) I/O psych- for this a masters degree can be sufficient. work in human resources, consult with businesses. I know UIUC has a great program for this
4) clinical psychology- Ph.D. this is a 5-6 year program where you balance research and clinical work. Focus more on abnormal behavior, but there is a variety of areas.... (I focus on child maltreatment and psych and law). for the PhD program, you should be fully funded (i.e., you don't pay for clases)....I can give you a TON of info on this one if it interests you. You are really prepared to do virtually anything in psych after this (research, clinical work of any type, faculty position, consultant). These are highly selective (i.e., about 7 people of 300-400 per year) so they aren't impossible, but you need to plan ahead!
5) clinical psychology, PsyD. similar to PhD but you are not doing ANY research and you focus solely on clinical work. other differences- you are not funded (i.e., can pay $30-40K per year!), you aren't quite as competative and you can't really do research, teach, consult (unless you teach at a PsyD school)
6) counseling psych, Ph.D., similar to clinical psych Ph.D., but doesn't focus as much on abnormal behavior. Many teach, do research, work at a college counseling center after this
7) school psych, Ph.D., focus on research and clinical work, in a school setting! (mainly assessment)
8) forensic psych- be VERY wary. There are a ton of "forensic programs" but only 1 or 2 credible ones out there. Most people do a clinical phd and focus on psych and law, rather than a "forensic" degree
Other similar degrees/if you don't want go for PhD
MSW. I would consider this rather than just a masters in clinical/counseling if you only want to do therapy and don't want to do a PhD. It stands better alone.
----
As for behavioral psych, this would be a part of one of the above, not a stand alone program (or if you find one, I would be wary....it's not traditional).
---
How hard is it to go between one or another? Depends. With my clinical Ph.D., I can pretty much do anything the PsyD's can but they can't do everything I can (teach, research). Those with social/developmental degrees again can't move until clinical work unless they get a license. Moving from clinical to either social/developmental if you have done mainly research isn't hard..... This is kinda vague, but I can answer more specifics.
----
For working with law enforcement- how? As a therapist? PhD. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, maybe MSW. Researcher? Social psychologist, PhD. in clinical, Ph.D. in counseling.
---
At a clinic? Again, as a therapist I'm assuming? Ph.D. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, MSW. Also perhaps a masters in clinical/counseling
----
At a business? I'm not sure what you mean.
OK, now I see that you are in Sweden. I'm answering from the US. Licensing laws may be different there...
For doing counseling only and not wanting to do a doctorate I always recommend getting a master's in counseling over the MSW. My entire MA in Clinical Counseling are counseling classes. The MSW is not ALL counseling classes. I never understood why people choose the MSW if they JUST want to do therapy?
For doing counseling only and not wanting to do a doctorate I always recommend getting a master's in counseling over the MSW. My entire MA in Clinical Counseling are counseling classes. The MSW is not ALL counseling classes. I never understood why people choose the MSW if they JUST want to do therapy?
A lot of it is employment. For instance, in Chicago it is much easier to get a higher paid counseling job with the MSW than masters in counseling. If you get the masters in counseling and licensed you could be fine.
First, feel free to ask more questions by PM.....
I'm just a few months from my PhD in clinical psych
Here are options, post BA
1) Social Psych- research based. research can be very similar to clinical psych/sociology. Would be good for a professor/researcher/consultant. you can't do therapy/clinical work with this degree
2) developmental psych- research based. again, is good for a professor/researcher/consultant. As it sounds, all research is focused on child/developmental factors
3) I/O psych- for this a masters degree can be sufficient. work in human resources, consult with businesses. I know UIUC has a great program for this
4) clinical psychology- Ph.D. this is a 5-6 year program where you balance research and clinical work. Focus more on abnormal behavior, but there is a variety of areas.... (I focus on child maltreatment and psych and law). for the PhD program, you should be fully funded (i.e., you don't pay for clases)....I can give you a TON of info on this one if it interests you. You are really prepared to do virtually anything in psych after this (research, clinical work of any type, faculty position, consultant). These are highly selective (i.e., about 7 people of 300-400 per year) so they aren't impossible, but you need to plan ahead!
5) clinical psychology, PsyD. similar to PhD but you are not doing ANY research and you focus solely on clinical work. other differences- you are not funded (i.e., can pay $30-40K per year!), you aren't quite as competative and you can't really do research, teach, consult (unless you teach at a PsyD school)
6) counseling psych, Ph.D., similar to clinical psych Ph.D., but doesn't focus as much on abnormal behavior. Many teach, do research, work at a college counseling center after this
7) school psych, Ph.D., focus on research and clinical work, in a school setting! (mainly assessment)
8) forensic psych- be VERY wary. There are a ton of "forensic programs" but only 1 or 2 credible ones out there. Most people do a clinical phd and focus on psych and law, rather than a "forensic" degree
Other similar degrees/if you don't want go for PhD
MSW. I would consider this rather than just a masters in clinical/counseling if you only want to do therapy and don't want to do a PhD. It stands better alone.
----
As for behavioral psych, this would be a part of one of the above, not a stand alone program (or if you find one, I would be wary....it's not traditional).
---
How hard is it to go between one or another? Depends. With my clinical Ph.D., I can pretty much do anything the PsyD's can but they can't do everything I can (teach, research). Those with social/developmental degrees again can't move until clinical work unless they get a license. Moving from clinical to either social/developmental if you have done mainly research isn't hard..... This is kinda vague, but I can answer more specifics.
----
For working with law enforcement- how? As a therapist? PhD. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, maybe MSW. Researcher? Social psychologist, PhD. in clinical, Ph.D. in counseling.
---
At a clinic? Again, as a therapist I'm assuming? Ph.D. in clinical, counseling, PsyD, MSW. Also perhaps a masters in clinical/counseling
----
At a business? I'm not sure what you mean.
OK, now I see that you are in Sweden. I'm answering from the US. Licensing laws may be different there...
jessiegirl_98,
You mentioned something about the PhD's being funded. I would like some direction on that. I know this is an old post but it is definitely relevant to what I was looking for. A lot of my questions were answered here, but I have a few more.
I understand that Psychology is one of the areas you can skip the Masters and go into the Doctorate program. However, my Bachelors degree is not in Psychology so I am guessing I should probably do the Masters first. What do you think? If I wait for the PhD then it will be years before I go into the field. Once I have a Masters in Psych I am guessing I can find a relevant job while working on my PhD.
If I want to work as a Child Psychologist will a Masters in Psychology be good enough for now or do I need to get one specifically in Child Psych? Are there good programs out there you can recommend for Phd/ Child Psych? I live in Arizona but am willing to work online.
Thank you.
jessiegirl_98,
You mentioned something about the PhD's being funded. I would like some direction on that. I know this is an old post but it is definitely relevant to what I was looking for. A lot of my questions were answered here, but I have a few more.
I understand that Psychology is one of the areas you can skip the Masters and go into the Doctorate program. However, my Bachelors degree is not in Psychology so I am guessing I should probably do the Masters first. What do you think? If I wait for the PhD then it will be years before I go into the field. Once I have a Masters in Psych I am guessing I can find a relevant job while working on my PhD.
If I want to work as a Child Psychologist will a Masters in Psychology be good enough for now or do I need to get one specifically in Child Psych? Are there good programs out there you can recommend for Phd/ Child Psych? I live in Arizona but am willing to work online.
Thank you.
Wow, you have quite a few questions. I will answer a few of them. Other people can chime in on the rest. You do not need to have an undergrad in psychology in order to get into a Ph.D. program. I have friends who had undergrads in engineering, business, and nursing, to name just a few.
You also do not need to get a Master degree in order to get into a Ph.D. program in psychology. In fact, several programs will allow you to get the Master degree in route to the Ph.D. Also, many Ph.D. programs in psychology are VERY selective, admitting usually between 5 to 10 students per year. Because they typically admit a small number of students, many of these programs are fully-funded for the student (this is not the case for every program, but for many). Definitely, the top psychology programs will be fully-funded. You can check U.S. News and World Reports rankings of top psychology programs to see which programs are considered to be good.
If you are thinking about just getting a Masters degree, then I would recommend considering the Masters in Social Work. It is a more flexible degree, which should allow you more options.
If you want to work with kids and might terminate at a master's you could also consider school psychology. Most states have provisions for a 'specialist' title that allows you to work independently in a school setting.
jessiegirl_98,
You mentioned something about the PhD's being funded. I would like some direction on that. I know this is an old post but it is definitely relevant to what I was looking for. A lot of my questions were answered here, but I have a few more.
I understand that Psychology is one of the areas you can skip the Masters and go into the Doctorate program. However, my Bachelors degree is not in Psychology so I am guessing I should probably do the Masters first. What do you think? If I wait for the PhD then it will be years before I go into the field. Once I have a Masters in Psych I am guessing I can find a relevant job while working on my PhD.
If I want to work as a Child Psychologist will a Masters in Psychology be good enough for now or do I need to get one specifically in Child Psych? Are there good programs out there you can recommend for Phd/ Child Psych? I live in Arizona but am willing to work online.
Thank you.
1. check out student doctor network and the clinical psychology boards for all your answers
2. do that
3. do that
4. if you haven't done that yet, then you should also know that although you might be theoretically able to gain admission to a clin psy phd program with a degree in another field, you will STILL be required to complete pre-reqs in psych before admission... these classes are typically history and systems, general psych, psychological testing, psychopathology, personality, cognitive, and learning... some schools also require you taking the Psych GRE which covers general knowledge
Hi I know these posts are from a long time ago but I was wondering if someone could tell me what are some career options with a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health. I am still an undergraduate but I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I love working with mentally disabled but I'm not sure what my options are. I could really use some advise/help.
Thanks!
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